At 87-years-old, Yves maintains his joie de vivre by surrounding himself with his 70+ bonsai trees. Traversing from a tree’s roots to its crown, we reflect on the beauty and complexities of life imitating art, death, and age, wrapped in the warmth and humour that Yves brings to each tree.
Yves Papillon, Francoise Papillon, David Easterbrook
Canada
2025
In French with English subtitles
Open to youth
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Ophelia Spinosa
Cinematography
Samuel Wilde
Editor
Carol Nguyen
Original Music
Noah Sherrin
Ophelia Spinosa
Ophelia is a director and producer whose films have travelled globally and been featured by Telefilm Canada’s Not Short on Talent program at Clermont-Ferrand, HotDocs, and the Miami Film Festival. Most recently, she produced Audio y el Caiman (Dir, Andres I. Estrada, 2024), which won Grand Prix Special Mention and the Audience Award – Focus Competition at the 28e Festival Regard.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Richest Woman in the World
Isabelle Huppert plays cosmetics CEO Marianne in this teasingly ambivalent satire inspired by the Bettancourt Affair, when L'Oreal heir Francoise Bettancourt scandalized France by frittering away her fortune on a notorious celebrity photographer.
The Python Hunt
Strange but true: the Florida Everglades are overrun with unwanted visitors. Not tourists, but invasive Burmese pythons decimating the local critters. The state's solution: an annual contest: $10 000 to whomever bags the most snakes in ten days.
Departures
Two lads meet at an airport gate and begin monthly trips to Amsterdam together. Their chemistry is off the charts, but it's Jake who's calls the shots while Benji is the one who's emotionally invested. Comparisons to Pillion and Trainspotting are on mark.