Explorations of desire and intimacy serve both pain and pleasure.
Oct 9 & 10: Filmmaker Q&A
This short film program includes the following films:
Two Hander
Norah Sadava, Canada (10 min)
A woman arrives at a parking lot to retrieve a car.
Husband’s Legs
Kimi Yawata, Japan (25 min)
Ran and Kei’s marriage is on the rocks, until Kei’s secret fetish is revealed.
Content Considerations: Sexuality, fetishes
Man Eating Pussy
Emily Lawson, Canada/USA (13 min)
A dying man seeks the ultimate release.
Praying Mantis
Joe Hsieh, Taiwan/Hong Kong (19 min)
Half woman, half praying mantis — Ali seduces and kills men to feed her hungry son.
Content Considerations: Animated depictions of sex and violence
Vulnus
Diandra Arriaga, Mexico (9 min)
After shaking off a fall, a skater with an injured arm passes by a figure whose gaze penetrates the wound.
A Lonely Night
Camille Beaubi, Canada (19 min)
After a long day at work, Samantha bumps into her neighbour, who confesses that he spies on her at night.
Taxi Moto
Gaël Kamilindi, France/Switzerland (21 min)
In response to censorship from his home country, a director is forced to relocate his film, prompting a new approach with a new lead actor.
Community Partner
Various
Various
2025 & 2026
Various
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
A. Rimbaud
Patrick Wang (The Bread Factory) presents the life of French poet Arthur Rimbaud in this staggeringly adventurous and deeply considered movie, a three-hour, one-man show quite unlike anything we have seen before. "Poetic, audacious and singular."
The 39 Steps
In our new film studies series, FRAMEWORK, film scholar Michael van den Bos explores the work of Alfred Hitchcock, across four monochrome masterworks. This week: The 39 Steps (1935), a witty and fast-moving spy thriller from Hitchcock's English period.