The Vancouver International Film Festival’s 45th edition runs October 1–11, featuring 160 films and live programming built around the theme “reworlding.”
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The Vancouver International Film Festival will return for its 45th edition from October 1 to 11, presenting 160 films from around the world alongside filmmaker conversations and live music programming.
Organizers say the festival’s slate continues its emphasis on emerging talent as well as Canadian and Indigenous filmmakers. This year’s Focus program is dedicated to New German Cinema, positioning the 11-day festival as both a look forward and a curatorial deep dive into film history.
VIFF’s BC Spotlight highlights two productions in the festival’s regional program. The documentary Seventeen, directed by Justin Ducharme, is presented as a tribute to Rick Hansen and his Man in Motion World Tour. Tangles is also featured, described as an animated film adapted from Sarah Leavitt’s graphic novel and characterized as critically acclaimed.
Beyond the screen, VIFF Live returns with a theme centered on “reworlding,” exploring how visuals and sounds move between the worlds they are made in and the worlds they may help create. The live slate includes TAKKUUK with Tarrak + Silla, which combines infrared cinematography with a hypnotic score and draws on Indigenous futurism.
The VIFF Live lineup also includes a North American premiere from British electronic duo the KLF, billed as 23 Seconds to Eternity. A CHXMERAS performance is listed as an opening to that screening, tying the music component to the festival’s programming theme.
Film selections flagged by organizers for this year include A Long Winter, a coming-of-age directed by Andrew Haigh. The film is described as a wintery Western on the Rocky Mountains that explores family dynamics, grief and burgeoning sexuality, with performances noted from Fred Hechinger, Ebon Moss-Bachrach of The Bear, and Canadian actor D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.
Another title highlighted is Afterpiece, directed by Keane T.K. Wong. Stephen Fung is described as playing a weathered playwright seeking to revive his career by writing a piece drawn from his own life, before becoming drawn to a new muse; the film is positioned as part of a broader wave of stories that blur behind-the-scenes filmmaking with stagecraft and performance.
Lukas Dhont’s Coward is presented as a First World War-set follow-up to his Oscar-nominated Close, continuing the director’s focus on coming-of-age narratives where sexual identity is central. The film is described as examining masculinity in an era when violence and strength sat alongside brotherhood among soldiers, with leads identified as Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne.
Also on the must-see list is Nina Roza, directed by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles. The film is described as Canada’s official submission for the forthcoming 2027 Oscars for Best International Feature Film and follows an art curator named Mihail as he travels from Canada to his home country of Bulgaria to investigate a young art prodigy whose fame spread online.
Organizers say the film generated attention at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, where it won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay, and it is framed as an exploration of identity, belonging and creation. A separate highlight, Relax Open Your Eyes, is a documentary directed by David Ehrenreich that enters the world of cryonics, focusing on individuals who choose to preserve human remains with the hope resurrection may become possible in the future.
Described as approaching a controversial subject with curiosity, the documentary follows the decision-makers and emphasizes why they make those choices. The festival’s framing of the film points to the themes it is expected to raise, including the intricacies of death and the desire to avoid what is described as the final rite.
With the festival occupying 11 days in early October, VIFF is also placing emphasis on the experience around screenings, including “reworlding”-themed events such as walks along the seawall between films, and additional live programming meant to extend the festival atmosphere beyond indoor theatres. The festival’s ticketing information and passes are directed to be found through VIFF’s website.
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