North American Premiere
Samuel Urbina’s feature debut is a quiet, deeply affecting mother and son drama following Sol, a single mother whose son Junior is preparing to move to Lima upon graduating college. Working as a keyboard player in the small Peruvian town of Piura, Sol spends much of her time on the road between gigs, using the commute to process her feelings on becoming an empty nester. While Junior is eager to spread his wings and explore the world outside their remote desert town, he too is feeling separation anxiety as he faces the unknown.
In That Shadow Fading, Urbina molds the language of minimalist cinema to his own regional dialect with great skill and precision. He is interested in observational, mundane moments where silences speak volumes, and his thoughtful mise-en-scene captures the subtle yet profound emotional shifts and moods, complemented by all-around arresting cinematography and impeccable sound design.
Oct 2 & 3: Filmmaker Q&A
Media Partner
Community Partner
Sylvia Majo, Santiago Torres Rojas, Antonio Miranda
Peru
2025
In Spanish with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Samuel Urbina, Walter Manrique Cervantes
Producer
Jorge G. Castañeda
Screenwriter
Samuel Urbina
Cinematography
Carlos Gerardo García
Editor
Samuel Urbina
Production Design
Sandra Fernández del Río
Original Music
Marisol Cao Milán
Samuel Urbina
Samuel Urbina is a film director and producer born and based in Piura, Peru. His work is driven by an interest in cinema that moves between fiction and non-fiction, with territory as its point of departure. Since 2018, he has been the promoter of the Piura International Short Film Festival “Cine con Chifles”, a platform conceived to discover, train, and foster new cinematic voices in his local community. That Shadow Fading (2025) is his debut feature film.
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.