Canadian Premiere
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.
Gaël Kamilindi, Erwan Kepoa Falé
France/Switzerland
2026
In French with English subtitles
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
José Michel Buhler, François-Xavier Destors
Screenwriter
Gaël Kamilindi
Cinematography
Eva Sehet
Editor
Marie Thomas-Pernette
Original Music
Gaspard Sommer
Gaël Kamilindi
Gaël Kamilindi, originally from Rwanda, is a film director and (since 2017) member of the Comédie-Française troupe. Between 2021 and 2024, he self-produced and co-directed (with Ozal Emier) Les resquilleurs, a 35-minute experimental trilogy. In 2024, he co-directed (with François-Xavier Destors) Didy, his first feature-length documentary. Didy was selected by numerous festivals including Visions du Réel, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Pessac History Film Festival, Encounters, FESPACO, and others, and received Best Documentary recognition at both the Mashariki African Film Festival and the Brussels International Film Festival.
Photo by ADOK Films
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.