The Vancouver International Film Festival Program Guide 2017 by Vancouver International Film Festival

Suck it Up Part of VIFFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s True North Stream

The 36th Vancouver International Film Festival September 28 to October 13 2017 Festival Guide

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Contents How to VIFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Festival Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Greater Vancouver Film Festival Society . . . . . 7 Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Letters of Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Panorama

Galas & Special Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Contemporary World Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Spotlight on France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Documentaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Festival Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Sea to Sky

BC Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Totally Indie Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 True North

VIFF AMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 VIFF Industry Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Virtual Reality at VIFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Buffer Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Creator Talks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Gateway

Dragons & Tigers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 M/A/D

M/A/D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 VIFF LIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 ALT

Altered States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Short Films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 MODES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

True North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Future//Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Impact

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Indexes Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Films by Country and Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Sustainable Production Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Films with Screening Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Editor Curtis Woloschuk Associate Editor Jack Vermee Publications Coordinator Mike Archibald Database Publishing Sandy Gow Graphic Design Steve Chow Cover Design Cause + Affect Printing Mitchell Press

About VIFF

Published August 31, 2017 in Vancouver, BC, Canada, by the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society.

1181 Seymour Street • Vancouver, BC • V6B 3M7 Canada t (604) 685-0260 • f (604) 688-8221 • www.viff.org

The Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society is a non-profit, taxexempt, educational and cultural society incorporated and registered under The Society Act of British Columbia, and a federally registered charity under the Canadian Income Tax Act. Charitable Registration Number 118946821RT0001.

How to VIFF

How to VIFF Pick your films or events

Enjoy

Stay in the know with instant updates

Browse through the programming streams in this guide. Here, you’ll find information on all of our films and events. Are you only available for a few days during the festival? Turn directly to the VIFF schedule in the centre of this guide to see what’s happening on any given day. Need more information? Visit viff. org for longer descriptions, enhanced search functions and schedule changes or updates. Alternatively, you can download the VIFF App for notifications on the go!

We pride ourselves on offering our guests unique and often unforgettable experiences. All we ask is that you also play your part by being considerate to your fellow audience members, volunteers, and festival staff.

Subscribe to daily email updates during the festival:

Skip the box office lines at the venues and purchase your tickets online at viff.org. If you plan on seeing a number of films, a Ticket Pack or Pass might give you the most flexibility and value for money. You’ll find details on all of your options for attending VIFF on Pages 4 and 5 of this guide.

Arrive at the venue with your tickets ready Make things easy at the venue by printing your PDF tickets at home or having the barcode of your PDF tickets ready to display on your smartphone. If you’re printing your tickets, be sure you don’t shrink or distort the barcode. We need to scan it at the door.

Follow @viffest on:

Important Reminders • By law, you must buy a $2 VIFF or VIFF Year Round Annual Membership before your first screening and present your membership card at every screening you attend. If you lose your membership card, you will be asked to buy a replacement. If you’re a VIFF+ Member, your VIFF+ Membership card will need to be shown. After the festival, VIFF Festival Memberships are valid Year Round at Vancity Theatre. • Because the majority of our films are not rated, you must be age 18+ to attend a film at VIFF. (19+ at The Rio Theatre.) There are, of course, some exceptions. We try to get a good selection of films rated so that film lovers under 18 get to experience VIFF. Check out the Youth Stream on viff. org, or discover more about our High School Program for secondary students on Page 41. • All films are shown in their original language with English subtitles.

Download the VIFF App from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android)

Festival Infoline:

604 683 3456 Speak to a friendly, well-informed volunteer. Our Infoline Volunteers can help you with film and venue questions, ticketing enquiries and website walkthroughs, enabling you to get the most out of your festival experience. Weekdays until September 13: 9am-7pm Every day September 14 until October 13: 9am-7pm Questions?

Showtime

Visit viff.org Email feedback@viff.org 604 683 3456 Call

If you purchased your tickets in advance, arrive at the venue and join the appropriate line. If you plan on buying your tickets at the venue, be sure you allow yourself sufficient time. You can tell how busy a screening or event is expected to be by checking its listing on viff.org.

Theatres

WATERFRONT STATION

W.CORDOVA

IN KE

STADIUMCHINATOWN STATION

DUNSMUIR GRANVILLE STATION

PLAY

GEORGIA

Vancouver Playhouse (PLAY) 600 Hamilton Street (at Dunsmuir)

VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY VANCOUVER ART GALLERY

CAMBIE

HAMILTON

HOMER

RICHARDS

CENT ROBSON

SEYMOUR

BC PLACE STADIUM

SMYTHE

NELSON MAINLAND

Rio Theatre (RIO) 1660 East Broadway (at Commercial) Liquor served. Ages 19+ unless otherwise noted. ID and bag checks are possible.

VICTORY SQUARE

GRANVILLE

88 West Pender Street (at Abbott) VIFF box office located on ground floor.

W.PENDER

W.HASTINGS

HOWE

Cineplex Odeon International Village (IN08, IN09, IN10)

Vancity Theatre (VCT) 1181 Seymour Street (at Davie) VIFF’s year-round venue Liquor served.

The Cinematheque (CINE) 1131 Howe Street (at Helmcken)

SFU’S Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (SFU) 149 West Hastings Street (between Cambie and Abbott inside SFU Woodwards)

SFU

The Centre for the Performing Arts (CENT) 777 Homer Street (at Robson)

BEATTY

Buy your tickets

viff.org

HELMCKEN

CINE DAVIE

VCT

YALETOWNROUNDHOUSE STATION

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Festival Info

Screening Tickets Evening Weekday Weekend Matinee Special Gala Holiday (before 5pm) Presentations Screenings

Adults

Student (18+)

Accessible Youth

Senior (65+)

Youth tickets are only available for films listed in the Youth section of viff.org.

Screening Ticket Packs

Festival Screening Passes

Plan on seeing multiple films during VIFF? Have a group who all want to see the same film? This is your chance to buy more and save more.

Passes offer flexibility, the freedom to move between screenings and potentially the greatest savings of all. Passholders are the first people through the doors at each screening and are allowed entry until the generous passholder allotment of seats has been filled.

Student or Senior 5-Ticket Pack

6-Ticket Pack

10-Ticket Pack

10-Weekday Matinee Ticket Pack

20-Ticket Pack

30-Ticket Pack

135 120 260 375

Student and Senior ticket purchasers must present valid ID at screening.

There are no restrictions on the number of tickets from your pack that can be used per screening. For example: If you buy a 6-Ticket Pack, you can use all 6 tickets for one screening, or individual tickets for multiple screenings.

Service Charges and Important Notes:

Please note that each individual attendee will require a $2 VIFF, $2 VIFF Year Round, or VIFF+ Membership.

• There is a $1 service charge per ticket ordered online, up to a maximum charge of $4 per order. This service charge does not apply to Accessible or Wheelchair User tickets.

Service Charges and Important Notes:

• Exchanges are permitted on purchased tickets, but there is a $1 service charge for each ticket exchanged in person at any VIFF box office. Tickets can be exchanged free of charge by calling the Festival Infoline. All exchanges must be made at least 60 minutes prior to the screening you no longer want. Exchanges cannot be made for missed screenings. • All sales are final. VIFF only offers refunds in cases of technical failure.

Purchasing Tickets Tickets can be purchased up to 60 minutes prior to showtime either online at viff.org or at any VIFF venue box office. Within 60 minutes of showtime, tickets are only available at the screening venue, subject to availability. Purchase Online & Print at home, or be “Smart”about it. Bypass the box office lines by purchasing your tickets at viff.org! Your tickets will be emailed to you as an attached PDF file so you can print them at home or, if you want to save paper and ink, simply display the barcode portion on your smart phone at the venue. If you’re printing your tickets, ensure you open the attachment (not just the preview) and keep the ticket its original size – don’t shrink or distort it, as the barcode on it will need to be scanned at the venue. Pick-Up at Venue If you need us to print your tickets for you, come to any VIFF box office with your order number, photo ID and the credit card used for the purchase. Be sure to allow sufficient time to pick up your tickets before your screening; we suggest at least 30 minutes before showtime.

• Ticket Packs can be redeemed up to 60 minutes prior to showtime, online or in person at any VIFF box office. Starting 60 minutes prior to showtime, tickets are only available at the box office of the screening venue, subject to availability. • Ticket Packs work like credits on your viff.org online account; they can only be redeemed by the original purchaser. If you are considering purchasing a Ticket Pack as a gift, please purchase a gift card instead. • Ticket Packs cannot be redeemed for “VIFF Repeats” screenings held after the festival closes on October 13. They are also not eligible for Films+ events. • The 10 Weekday Matinee Ticket Pack can only be redeemed against Weekday Matinee Screenings (screenings which start before 5pm, excluding Special Presentations). • All other Ticket Packs can be redeemed for Special Presentations and Gala Screenings by paying an upgrade fee of $2 or $7 per ticket, respectively. This fee is calculated when selecting one of these screenings from within your Ticket Pack and will require an extra payment to complete the order. • There is a $4 service charge per 8-and larger Ticket Pack; $2 service charge on the 6-Ticket Pack and the Student/ Senior 5-Ticket Pack. • There is a $1 service charge for each ticket exchanged in person. Tickets must either be exchanged without charge via the Festival Infoline or in person at any VIFF box office at least one hour prior to the screening you no longer want. Exchanges cannot be made for missed screenings. • Student and Senior Ticket Pack purchasers must present valid ID. • All sales are final. VIFF only offers refunds in cases of technical failure.

Platinum Pass

Admission to all festival screenings with guaranteed seating until 5 minutes before showtime. Preferred access as soon as the auditorium is open to the public. (Excludes Gala parties and The Green Fog). Festival Pass

420

Admission to all festival screenings (subject to availability), excluding Opening and Closing Galas and The Green Fog. 330

Student (18+) and Senior (65+) price:

Weekday Matinee Pass

160

Admission to all weekday matinee screenings (before 5pm). Subject to availability. Excludes Special Presentations.

Service Charges and Important Notes: • There is a $4 service charge per pass. • Passes are available for purchase online now at viff.org or in person at the Vancouver International Film Centre (1181 Seymour Street) starting at noon on Thursday, September 14. Other VIFF Venues will not be able to print your pass. • All passes are strictly non-transferable and photo ID may be requested at the theatres. • Passes include your annual VIFF Membership. • Student and Senior Festival Passes require valid ID.

Annual Membership: $2 VIFF presents films that have not been classified by Consumer Protection BC. By law, anyone wishing to watch films at the festival must be a member of the VIFF society and 18 years of age or older, unless otherwise stated. Following the festival, your 2017 Membership Card may be used to attend VIFF Year Round films at Vancity Theatre until the expiry date on the card.

VIFF+ Whether you see a few films or dozens, there is a VIFF+ Membership level for you! Our wonderful customer loyalty program offers discounts and perks year-round, and during the Festival it offers exceptional value! VIFF+ Members get reduced ticket prices for all regular VIFF festival films. Silver and Gold VIFF+ Members get a 15% or greater discount on ticket packs and passes. Discover more with VIFF+. Details: goviff.org/plus

900

Festival Info

What’s the best deal?

Films+ In 2017, VIFF continues to expand the frame with everything from intimate one-on-one conversations to dynamic panel discussions to live music. Engage with the world’s leading content creators, from rising innovators to legendary masters. You can attend all Films+ events as well as all the film screenings you want by purchasing a Films+ pass.

Sustainable Production Forum

A ground-breaking, one-day event that showcases Vancouver as a world-class destination for sustainable screen-based industry production. Free Event. Pre-registration recommended. (p. 73)

Buffer Festival

PASSES Films+ Pass

Gala Awards Screening & Red Carpet Event

595

Admission to all festival screenings, and all Films+ events (subject to availability, excludes Gala Screenings and The Green Fog). 399

INDUSTRY HUB Pass

Creator Day

You can tell how busy a screening is expected to be by checking the “traffic light” indicator next to each film or event online at viff.org. The best idea is to plan ahead in order to avoid disappointment and arrive at the theatre early.

399

Everyone who pre-registers for these sessions will receive accreditation that they can pick up on the day of the event at the venue.

Admission to all VIFF LIVE events (excluding The Green Fog), the AMP all-day event and ‘How To’ session. Single ticket admissions to VIFF LIVE are also available, individually priced. (p. 76) Creator Talks At these exclusive events, audiences will be inspired by some of the world’s leading creators and innovators as they share expertise on their craft. (p. 79) Creator Talk tickets

Expanding Frontiers in Storytelling: Virtual Reality A day dedicated to VR and AR, with key insights from some of the most respected futurists in the world, as well as conversations and demos from leading VR creators, technology companies and distributors. (p. 77)

150 $ 120 $

VIFF Industry Exchange A must-attend forum that provides attendees with high-level education and business development opportunities from global industry leaders in the ever-evolving digital entertainment market. (p. 77) VIFF Industry Exchange Day ticket Student Discount (valid ID required)

VIFF LIVE is a new series that expands the frame so that live music from British Columbia’s brightest rising talent can share the festival spotlight with the world’s finest cinema. (p. 91) Individual VIFF LIVE event tickets

TBA

SESSIONS

Virtual Reality Day ticket Student Discount (valid ID required)

VIFF LIVE (19+)

250 200

Totally Indie Day A dynamic day designed to provide independent insights and hands-on advice from top experienced industry pros and rising new talent. (p. 61) Totally Indie Day Morning ticket Totally Indie Day Afternoon + Reception ticket Totally Indie Day All Day ticket Student All Day ticket

75 95 $ 125 $ 99 $ $

• Passes are ideal if you want maximum flexibility to see as many films as possible and don’t mind taking your chances with available seats. • Platinum Passes are perfect if you want guaranteed premium seating up to 5 minutes before showtime.

Admission to all Next Stream programming, Totally Indie Day, VIFF LIVE events and up to three (3) Creator Talks (subject to availability, excludes The Green Fog). $

• Ticket Packs offer savings and may be your best option if you plan to attend at least six evening screenings and want guaranteed admission.

Vancouver fans and fellow screen-based storytellers will have the chance to see exclusive YouTube premieres celebrating the latest artistic, innovative work from acclaimed digital creators. (p. 78)

Intended for anyone who wants to learn more about becoming a YouTube creator, or wishes to take their content to the next level. Free event. Pre-registration recommended.

AMP Pass

• Tickets are the best if you want to keep it simple and just attend a few films.

How do I know if I’ll get in?

What is “Standby”? If advance tickets are sold out for a screening, don’t despair! A limited number of “Standby Tickets” will be available at the venue just before showtime. These could be passholder seats that haven’t been taken, or last minute no shows we can release for sale. If you want to explore this option, arrive at the theatre early and join the “Standby Line”. Be advised: When this line is admitted, it will be one ticket per person — you won’t be able to buy tickets for anyone who isn’t present.

Where to buy tickets: Accessibility

Online at viff.org

Members requiring Accessible or Wheelchair User tickets are not charged the $1 per ticket service charge online.

24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Hearing Assistance

Vancouver International Film Centre 1181 Seymour Street (at Davie)

QSC has supplied VIFF venues with a hearing assistance system. A signal is fed directly from our audio system to the supplied hearing assistance device. The user of the device can either wear it like headphones, or hook it into their hearing aid device. These devices are available at VIFF concierge tables free of charge.

Courtesy Seating Courtesy chairs are available while you wait in line if you experience difficulty or discomfort standing for extended periods of time. VIFF Volunteers or VIFF Staff will be happy to help you.

In Person (Before the Festival)

Thursday, September 14 until Thursday, September 28 Hours: Mondays-Saturdays: Noon-7pm; Sundays: 2-7pm Theatre Box Offices During the Festival From Thursday, September 28 until Friday, October 13, all of our theatres serve as box offices. You can buy tickets for any film in the festival at any festival theatre (during hours of operation). Box offices open 30 minutes prior to the first screening of the day at that theatre.

Venues VIFF Screening venues have accessible entrances and wheelchair spaces which will be subject to availability. With the exception of The Rio, all washrooms are accessible. At The Rio, access to the washroom is limited; the nearest accessible washroom is at Starbucks on Commercial Drive which may not be open during late night screenings. For more information, visit goviff.org/accessibility.

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

The Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society

Board of Directors Chair

Films+ Curators

Creator Talks & Total Indie Day

Dave Hewitt

Frances Bergin

Chair Emeritus

Michael Francis

Sustainable Production Forum

Board Members

VIFF LIVE

Colin Browne, Kevin Campbell, Scott Dunlop, Joan Elangovan, J. Joly, Liz Shorten, Terry Whitehead Festival Founder

Leonard Schein

Jacqueline Dupuis

Rob Calder/Secret Study Industry Exchange & Virtual Reality

Storytech ® Immersive Brian Seth Hurst, Caitlin Burns, Irena Cronin

Director of Corporate Partnerships

Colin Jarvis Sponsorship Manager

Morgaine Jennings

Programming Associate Director of Programming

Curtis Woloschuk Director of International Programming

Alan Franey

Sponsorship & Development Coordinator

Andrea Cheng Sponsorship Contracting & Engagement Coordinator

Ashleigh Withall Year round Films+ Curator & Grant Manager

Frances Bergin

Program Manager & Senior Programmer

PoChu AuYeung Year Round Programmer

Marketing

Tom Charity

Director of Marketing

Canadian Programmer: Documentaries & Quebec Cinema

Marketing Coordinator

Terry McEvoy Programming Associate

Mark Peranson International Shorts Programmer

Sandy Gow Future//Present Programmer

Adam Cook MODES Programmer & International Program Coordinator

Tammy Bannister Canadian Program & Guest Coordinator

Melanie Lemaire Dragons & Tigers Programming Consultants

Shelly Kraicer, Maggie Lee Cinema Salon Programmer

Melanie Friesen International Programming Consultants

Tom Charity, Pavol Hell, Alissa Simon, Michael Falter International Screening Committee

Lainé Slater Cecelia Cheung Digital Communications Coordinator

Georgina Chaplin VIFF+ Manager

Brie Koniczek VIFF+ Membership & Marketing Coordinator

Ellyn Hadley Social Media Coordinator

Natalie Walters / Jive Communications Digital Production Coordinator

Daniel Lins Graphic Designers

Peng Wei, Georgina Chaplin, Morgaine Jennings, Vivian Chen Marketing Intern

Heather Hildebrandt

Ticketing Systems Ticketing & Sales Coordinator

Jane Harrison

Mike Archibald, Tania Alekson, Jorge Ignacio Castillo, Iuliana Constantinescu, Venay Felton, Melanie Friesen, Dylan Griffiths, Jane Harrison, David House, Robert & Gretchen Ingram, Morgaine Jennings, Meagan Lum, Joel Martineau, Giancarlo Moro, Graham Peat, Lisa Rasmussen, Milena Salazar, Jonathan Stonehouse, Jack Vermee, Donna Welstein, Keith Yoshida

AV Specialist

International Shorts Screening Committee

Accreditation Assistant

Josh Hamm, Kaen Seguin, Liam Strong, Lori Strong, Ruby Strong

Josh Cabrita, Nelson MacDonald Canadian Screening Committee

Michelle Bjornson, Susan Buie, Andree Faucher, Brie Koniczek, Rai Lai, Janos Sitar, Amanda Thomson

Guest Services Assistant Manager

Ken Tsui

Publicity Coordinator

Guest travel coordinator

Neal Pellegrino

Gregory Adams

Operations

Ticketing Administrator

Lora Haber Accreditation Coordinator

Denice Jagic

Brian Hum

Chris Wakely

Kyle Fostner Special Event Manager

Sheila Galati Distribution Coordinator

Caroline Ballhorn Vancity Theatre Operations Manager

J Bradford

Tallulah

Films+ Films+ Logistics Manager

Michelle Buser Films+ Production Manager

Robert Wilson Films+ Coordinator

Ori Nevares

Year Round Tech Coordinator

Kathy Evans Operations Coordinator

Patrycja Kamska Business Administrative Coordinator

Ruthie Tabata

Transportation & Distribution Transportation Manager

Cassin Elliott Transportation Assistant

Bookkeeper

Kevin Bredeson

Michelle Honsberger

Chris Kirby

Transportation Dispatcher

Custodial Services

Shawn Brazeau

Print Logistics Festival Exhibitions Festival Exhibitions Manager

Sean Wilson Festival Exhibitions Assistant Manager

Lora Haber Exhibitions Front of House Coordinator

Renee Sutton Box Office Coordinator

Erin Aldridge Exhibitions Assistant

Marvin Wipfler Venue Captains

Jackie Hoffart, Amanda Thomson

Technical Crew

Jesse August, Jurgen Beerwald, Andy Buxton, Selina Crammond, Alexis Douglas, Kevin Eagle, Rich Eiboff, Kathy Evans, Tim Fernandez, Marshall Freund, Brian Iankovs, Dave Jones, Matt Kunau, Ron Lacheur, Ingrid Lae, Clement Llobet, James Neves, Ciara Odonnell, Orlano Ruiz, Peter Schweiger, Graeme Scott, Damien Scully, Garth Wiens.

Information Systems Information Systems Coordinator

Jeffrey Lee

Kaen Seguin, Michael Challenor, Peter Quin-Conroy Information Systems Assistant Exhibitions Supervisors

Stephanie Mah

Daphne Andrews, Savannah Kemp Database Administrator Venue Managers

Brent Coate, Sue Cormier, Paul Denis, Frances Fee, Elizabeth Glancy, Janet Glassford, D’arcy Hamilton, Frans Hancke, Alex Henderson, Nancy Kurek, Pat Leong, Graham Lim, Francisca Lau, Veronica Maynard, Jonah McGarva, Zoe Peled, Darrell Stables, Rodney Stewart, Wayne Stewart, Jonathan Stonehouse, Tyson Storozinski, Jennifer Tennant, Vincent Ternida, Madeline Wahl, Vanessa Yip, Keely Langford

Sandy Gow

Festival Publications Editor

Curtis Woloschuk Associate Editor

Jack Vermee Publications & Scheduling Coordinator

Volunteer Programme

Mike Archibald

Volunteer Engagement Manager

Publications & Publicity Assistant

Brie Koniczek Volunteer Department Assistants

Julia Hopfner, Lena Kruse, Parker O’Brian, Janice Walter Onboarding team

Ya’el Campbell, Janene Preston, Chris Wakely, Kathleen Wright

Publicity & Communications

Guest Services

Communications Manager

Guest Services Manager

Darren Johnson

Guest Experience Coordinator

Director of Operations

Savannah Kemp

Ticketing Assistant Canadian Programming Consultants

Helen Yagi, Andrew Poon, Owen Cameron

Zena Harris/Green Spark Group

Sponsorship Executive Director

Senior Publicists

Jenny Lee Craig

Josh Cabrita Database Publishing

Sandy Gow Graphic Designer

Steve Chow | chowdesign.ca Contributing Writers

Mike Archibald, Tammy Bannister, Josh Cabrita, Jorge Ignacio Castillo, Tom Charity, Adam Cook, Alan Franey, Lawrence Garcia, Sandy Gow, Dylan Griffith, Josh Hamm, Shelly Kraicer, Terry McEvoy, Paloma Pacheco, Mark Peranson, Alissa Simon, Jack Vermee, Curtis Woloschuk Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Sponsors

Media Partners

Community Media Partners

the evolution of

Consulate and General Funders

Consulat général de France à Vancouver

Supporting Partners

ACFC WEST, LOCAL 2020 UNIFOR

Technical Sponsors and Official Suppliers

FURNITURE RENTALS + SALES info@rentfluff.com

●

rentfluff.com

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

VISIT DAILYHIVE.COM, VANCOUVER’S TOP SOURCE FOR NEWS, FOOD, EVENTS, BUSINESS, SPORTS, AND MORE.

DAILYHIVEVANCOUVER

VCBUZZ

New York City Ballet/photo by M. Lidvac

Support the one place that never stops asking “what if?”

/donate

Donors & Awards

Donors Private Foundations

Luminary Patrons $1000+

Innovator Patrons $500

Eileen E Mate

Andrea Budzinski

Julie Molnar

Gladys Reinarz

Peter Cheng

Gwendelyn O’Neil

Gus Wong

Mike and Kathy Gallagher

Patricia Shields

Dave Hewitt

Neva Singh

Selwyn Jacob

Vincent Wheeler

Reet Kana

Terry Whitehead

Collin Koo

Michelle Yung

John LeBlanc

Awards Sea to Sky

#mustseebc

Recognizes the outstanding work of a female key creative on a BC-produced feature or short.

Launching at mustseebc.viff.org on September 7.

Presented by TELUS $20,000

Best BC Film Award

Presented by the Harold Greenberg Fund and Encore by Deluxe

$10,000 development bursary sponsored by the Harold Greenberg Fund & $15,000 post-production services credit supplied by Encore by Deluxe.

BC Emerging Filmmaker Award Presented by UBCP/ACTRA, AFBS & William F. White

$7,500 cash prize sponsored by UBCP/ACTRA and ACTRA Fraternal Benefits Society, plus a $10,000 equipment credit supplied by William F. White.

Best BC Short Film Award Presented by Creative BC $5,000

Presented by STORYHIVE

Best Canadian Film Presented by Directors’ Guild of Canada $10,000

Impact Award

Presented by the Lochmaddy Foundation $5,000

Super Channel People’s Choice Award Presented by Super Channel

Emerging Canadian Director Presented by Directors’ Guild of Canada $2,000

Best Canadian Documentary Presented by the Rogers Groups of Funds $15,000

Best Canadian Short Film Presented by Lexus $2,500

Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film

Presented by an anonymous donor $2,000 A round-trip flight anywhere that Delta Air Lines flies.

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Hospitality & Catering Partners

Thank You to VIFFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospitality & Catering Partners Special thanks to these partners for generously supporting VIFFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Parties and Hospitality Suite. VIFF Official Hospitality Partner

Hospitality Suite Catering Partner

Host Restaurant Partners

Thank You to VIFF’s Host Restaurant Partners Special thanks to these restaurants for generously hosting our programmers, filmmakers and special guests during VIFF. Host Restaurant Partners

Celebrate the VIFF's school of filmmakers at Blue Water Cafe. Catch a release. BEST SEAFOOD, GOLD Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards

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Groups & Events

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DINNER DAILY | WEEKEND BRUNCH PRIVATE DINING

Vancouver’s Best Oyster Bar

During VIFF, show your ticket at our Gastown and Yaletown locations to receive 10% off your meal

217 Carrall Street | 604.568.1701 | labattoir.ca labattoir.van | @labattoir_van Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Letters of Welcome

A Message from the Prime Minister of Canada

A Message from the Premier of British Columbia

Dear Friends:

As Premier of the Province of British Columbia, it is my pleasure to welcome everyone attending the 36th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).

I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to everyone attending the 36th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). Over 36 years, the VIFF has grown in size and influence to become one of North America’s leading destinations for film lovers. This year’s festival provides a wonderful opportunity to enjoy hundreds of films from emerging and well-known filmmakers from Canada and around the world. I would like to commend the organizers for their commitment to bringing people together through the medium of film. This year’s diverse lineup of films is sure to entertain, challenge assumptions, and offer fresh perspectives.

This festival’s commitment to celebrating and sharing unique and diverse excellence in screen based storytelling has made it one of the most acclaimed film festivals in the world. VIFF allows us to discover the beauty and intricacies of different cultures, and also presents us with the chance to explore the expansive range of Canadian film. VIFF is an incredible opportunity for cinema professionals from around the world to network and discover all that BC has to offer, and I would like to thank the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society for everything they have done to make this event a tremendous success.

Please accept my best wishes for a most enjoyable experience. Sincerely, The Honourable John Horgan

The Rt. Hon. Justin P. J. Trudeau, P.C., M.P.

Letters of Welcome

A Message from the Mayor of Vancouver

A Message from the Minister of Canadian Heritage

On behalf of the City of Vancouver and my colleagues on City Council, I want to extend my warmest greetings to everyone attending the 36th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival.

Welcome to the 36th Vancouver International Film Festival!

The Vancouver International Film Festival is the largest film festival in Western Canada and has become one of the Vancouver’s premier events. It has developed a national and international reputation. This event will recognize the 150th anniversary of Canada; the 50th anniversary of Telefilm Canada, and the 36th Vancouver International Film Festival while showcasing the Government of Canada’s past, present and future support of Canada’s talented film, television and digital media sector, and engage the private sector. This is a credit to the founders, organizers and thousands of volunteers who have worked so hard over the years to make the Film Festival such a success. Film exposes us to new realities, emotion, social and cultural experiences, like nothing else is able to do. We are drawn to the images on the screen for entertainment and insight. I want to congratulate all those who bring this wonderful event to life on the screen.

As we celebrate Canada 150, we have an incredible opportunity to highlight our rich culture and the talent of our artists and artisans. This is why the Government of Canada is pleased to support the Vancouver International Film Festival, which offers some of the best contemporary films from this country and beyond. This major celebration of cinema provides us with one-of-a-kind artistic experiences, and allows us to discover the creativity and originality of film and our filmmakers. As Minister of Canadian Heritage, I would like to thank the organizers, volunteers and filmmakers who worked with passion to make this event possible. I would also like to congratulate all of this year’s award nominees and recipients. Enjoy the festival!

I want to thank the filmmakers and artists taking part in this year’s festival for sharing your craft with us and to the audiences attending the festival, I trust you will be both entertained and enlightened. Yours truly,

The Honourable Mélanie Joly

Gregor Robertson

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PROUD SUPPORTER OF VIFF

HOLLYWOOD | NEW YORK | VANCOUVER | LONDON | TORONTO

Suzanne Thompson | Suzannem.Thompson@bydeluxe.com | P. 604-872-6560 | encorepost.com

Letters of Welcome

A Message from the Minister of Jobs, Tourism As the Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 36th annual Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). British Columbia’s film industry is an ever-growing part of the city and our province’s culture. Not only do we have breathtaking backdrops and a highly skilled film industry, we also have institutes like the Vancouver Film School and Capilano University that are developing the next generation of talented British Columbians right here in Vancouver. I’d like to acknowledge the VIFF staff, volunteers and supporters for their efforts in organizing the largest film festival in Western Canada. Together, over the next few weeks, we will have profound film experiences that will enrich our lives with knowledge and laughter. This festival is yours to enjoy and we are honoured to entertain you in the most hospitable way.

Lisa Beare

A Message from the Chair of the Board, Telefilm Canada

A Message from the Chief Executive Officer of Creative BC

Telefilm Canada joins with the Vancouver International Film Festival to celebrate our films and gather together the industry, creative talents and the public around stories—funny, sad or deeply moving—that shape our culture and mark our collective imagination.

Creative BC is excited to welcome you to the 36th annual Vancouver International Film Festival!

Placing the promotion of Canadian film firmly at the centre of its mission, and seeking to get more and more film lovers to experience our movies, Telefilm supports original initiatives that foster the discovery of emerging creative talents and the rediscovery of more seasoned filmmakers. Our organization works closely with the industry and with numerous partners to spur our cinema to ever-greater heights, at home and on the international scene. Although our movies begin their careers at home in Canada, they are increasingly sought after by the world’s most prestigious film festivals, winning awards as well as praise from international critics. While this success is built primarily on talent, the international renown of our productions, for its part, is the result of the initiatives put forward by you and our supportive industry.

We are thrilled once again to partner and support VIFF in delivering one of the world’s most prominent film festivals. As the provincial film commission, Creative BC is tremendously proud to support British Columbia’s dynamic and diverse creative community as it collaborates to grow our increasingly rich and distinctive film culture. As one of North America’s largest film festivals, VIFF is certainly one of the city’s most anticipated annual events. From audiences and storytellers to industry and community, VIFF brings us together and supports BC on so many levels – socially, economically, culturally and more. Congratulations to everyone involved this year, especially to the participating filmmakers, organizers and volunteers. Thank you for your hard work, creativity, commitment and vision. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated by all of us who will now simply delight in experiencing all that VIFF 2017 offers. Together again, let’s enjoy the show!

On behalf of Telefilm, thank you for sharing our passion and for contributing in such a wonderful way to the promotion of our film industry. Enjoy the festival!

Prem Gill

Michel Roy

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Panorama

The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boldest creators and their exceptional works. The yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most anticipated international films and new discoveries curated specifically for VIFF audiences.

Galas & Special Presentations Contemporary World Cinema Spotlight on France Documentaries

BOSA CENTRE FOR FILM & ANIMATION

Bosa Centre for Film & Animation is a leading-edge facility and home to the School of Motion Picture Arts at Capilano University. SCHOOL OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS PROGRAMS INCLUDE: • Bachelor of Motion Picture Arts degree • 2D Animation & Visual Development diploma • 3D Animation for Film & Games diploma • Costuming for Stage and Screen diploma • Digital Visual Effects (VFX) diploma • Documentary certificate • Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking (IIDF) diploma

VISIT CAPILANOU.CA/FILM #CapUFilm

UPCOMING OPEN HOUSE DATE & TIME: Saturday, November 25, 2017 • 11 am - 3 pm PLACE: Capilano University, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, BC.

Join us and take a tour of our multifaceted filmmaking centre, including: • 200-seat surround sound theatre • 8,000 square foot sound stage with green screen • 3D camera systems • VFX labs with a motion capture studio • Animation labs and costuming studios • Sound mixing, foley, and ADR stages

Opening Gala

Sea to Sky / British Columbia

“Movie Nights Across Canada”

Opening Gala

Meditation Park MINA SHUM, CANADA, 2017, 94 MIN.

THU, SEP 28 SAT, SEP 30 WED, OCT 11

7:00 PM 12:30 PM 6:15 PM

CENT PLAY RIO

Maria (Cheng Pei Pei) has spent decades of devoted marriage dutifully excusing the prejudices and vices of her husband Bing (Tzi Ma). Whether he’s insisting that she never mention their estranged son or swilling his inexplicably preferred cocktail of red wine and Coca Cola, Maria chooses to focus on the considerable sacrifices he’s made for their family. But when she discovers another woman’s thong in his pocket (and handles the racy undergarment as if it were toxic waste), she’s no longer able to turn a blind eye to his indiscretions. Flushed out of her domestic sanctum, she engages in some unintentionally comic sleuthing that not only uncovers clues to Bing’s clandestine activities but also introduces her to new East Van communities and ultimately sets her on a course to self-discovery. Mina Shum makes an inspired return to narrative filmmaking with this richly detailed, unmistakably Vancouver story that recalls her breakout Double Happiness. Viewers who came to know Cheng Pei Pei through her ferocious turn in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

will delight in watching Maria’s long-dormant inner fire being slowly stoked as she asserts herself in ways Bing had always discouraged. Meanwhile, anyone who’s ever coughed up $20 to illegally park in a PNE-adjacent backyard will find hilarity in Shum’s depiction of a turf war between rival racketeers in the form of ornery Don McKellar and a band of brightly clad Chinese-Canadian seniors. Packed with note-perfect performances—including the exceptional Sandra Oh as Maria’s conflicted daughter—Shum’s bittersweet film is emotionally rewarding and endlessly relatable. After all, we all have families. Cast Cheng Pei Pei, Sandra Oh, Tzi Ma, Don McKellar, Liane Balaban, Zak Santiago Prod Stephen Hegyes, Raymond Massey, Mina Shum Scr Mina Shum Cam Peter Wunstorf Ed Daria Ellerman Mus Andrew Lockington Prod Co Thoughts From The Asylum Dist/Print Mongrel Media Inc.

As part of our 2017 sesquicentennial celebrations, our Opening Gala red carpet screening is in partnership with Movie Nights Across Canada, a nation-wide program connecting Canadians as proud fans, consumers and supporters of Canadian creative, cultural and content sectors.

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SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs, in collaboration with SCA, is supporting Wells Hill from its inception to its premiere performance through experimental stages of cutting-edge development and innovation. Three years in the making, Vancouver’s Vanessa Goodman brings the world premiere of Wells Hill to the DanceHouse stage. Seven exceptional dancers splice themes of technology and communication into this smart, vibrant new work based on the sweeping philosophies of Marshall McLuhan and Glenn Gould. These two Canadian luminaries altered how we consume art and information, and their prescient ideas provide an engaging framework for an exciting, immersive performance that is both visceral and cerebral. November 23-26, 2017 www.sfuwoodwards.ca

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE: Vancouver’s SCA dance graduate, Vanessa Goodman

Photo Credit: Ben Didier

CREATE. PROVOKE. TRANSFORM.

Special Event

REHEARSAL PHOTO BY PAMELA GENTILE

M/A/D / USA

The Green Fog – A San Francisco Fantasia with Kronos Quartet GUY MADDIN, EVAN JOHNSON, GALEN JOHNSON, USA, 65 MIN.

TUE, OCT 10

8:00 PM

CENT

This multi-experiential, visual and sound collage by award-winning filmmaker and cultural iconoclast Guy Maddin, in collaboration with brothers Evan and Galen Johnson (The Forbidden Room, Seances), re-imagines Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Originally commissioned by SFFILM with support from Nion McEvoy and Stanford Live, this must-attend event features the world-renowned Kronos Quartet performing live the score composed by Jacob Garchik. Maddin and his co-directors’ interpretation of the Hitchcock classic doesn’t use any footage from the original film. Instead, San Francisco Bay Area-based footage from a variety of sources—studio classics, ‘50s noir, documentary and experimental films, and ‘70s prime-time TV—is pieced together to create a “parallel-universe version,” (Maddin’s words) employing the Canadian filmmaker’s unique assemblage technique and style. “I’m so excited we get to team up with Kronos Quartet to lay some green fog over Vancouver. And what a strange experience it was working on this project. How often does one get to recast the stars of his or her favourite film? Or completely replace its soundtrack with a new one played live? How delightful to move archetypes aroundlike so much furniture in a dream!” - GUY MADDIN

For more than 40 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet—David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Sunny Yang (cello)—has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually re-imagining the string quartet experience. In the process, Kronos has become one of the world’s most celebrated and influential ensembles, performing thousands of concerts, releasing more than 60 recordings, collaborating with an eclectic mix of composers and performers, commissioning over 900 works and arrangements for string quartet, and receiving more than 40 awards. Kronos’ work has also featured prominently in a number of films, including two recent Academy Award–nominated documentaries: the AIDSthemed How to Survive a Plague and Dirty Wars. Additional films featuring Kronos’ music include Hochelaga terre des ames, Noah, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, Dracula, and Mishima, as well as La grande bellezza (The Great Beauty), 21 Grams, Heat, and True Stories, among others. Please note: VIFF Passes, Ticket Packs and Exchange Vouchers are not valid for this special event. MEDIA PARTNER

COMMUNITY PARTNER

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Closing Gala

Panorama / USA

Closing Gala

Wonderstruck TODD HAYNES, USA, 2017, 117 MIN.

FRI, OCT 13 FRI, OCT 13

7:30 PM 9:15 PM

CENT PLAY

CANADIAN PREMIERE. Todd Haynes (Carol, Far From Heaven) returns with a marvellous time-travelling tale that—as so many have already said—will, indeed, leave you feeling what the title suggests. Based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret author Brian Selznick’s YA novel, this dazzlingly inventive drama runs on parallel tracks while following the fortunes of two deaf 12-year-olds: Ben (Oakes Fegley), a lad in 1977 Michigan who loses his mother (Michelle Williams), and Rose (luminous newcomer Millicent Simmonds), a girl in 1927 New Jersey obsessed with silent screen star Lillian Mayhew (Julianne Moore, channelling Lillian Gish). For (seemingly) very different reasons, both kids find themselves drawn to a gloriously rendered New York City in search of their own burgeoning identities. Haynes, aided by cinematographer Ed Lachman’s perfect evocation of New York in black and white (1927) and colour (1977) as well as Carter Burwell’s beautiful score, masterfully interweaves their picaresque tales (no spoilers here about how he ties them together) to soul-stirring effect.

“Intricate and ambitious… Wonderstruck embraces so many shimmery, evanescent ideas, it’s a marvel that any one picture—let alone one you can take your kids to—can hold them. This is a romance of New York City, a love letter to the pleasure of making anything by hand (with paper or paint or even, possibly, film), a story of finding the place where you belong… Cinematographer Edward Lachman gives us a New York whose majesty lies in its textures and colors, a world of warm, silvery black-and-white and gritty-glorious gray-greens. And every performance is wonderful, though it’s young Simmonds whose face is likely to haunt you.”—Stephanie Zacharek, Time Cast Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Oakes Fegley, Millicent Simmonds, Jaden Michael, Cory Michael Smith Exec Brian Bell, Sandy Powell Prod Christine Vachon, Pam Koffler, John Sloss Scr Brian Selznick Cam Ed Lachman Ed Affonso Goncalves Prod Des Mark Friedberg Mus Carter Burwell Prod Co Amazon Studios Dist/Print Elevation Pictures

Selected Filmography Safe; Far From Heaven; Carol

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DOUGLAS

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Special Presentations

Panorama / Sweden

Panorama / UK

Borg vs. McEnroe

Breathe

JANUS METZ, SWEDEN/DENMARK/FINLAND, 2017, 100 MIN.

SAT, OCT 7 WED, OCT 11 FRI, OCT 13

8:45 PM 6:30 PM 3:30 PM

ANDY SERKIS, UK, 2017, 117 MIN.

CENT CENT PLAY

One of the greatest tennis matches of all time—the 1980 Wimbledon Men’s Final between Björn Borg and John McEnroe—provides the baseline drama for this riveting sports movie. The media position it as a clash of opposites: the cool, imperturbable Swede vs. the hot, volatile New Yorker—the master vs. the upstart—but the film suggests the two young men actually share much in common. And like all the best tennis games, this memorable final proves a nail-biting psychological thriller, a contest not so much of skill as of nerve. At the grand old age of 25, Borg is on course for his fifth straight Wimbledon title. His patient, unflappable style and impeccable technique have made him unbeatable. But McEnroe, at 21, is aggressive, brilliant and unpredictable, and he’s ready to put his stamp on Centre Court. Director Janus Metz comes from documentary (including the intense Afghan war doc Armadillo), but he shoots the game in ways we have never seen before and elicits superb performances from Shia LaBeouf as McEnroe and Sverrir Gudnason (an uncanny lookalike) as Borg. The always-excellent Stellan Skarsgård is the Swede’s trainer and mentor. It’s the first tennis movie to truly ace it. Cast Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård, Sverrir Gudnason Exec Tim King Prod Jon Nohrstedt, Fredrik Wikström Nicastro Scr Ronnie Sandahl Cam Niels Thastum Ed Per Sandholdt, Per K. Kirkegaard Prod Des Lina Nordqvist Mus Jonas Struck, Vladislav Delay, Jon Ekstrand, Carl-Johan Sevedag Prod Co SF Studios Dist/Print Mongrel Media Inc.

FRI, SEP 29

6:15 PM

CENT

In the kind of technically accomplished and emotionally involving role that often captures Academy Award voters’ hearts, Andrew Garfield plays Robin Cavendish, a handsome and charming young man apparently living a blessed life—until, at 26, shortly after learning he is to become a father, he’s struck down by polio and left paralyzed, unable even to breathe without the help of machines. Yet his wife Diana (Claire Foy) refuses to allow Robin to succumb to despair, and together they find a way to restore meaning and joy to their lives—with a little help from inventor Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville). The directorial debut of Andy Serkis, the actor famous for modelling Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Caesar in Planet of the Apes, Breathe is an inspiring true story about a breakthrough in disability treatment, told with sensitivity and finesse. Pedigree runs right through the production, from screenwriter William Nicholson (Shadowlands, Les Misérables, Gladiator) to cinematographer Robert Richardson (JFK, Hugo, Kill Bill) and composer Nitin Sawhney (Midnight’s Children). Ultimately, of course, this is Garfield’s movie, and this brilliant young actor effortlessly commands the screen with a witty, compelling and very touching performance. Cast Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Tom Hollander, Diana Rigg, Miranda Raison, Hugh Bonneville Exec Phil Robertson, Christine Langan, Joe Oppenheimer, Tim Haslam, Hugo Grumbar, Claudia Bluemhuber, Ian Hutchinson, Florian Dargel, Irene Gall, James Spring, Larry Taube, Natascha Wharton Prod Jonathan Cavendish Scr William Nicholson Cam Robert Richardson Ed Masahiro Hirakubo Prod Des James Merifield Mus Nitin Sawhney Prod Co Imaginarium Productions Dist/ Print Elevation Pictures

Filmography Armadillo

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Special Presentations

Panorama

Panorama / USA

Panorama / Chile

Call Me by Your Name

A Fantastic Woman Una mujer fantástica

LUCA GUADAGNINO, USA/ITALY/FRANCE, 2017, 131 MIN.

THU, OCT 5 SUN, OCT 8 THU, OCT 12

9:00 PM 9:00 PM 3:15 PM

CENT CENT CENT

In the summer of 1983, “somewhere in Northern Italy,” Elio (Timothée Chalamet), the 17-year-old son of an American archeology professor (Michael Stuhlbarg), lounges, reads, composes and shows slight interest in a local girl his age. But then his father’s apprentice, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a chef d’oeuvre with an impressive physique, washes up on the Mediterranean coast and Elio’s initial ploy to pass time is abruptly abandoned. A visceral urge, consummated in a late-night dance to the propulsive rhythms of The Psychedelic Furs’ “Love my Way,” brings the pair’s desires to the forefront and heightens Elio’s dilemma of denial: “Is it better to speak, or die?” André Aciman’s 2007 novel is the perfect vessel for I Am Love director Luca Guadagnino’s extravagant style. Working from a screenplay co-written by the always reliable James Ivory, Guadagnino and his illustrious cast build the drama to an insurmountable emotional tenor, imbuing this sun-drenched romance with the resplendence of overlong summers and the first loves they often arouse. “Call Me by Your Name has a choking emotional intensity that will be apparent to anyone who’s ever dared to reach out to another.”—Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York Cast Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, Victoire Du Bois Exec Tom Dolby, Naima Abed, Nicholas Kaiser, Lourenço Sant’Anna, Sophie Mas, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Derek Simonds, Margarethe Baillou Prod Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Rodrigo Teixeira, Marco Morabito, James Ivory, Howard Rosenman Scr James Ivory, Luca Guadagnino, Walter Fasano Cam Sayombhu Mukdeeprom Ed Walter Fasano Prod Des Samuel Deshors Art Dir Roberta Federico Prod Co Frenesy / La Cinéfacture Dist/Print Mongrel Media Inc. Selected Filmography I Am Love; A Bigger Splash

SEBASTIÁN LELIO, CHILE/GERMANY/USA/SPAIN, 2017, 104 MIN.

MON, OCT 2 THU, OCT 5 WED, OCT 11

3:45 PM 6:15 PM 9:00 PM

From the director who gave us Gloria, a smash hit at VIFF 13, comes this life-affirming gem. Sebastian Lelio’s film features Daniela Vega in a stunning performance as Marina, a trans woman of proud bearing. As the film begins, she and Orlando (Francisco Reyes) are a happy couple. She’s a part-time singer in her 20s; he’s a divorced executive in his 50s. His sudden death is a terrible blow, but the aftermath is even worse: faced with flagrant disrespect, first from the authorities and then from his surviving family, Marina finds herself having to fight for the basic recognition most of us take for granted. By turns joyous and heart-wrenching, A Fantastic Woman is dynamite drama. This one has huge popular appeal, but it bears no trace of commercial compromise and, in a refreshing contrast to Hollywood practice, its protagonist is played by an actual trans performer. Marina is a heroine for our times: a victim of cruel conservatism but a triumphant figure nonetheless. Compassionate, courageous and lovingly made, this is a movie that will reach out and touch you. “Ravishing… represents a huge leap in terms of trans narratives onscreen, but by any standard, it’s a powerful drama of a woman whose suffering never dims her determination to keep moving forward.”—David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter Best Screenplay, Berlin 17 Cast Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Aline Kuppenheim, Nicolas Saavedra, Amparo Noguera Exec Rocío Jadue, Mariane Hartard, Ben von Dobeneck Prod Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín Scr Sebastián Lelio, Gonzalo Maza Cam Benjamín Echazarreta Ed Soledad Salfate Prod Des Estefanía Larraín Mus Matthew Herbert Prod Co Fabula Dist/Print Mongrel Media Inc. Selected Filmography The Year of the Tiger; Gloria

PLAY CENT CENT

Special Presentations

Panorama / USA

Panorama / France

The Florida Project

Happy End

SEAN BAKER, USA, 2017, 115 MIN.

SAT, OCT 7

MICHAEL HANEKE, FRANCE/AUSTRIA/GERMANY, 2017, 107 MIN.

6:00 PM

CENT

In a group of dilapidated, pastel-coloured motels near Disney World in Orlando, Florida, troubled, down-at-heel families try to make do. Originally built to hold the tourist overflow, these are now surreal places, one of which is overseen by manager Bobby (Willem Dafoe, at his most understated) who does what he can to help cash-strapped parents like 22-year-old single mom Halley (Bria Vinaite) and her whirlwind of a sixyear-old daughter, Moonee (an unstoppable Brooklynn Prince). Moonee couldn’t care less about the real-world problems of adults; as far as she and her friends--wonderfully feral kids all, brimming with equal parts innocence and devil-may-care insouciance-are concerned, they are living in a magical wonderland, and they plan on exploiting it to the full… As he tracks their increasingly daring adventures, writer-director Sean Baker (Starlet, Tangerine) gives us an immersive, moving drama awash in the colours of faded dreams and youthful hope, and a slice of Americana that, in its combination of desperation and defiance, seems particularly apt right now. “Near-perfect… brilliant, buoyant, and ultimately heart-wrenching… Baker’s approach is to immerse you so deep in a place, and the patter of the people who live there, that it begins to feel like your home… The film adheres to the flighty, anarchic whims of its protagonists… tracking them in gorgeous 35mm shot by Alexis Zabe, whose day-glo Florida facades and pastel clouds fizz off the screen.”—Emily Yoshida, Vulture Cast Willem Dafoe, Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince Exec Darren Dean, Elayne Schneiderman Schmidt Prod Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Francesca Silvestri, Shih-Ching Tsou Scr Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch Cam Alexis Zabé Ed Sean Baker Prod Des Stephonik Youth Mus Matthew Hearon-Smith Prod Co June Pictures Dist/Print Elevation Pictures Selected Filmography Prince of Broadway; Starlet; Tangerine

TUE, OCT 3 THU, OCT 5 SUN, OCT 8

6:15 PM 3:30 PM 6:15 PM

CENT CENT CENT

With Michael Haneke directing, you know the title of his latest work is nothing if not deeply ironic. Against the unfolding refugee crisis in the coastal town of Calais, the rich, disaffected Laurent family inhabits a grand estate as if it was entitled royalty from a bygone era. The king-like paterfamilias, Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant), is losing his wits and wants to end it all; aunt Anne (the glacial Isabelle Huppert, as good as ever), now in charge of the family’s construction firm, is awaiting her marriage to a British lawyer (Toby Jones) while dealing with a terrible business crisis: her alcoholic wastrel of a son Pierre (Franz Rogowski) is responsible for a devastating accident on a construction site, and fears of a civil suit have the family quivering. Enter Anne’s 13-year-old niece Ève (Fantine Harduin, superb), a frighteningly calm young woman with a penchant for smart devices and a possibly sociopathic personality… “Happy End is a satirical nightmare of haute-bourgeois European prosperity: as stark, brilliant and unforgiving as a halogen light… It is also as gripping as a satanically inspired soap opera, a dynasty of lost souls… It is unmistakably [Haneke’s] work, presented with his usual masterly compositional flair, a mosaic of horror, filmed by cinematographer Christian Berger [Haneke’s Benny’s Video, Caché and The White Ribbon] in crystal-clear light, often with icily detached long-shot camera positions… Yet here there is an intriguing new tang of comedy or even grisly farce…”—Peter Bradshaw, Guardian Cast Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Mathieu Kassovitz, Fantine Harduin, Franz Rogowski, Laura Verlinden Exec Margaret Menegoz, Uwe Schott, Michael Katz Prod Margaret Menegoz, Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduscka Cam Christian Berger Ed Monika Willi Prod Des Olivier Radot Prod Co Les Films du Losange / X Filme Creative Pool / Wega Film Dist/Print Mongrel Media Inc. Selected Filmography The Piano Teacher; The White Ribbon; Amour

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Special Presentations

Panorama

Gateway / China

Sea to Sky / Canada

The Hidden Sword

Indian Horse

Daobei cangshen

STEPHEN CAMPANELLI, CANADA, 2017, 100 MIN.

XU HAOFENG, CHINA, 2017, 136 MIN.

WED, OCT 4 SAT, OCT 7 WED, OCT 11

9:00 PM 2:30 PM 9:00 PM

PLAY CENT RIO

In 1933, Chinese soldiers led by heroic officer Shen Feixue defeat a Japanese attack on the Great Wall using only swords. But Shen disappears, and an imposter (Huang Jue) seduces Shen’s widow, the sword-wielding beauty Zhihui (Xu Qing). Together, they try to steal Shen’s teacher Master Kong’s ultimate sword techniques, and manage to establish a flamboyantly despotic rule over their small town. But heroic young Kong Dingyi (Zhang Aoyue), Master Kong’s grandson and prize student, stands in their way. Complications ensue in the person of an exotic female dancer/acrobat (Li Bo), who appears as a travelling saleswoman. And the Kongs adopt orphaned wastrel Qingqing, who grows into a beautiful young woman with eyes for Dingyi. Will he defeat his own longings and enemies both intimate and foreign, and preserve his family’s honour? China’s new master of elegant chivalric swordplay, Xu Haofeng, is famous for his intellectually acute martial arts novels, and for his three previous art-action movie showpieces, with their elegant, spare, authentically executed action set pieces. Here, Xu adds big-budget eye-popping spectacle and real comic brio to his palette, and the results are both exciting and seductive. Xu Qing’s sparkling eroticism, Zhang Aoyue’s youthful heroism (and utterly convincing martial arts moves) and a parade of soon-tobe-classic swordplay set pieces anchor this dazzlingly shot, star-studded comic action masterpiece.

SAT, SEP 30 MON, OCT 2

6:30 PM 1:45 PM

PLAY IN10

In this moving adaptation of Richard Wagamese’s acclaimed novel, director Stephen Campanelli condemns Canada’s most deplorable injustice while celebrating our national game’s transcendent power. Torn from his Ojibwe family as a child in the 1950s, Saul Indian Horse is left to languish in an Ontario residential school, where he’s forbidden to speak his own language and faces corporal punishment for the slightest transgression. Undaunted, Saul finds salvation on a sheet of ice, where he demonstrates a hockey sense that allows him to slip bodychecks with a dancer’s grace and constantly leaves him three moves ahead of opponents. However, even when his talent allows him to escape the school and places him on the precipice of stardom, he can’t evade the ramifications of past abuses. A frequent member of Clint Eastwood’s camera team, Campanelli ensures that Indian Horse is lensed in inspired fashion, contrasting the claustrophobic confines of the school that restrict Saul’s self-expression with the expansive canvas of the ice where he’s allowed to demonstrate an artist’s flair. Abetted by Dennis Foon’s empathetic script, the director also elicits tremendous performances from the three actors— Sladen Peltier, Forrest Goodluck and Ajuawak Kapashesit—who play our guides through Saul’s two decades of trials and triumphs. Saul’s resolve and strength in his struggle ultimately serve as a testament to the Indigenous peoples’ indomitable spirit.

Cast Xu Qing, Chun Xia, Zhang Aoyue, Huang Jue, Geng Le, ChenKuan Tai Exec Yang Yang, Wu Bing Prod Guan Dandan, Chen Dongqiu Cam Shao Dan Ed Xu Haofeng, He Sisi Prod Des Cui Ren Mus An Wei Prod Co Poly Film Print Poly Film Investment Co., Ltd.

Cast Sladen Peltier, Forrest Goodluck, Ajuawak Kapashesit, Michiel Huisman, Martin Donovan Exec Clint Eastwood, Roger Frappier Prod Christine Haebler, Trish Dolman, Paula Devonshire Scr Dennis Foon Cam Yves Bélanger Ed Geoff Ashenhurst, Jamie Alain Prod Des Oleg M. Savytski, Rocco Matteo Mus Jesse Zubot Prod Co Screen Siren Pictures / Terminal City Pictures / Devonshire Productions Dist/Print Elevation Pictures

Selected Filmography The Sword Identity; Judge Archer; The Final Master

Filmography Momentum

Special Presentations

Panorama / UK

Panorama / Poland

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Loving Vincent

YORGOS LANTHIMOS, UK, 2017, 121 MIN.

MON, OCT 2

DOROTA KOBIELA, HUGH WELCHMAN, POLAND/UK, 2017, 95 MIN.

9:00 PM

CENT

From the twisted mind of the man who gave us The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, this is another wildly original, blackly comic, sinister and disturbing parable about what it means to be human. Colin Farrell plays Andrew, a brilliant heart surgeon whose happy home is threatened by a teenage interloper, the son of a patient who died under the knife. Martin (Barry Keoghan) tells him that to make reparations, Andrew must sacrifice one of his own family, son, daughter, or wife (Nicole Kidman), or lose them all. Suffice it to say, the creepy Martin leaves the surgeon in no doubt that he can deliver on his macabre threats. So: who to choose? If the scenario smacks of a 90s revenge thriller, Lanthimos keeps us off balance by mixing suspense with surrealism and absurdity, delivering a ruthlessly controlled but utterly unhinged shocker that is funniest when it’s scariest, and vice versa. “The rich vein of unsettling darkness and psychological unease that ripples like a treacherous underground stream beneath the absurdist humor of Yorgos Lanthimos’ work becomes a brooding requiem of domestic horror in his masterfully realized fifth feature.”—David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

THU, SEP 28 SAT, SEP 30

6:30 PM 4:30 PM

RIO CENT

Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman’s remarkable animated work—”the world’s first fully painted feature”—brings to life the paintings of Vincent van Gogh via a kind of rotoscoping technique similar to the one used in Richard Linklater’s Waking Life but with an obsessive attention to detail never seen before. To wit: the film took seven years to make, and each of its 65,000 frames was hand-painted by one of 115 professional oil-painters. More than 130 paintings by van Gogh serve as the initial backgrounds for a kind of detective tale wherein Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth), the son of the postmaster in Arles, tries to understand how the painter (Robert Gulaczyk) could go from the tranquil artist he knew to a suicide in only six weeks. Travelling from Arles in the south, where van Gogh produced some of his most amazing work, to Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris, where the painter died and is buried (alongside brother Theo), Roulin questions those close to van Gogh in his quest for knowledge. And all the while, he is immersed in the world of the master’s paintings—and so are we…

Cast Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone Exec Andrew Lowe, Daniel Battsek, Sam Lavender, David Kosse, Nicki Hattingh, Amit Pandya, Anne Sheehan, Peter Watson, Marie-Gabrielle Stewart Prod Ed Guiney, Yorgos Lanthimos Scr Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou Cam Thimios Bakatakis Ed Yorgos Mavropsaridis Prod Des Jade Healy Prod Co Element Pictures Dist/Print Elevation Pictures

“A truly awe-inspiring portrait of the great Dutch artist… [that pulls] audiences into the delirious, hyper-sensual world suggested by van Gogh’s oeuvre… Mere photography couldn’t possibly capture van Gogh’s paradoxical nature, and indeed, previous biopics have tended to pick one facet and stick to it. By contrast, this one embraces his complexity, withholding a clear view of Vincent… until the very end—a tactic that reinforces the notion that we can only truly understand him through the work he left behind.”— Peter Debruge, Variety

Selected Filmography Dogtooth; Alps; The Lobster

Best Animated Film, Best Director, Shanghai 17

Best Screenplay, Cannes 17

Cast Douglas Booth, Jerome Flynn, Robert Gulaczyk, Helen McCrory, Chris O’Dowd, Saoirse Ronan Exec Claudia Bluemhuber, Gerd Schepers, Ian Hutchinson, Charlotte Ubben, Laurie Ubben, Edwart Noeltner, David Parfit Prod Hugh Welchman, Ivan MacTaggart, Sean Bobbit Scr Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Jacek Dehnel Cam Tristan Oliver, Lukasz Zal Ed Justyna Wierszynska, Dorota Kobiela Prod Des Matthew Button Mus Clint Mansell Prod Co Breakthru Films / Trademark Films Dist/Print Mongrel Media Inc. Filmography (Dorota Kobiela) The Flying Machine

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Special Presentations

Panorama

Panorama / Australia

Gateway / South Korea

Mountain

Okja

JENNIFER PEEDOM, AUSTRALIA, 2017, 74 MIN.

SUN, OCT 8 THU, OCT 12

BONG JOON HO, SOUTH KOREA/USA, 2017, 121 MIN.

4:00 PM 6:30 PM

CENT CENT

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE. Jennifer Peedom takes us to exhilarating heights as she

explores mountain climbing in this breathtaking, immersive documentary. You may just find yourself gripping the seat arms tightly as you view a climber hanging off a sheer rock face sans ropes; the line between awe and fear is often blurry, and never more so than at these elevations. Along for the thrill ride here are Richard Tognetti and his Australian Chamber Orchestra, who give us a succession of rousing pieces, both repertory and original, to carry us through the journey. The music and the images work in beautiful synchronicity, and you most certainly need the theatre setting to experience their full effects. Peedom’s movie, wonderfully narrated by Willem Dafoe, takes the time to provide some more contemplative moments, and these are equally beautiful. The director also takes us through the history of recreational mountain climbing, with fascinating archival footage illustrating just how much the sport has changed in the years since Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay. Mountaineers aren’t the only ones looking to cheat death; we get footage of heliskiers, tightrope walkers and other compatriots as well. The common denominators are altitude and adrenaline; with this movie, you get both without risking your neck. “[A] 70-minute rush of adrenaline; a safari into the sublime; a vertiginous voyage to the top of the world.”—Janine Israel, Guardian Featuring Willem Dafoe Prod Jennifer Peedom, Jo-anne McGowan Cam Robert Macfarlane Scr Renan Ozturk Ed Christian Gazal, Scott Gray Mus Richard Tognetti, Australian Chamber Orchestra Print Dogwoof

SAT, SEP 30

7:00 PM

CENT

For 10 idyllic years, young Mija (An Seo Hyun) has been caretaker and constant companion to Okja--a massive animal and an even bigger friend--at her home in the mountains of South Korea. But that changes when a family-owned multinational conglomerate Mirando Corporation takes Okja for themselves and transports her to New York, where image obsessed and self-promoting CEO Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) has big plans for Mija’s dearest friend. With no particular plan but single-minded in intent, Mija sets out on a rescue mission, but her already daunting journey quickly becomes more complicated when she crosses paths with disparate groups of capitalists, demonstrators and consumers, each battling to control the fate of Okja… while all Mija wants to do is bring her friend home. Deftly blending genres, humor, poignancy and drama, Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer, The Host) begins with the gentlest of premises--the bond between man and animal--and ultimately creates a distinct and layered vision of the world that addresses the animal inside us all. Okja is a Plan B Entertainment, Lewis Pictures and Kate Street Picture Company production in association with Netflix. Cast Tilda Swinton, An Seo Hyun, Jake Gyllenhaal, Byun Heebong, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun Prod Dooho Choi, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Woo Sik Seo, Lewis Taewan Kim, Bong Joon Ho Scr Bong Joon Ho, Jon Ronson Cam Darius Khondji Ed Yang Jinmo Prod Des Lee Ha Jun, Kevin Thompson Mus Jaeil Jung Prod Co Plan B Entertainment / Lewis Pictures / Kate Street Picture Company Dist/Print Netflix Selected Filmography Memories of Murder; The Host; Snowpiercer

This VIFF Visionary Special Presentation is a celebration of the filmmaking achievements of Bong Joon Ho. Co-Presented by IATSE891, this event will feature an extended “In Conversation” session with Bong Joon Ho and Oscar awardwinning VFX supervisor Erik-Jan de Boer of Method Studios. Bong Joon Ho has been a staple of VIFF’s programming for years. VIFF has showcased many films from his outstanding repertoire, including the masterly Memories of Murder, Mother, The Host, and Snowpiercer. Filmed, in part, in British Columbia, Okja is a larger than life, propulsive movie, positively Spielbergian in its mixture of VFX mastery, sentiment, and action. CO-PRESENTED BY

Special Presentations

Panorama / Sweden

Panorama / New Zealand

The Square

Top of the Lake: China Girl

RUBEN ÖSTLUND, SWEDEN/GERMANY/FRANCE/DENMARK, 2017, 145 MIN.

FRI, SEP 29 TUE, OCT 3

9:00 PM 3:15 PM

JANE CAMPION, ARIEL KLEIMAN, NEW ZEALAND/AUSTRALIA, 2017, 360 MIN.

CENT PLAY

In this Palme d’Or-winning satire from Force Majeure director Ruben Östlund, Claes Bang plays Christian, a clean shaven, Prius-driving curator of a contemporary art museum in Stockholm. Around the same time he acquires the installation of the title—a 4x4 meter zone wherein we “all share equal rights and obligations”—Christian’s phone and wallet are stolen along with some precious inherited cufflinks. While he’s out tracking the culprit—an escapade that takes him outside the utopian space of the gallery—a couple of outsourced nincompoops are back at the office devising a controversial ad campaign for The Square’s grand opening that will land our protagonist in even hotter water. Without sacrificing his dark and biting sense of humour, the always rambunctious Östlund endeavours to ask pressing moral questions using the drollest of manners. Can art save the world? Are people less likely to help a victim when others are present? And are high art patrons really only there to devour the complimentary smorgasbord? “Ruben Östlund truly anoints himself with The Square, an excoriating razor-burn of a movie that deploys drollery like an instrument of torture.”— Jessica Kiang, The Playlist Palme d’Or, Cannes 17 Cast Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, Terry Notary, Christopher Laessø, Marina Schiptjenko Exec Tomas Eskilsson, Agneta Perman, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas Prod Erik Hemmendorff, Philippe Bober Cam Fredrik Wenzel Ed Ruben Östlund, Jacob Secher Schulsinger Prod Des Josefin Åsberg Prod Co Plattform Produktion AB / Essential Film / Parisienne / Coproduction Office Dist/Print The Archive

SUN, OCT 1 SUN, OCT 8

10:30 AM 11:30 AM

VCT IN10

CANADIAN PREMIERE. The scene of the crime has changed—rural New Zealand has

been replaced by downtown Sydney, Australia—but all the qualities that made Jane Campion’s feminist police procedural a must-see show four years ago are still very much present and correct in the follow-up: Elisabeth Moss, superb, as the troubled detective, Robin Griffin; an engrossing, vertiginous mystery for her to unravel; Campion’s acute emotional intelligence, sharp social conscience and keen cinematic eye. Plus Nicole Kidman bringing her exacting glamour to the role of a lesbian academic, the mother of the now-teenage daughter Robin put out for adoption as a baby. When a suitcase washes up on Bondi Beach, visible human hair hinting at the contents, the chances of tracking down the killer appear slim. But this is not an isolated incident, and as Robin digs deeper, the net must be cast wider… “Call it television, call it a six-hour movie, call it ‘the future,’ it doesn’t matter. Whatever the hell you call it, Top of the Lake: China Girl is as beautiful and soul-stirring as anything you’ll see on any kind of screen this year.”—David Ehrlich, IndieWire Cast Elisabeth Moss, Nicole Kidman, Alice Englert, Gwendoline Christie, David Dencik, Ewen Leslie Exec Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Jane Campion Prod Philippa Campbell, Libby Sharpe Scr Gerard Lee, Jane Campion Cam Germain McMicking Ed Alexandre de Franceschi, Scott Gray Prod Des Annie Beauchamp Mus Mark Bradshaw Prod Co See-Saw Films for BBC Two Print BBC Worldwide Selected Filmography (Jane Campion) Sweetie; The Piano; Holy Smoke; (Ariel Kleiman) Partisan Note: In addition to the 360 min. runtime, there will be two 15-minute intermissions.

Selected Filmography Involuntary; Play; Force Majeure

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Contemporary World Cinema

Panorama

Germany

In the Fade Aus dem Nichts

FATIH AKIN, GERMANY/FRANCE, 2017, 95 MIN.

SUN, OCT 1 WED, OCT 4

3:15 PM 9:00 PM

CENT CENT

Fatih Akin’s (Head-On, Soul Kitchen) taut drama could not be more timely, as it deals with the resurgence of fascism plaguing the West in general and his native Germany in particular. When her Kurdish husband and young son are killed in a bomb blast triggered by neo-Nazis, Katja (a magnificent Diane Kruger) will stop at nothing to ensure the perpetrators pay for their senseless slaughter. “Kruger’s beautifully modulated performance as a woman seeking justice… anchors this skilled… drama.”—Variety Cast Diane Kruger, Denis Moschitto, Johannes Krisch, Samia Chandrin, Numan Acar, Ulrich Tukur Prod Fatih Akin, Ann-Kristin Hofmann, Nurhan Sekerci-Porst, Herman Weigel Selected Filmography Head-On; The Edge of Heaven; Soul Kitchen

Contemporary World Cinema A spectacular collection of narrative films from around the globe, featuring both today’s masters and tomorrow’s visionaries.

The Party

SALLY POTTER, UK, 2017, 71 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 MON, OCT 9 FRI, OCT 13

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 5:00 PM

RIO PLAY CENT

Canadian Premiere. When a Westminster politician (Kristin Scott Thomas) invites some of her most acid-tongued, comically contemptible friends (including Cillian Murphy, Patricia Clarkson and Timothy Spall) to a celebratory dinner, those subjects that aren’t to be discussed in polite company start being hurled around like pies in a food fight. Delightfully ill-mannered, wickedly dry and wildly entertaining, Sally Potter’s film is “a deliciously heightened, caviar-black comedy… played with relish by a dream ensemble.”—Variety The Queen of Spain PRESENTED BY

Cast Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall Prod Christopher Sheppard, Kurban Kassam Selected Filmography Orlando; The Tango Lesson; Rage

Panorama

Italy

Argentina

Iran

7 Minutes

At the End of the Tunnel

MICHELE PLACIDO, ITALY/FRANCE/SWITZERLAND, 2016, 92 MIN.

RODRIGO GRANDE, ARGENTINA/SPAIN, 2016, 120 MIN.

7 Minuti

WED, OCT 4 FRI, OCT 6

Al Final del Tunel

1:30 PM 9:45 PM

IN09 IN10

Canadian Premiere. It doesn’t seem like too much to accept: to keep their jobs secure, all the female workers at a textile factory have to do is give up seven minutes of their 15-minute daily lunch break… For Bianca (Ottavia Piccolo), convincing her ten fellow workers’ reps that this is the thin edge of the wedge is a battle worth fighting in Michele Placido’s impassioned political drama. “Resonant, compelling, timely filmmaking… It’s gripping, for such an apparently unsexy subject, and surprisingly cinematic.”—Variety Cast Ambra Angiolini, Cristiana Capotondi, Fiorella Mannoia, Maria Nazionale, Violante Placido, Clémence Poésy Prod Federica Vincenti Selected Filmography The Big Dream; Angel of Evil; The Lookout

SAT, SEP 30 MON, OCT 9 THU, OCT 12

3:30 PM 1:15 PM 9:00 PM

RIO RIO PLAY

Canadian Premiere. Referencing Reservoir Dogs, Rear Window, The Maltese Falcon and more, Rodrigo Grande’s visually stylish and nastily entertaining thriller revels in its clever plot twists and reversals. After hearing voices on the other side of his basement wall, a paraplegic (Leonardo Sbaraglia) installs a camera and discovers a plot to rob a bank— and sees that his female boarder is deeply involved… “An expertly paced caper film with enough twists and turns to keep audiences in a heightened state of suspense.”—Variety Best Film, Best Director, Seattle 17

Tunisia

Azar

Beauty and the Dogs Aala Kaf Ifrit

MOHAMMAD HAMZEI, IRAN, 2017, 85 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 SUN, OCT 8 WED, OCT 11

Contemporary World Cinema

10:30 AM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM

VCT VCT SFU

International Premiere. First seen racing on a dusty motocross track, Azar (Niki Karimi) isn’t exactly the conventional ideal wife, at least not in Iran. She’s confident, capable and deeply committed to the fledgling pizzeria she runs with her husband, Amir (Hamidreza Azarang), but she’s a little too progressive for some tastes. So when a terrible tragedy threatens the future of both Amir and the business, she ends up paying the price. Mohammad Hamzei’s debut is a deeply felt snapshot of gender inequality in contemporary Iran. Cast Niki Karimi, Hamidreza Azarang, Farid Sjadi Hoseini, Shirin Aghakashi Prod Niki Karimi

Cast Leonardo Sbaraglia, Pablo Echarri, Clara Lago, Javier Godino, Federico Luppi, Walter Donado Prod Mariela Besuievsky, Pablo Echarri, Gerardo Herrero, Axel Kuschevatzky, Vanessa Ragone, Martín Seefeld

KAOUTHER BEN HANIA, TUNISIA/FRANCE/SWEDEN/ NORWAY/LEBANON/QATAR/SWITZERLAND, 2017, 100 MIN.

TUE, OCT 10 THU, OCT 12

1:15 PM 7:00 PM

IN10 IN10

Canadian Premiere. Told in nine chapters, each consisting of a single fluid shot, Kaouther Ben Hania’s (Challat of Tunis, VIFF 14) fiction debut is as ambitious as it is disturbing. Based in fact, her film follows student Mariam (Mariam Al Ferjani, exceptional) who, on a night out, is raped (offscreen) by two police officers and then finds both the medical bureaucracy and the police force aligned against her. Laying bare the misogyny that permeates modern Tunisia, this is “a harrowing and necessary film.”—Hollywood Reporter Cast Mariam Al Ferjani, Ghanem Zrelli, Noomane Hamda, Mohamed Akkari, Chedly Arfaoui, Anissa Daoud Prod Habib Attia, Nadim Cheikhrouha Selected Filmography Challat of Tunis

Selected Filmography Gangs from Rosario

Russia

Germany

Casting

The Bolshoi

NICOLAS WACKERBARTH, GERMANY, 2017, 91 MIN.

VALERY TODOROVSKY, RUSSIA, 2017, 132 MIN.

FRI, SEP 29 FRI, OCT 6 THU, OCT 12

3:45 PM 9:00 PM 8:45 PM

Dominican Republic

IN09 VCT CENT

North American Premiere. Plunging into the beautiful-yet-harsh world of Russian ballet, director Valery Todorovsky maps out the heartbreak, petty politics and wide-eyed dreams of aspiring ballerinas. The tale of a hopeful girl swept up in currents of dance unfolds against the dramatic backdrop of Tchaikovsky’s own majestic ballets, striving for authenticity while keeping the audience on its toes. “Moving and entertaining, The Bolshoi is a majestic treasure that succeeds on the big screen.”—Screen-Space Cast Margarita Simonova, Anna Isaeva, Alisa Freindlich, Valentina Telishkina, Alexander Domogarov, Nicolas Le Riche Prod Valery Todorovsky, Anton Zlatopolsky Selected Filmography Country of the Deaf; The Lover; Hipsters

WED, OCT 4 FRI, OCT 6

9:00 PM 4:00 PM

SFU SFU

North American Premiere. As the start date for her remake of Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant looms, director Vera (Judith Engel) has yet to find her lead. Casting assistant Gerwin (Andreas Lust), while testing many female actors for the part, sees his chance for acting glory… Nicolas Wackerbarth’s sly and funny take on power relations would make Fassbinder proud. “Every bit as complex [as Fassbinder’s Beware of a Holy Whore] in its mapping of the emotional dynamics between volatile artists and wannabes…”—Fandor Cast Andreas Lust, Judith Engel, Milena Dreissig, Nicole Marischka, Stephan Grossmann, Tim Kalkhof Prod Franziska Specht Filmography Everyday Objects

USA

Cocote

NELSON CARLO DE LOS SANTOS ARIAS, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/ARGENTINA/GERMANY/QATAR, 2017, 106 MIN.

SAT, OCT 7 TUE, OCT 10

9:00 PM 3:45 PM

IN08 VCT

Rare is a film like Cocote, Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias’ fascinating opus. Learning of his father’s murder, Alberto treks across the Dominican Republic to participate in death rituals that offend his evangelical sensibilities. As his family plots revenge and the ritual becomes more boisterous, Alberto’s agitation grows, with this restlessness mirrored by shifting film stocks and a barrage of camera styles. Cocote “speaks to a country’s irrepressible urge to give free rein to emotion…”—Slant Best Film, Signs of Life Section, Locarno 17 Cast Vicente Santos, Judith Rodríguez, Yuberbi de la Rosa, Pedro Sierra, Isabel Spencer, José Miguel Fernandez Prod Fernando Santos Díaz, Lukas V. Rinner

Columbus

KOGONADA, USA, 2017, 104 MIN.

SUN, OCT 8 THU, OCT 12

7:00 PM 6:00 PM

IN09 IN08

Canadian Premiere. The Columbus, Indiana of the film’s title is home to some gorgeously designed buildings; it’s that kind of beauty that brings Casey (Haley Lu Richardson) and Jin (John Cho) together. He’s a book translator returning home from South Korea; she’s a high school grad with a deep love for architecture. It’s clearly a love shared by director Kogonada, who makes inspired use of the city’s buildings and other locales for this spellbinding film about art, conversation and other essentials of life. Cast John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Michelle Forbes, Rory Culkin Prod Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Aaron Boyd, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Contemporary World Cinema

Panorama

GETTING A FILM OFF THE GROUND

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Argentina

Bulgaria

The Desert Bride

Directions

CECILIA ATÁN, VALERIA PIVATO, ARGENTINA/CHILE, 2017, 78 MIN.

STEPHAN KOMANDAREV, BULGARIA/GERMANY/ MACEDONIA, 2017, 103 MIN.

La novia del desierto

THU, SEP 28 FRI, SEP 29

6:30 PM 4:15 PM

Posoki

PLAY PLAY

Canadian Premiere. The wonderful Paulina García, best actress winner for Gloria at Berlin 13, stars as Teresa, maid to the same family for three decades, who finds herself out of a job. Travelling to a new position in distant San Juan (in the western Argentinean desert), her bus breaks down, leading to a chance encounter and possibilities she’d never even dreamt of before… “A delicate late-life love story that is also a tale about the empowerment of a woman who has lived her whole life in the shadow of others.”—Screen Cast Paulina García, Claudio Rissi Prod Eva Lauría, Alejo Crisóstomo

Netherlands

6:15 PM 3:45 PM

BOUDEWIJN KOOLE, NETHERLANDS/NORWAY, 2017, 92 MIN.

8:45 PM 12:00 PM

RIO PLAY

Hauntingly beautiful, deeply perceptive and emotionally devastating, Boudewijn Koole’s film explores the complex relationship between an adult woman and her emotionally reticent mother. Effortlessly establishing a tangible sense of shared history and complicated emotional bonds between its characters, Disappearance portrays familial love as a fragile tension between profound intimacy and polarizing alienation. Brilliantly acted and finely crafted, this is a strange, honest and bittersweet film. Cast Rifka Lodeizen, Elsie de Brauw, Marcus Hanssen, Jakob Oftebro Prod Ineke Kanters, Jan van der Zanden Selected Filmography Beyond Sleep; Kauwboy; Drawn Out of Love

North American Premiere. Set largely in taxis, Stephan Komandarev’s gem of an ensemble drama dissects the sometimes cruel, sometimes ironic vagaries of life in today’s Sofia. Beginning with the story of Misho (Vassil Vassilev), a broke father who shoots a corrupt banker and then turns the gun on himself in an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Komandarev fashions a daisy-chain narrative both melancholy and hopeful. “[This] clever, fleet-footed film observes [life in Sofia] with poignant accuracy and flashes of wry humour.”—Variety Cast Vassil Vassilev, Ivan Barnev, Assen Blatechki, Irini Zhambonas, Vasil Banov, Troyan Gogov Prod Stephan Komandarev, Katya Trichkova, Stelios Ziannis, Vera Weit, Vladimir Anastasov, Angela Nestorovska

The Divine Order Die Göttliche Ordnung

PETRA VOLPE, SWITZERLAND, 2016, 96 MIN.

FRI, SEP 29 MON, OCT 2

4:30 PM 6:30 PM

IN10 CENT

Until 1971, women in Switzerland had no voting rights. This startling fact is the basis for Petra Volpe’s small gem, which traces the political awakening of young wife and mother Nora (Marie Leuenberger). As news of the ‘60s counterculture finally reaches her quiet hamlet, Nora decides to go against “the divine order” and advocate for enfranchisement in the upcoming referendum. This does not go over well… “Volpe dramatizes her action with a light touch that allows for flashes of pointed comedy…”—Variety Audience Award, Best Actress, Tribeca 17 Cast Marie Leuenberger, Max Simonischek, Rachel Braunschweig, Sibylle Brunner, Marta Zoffoli, Bettina Stucky Prod Reto Schaerli, Lukas Hobi Filmography Dreamland

Entertainment options may vary by aircraft and route; not available on all aircraft. Check our listings at delta.com to make sure your aircraft or route is included.

IN08 VCT

Switzerland

Disappearance SAT, SEP 30 SAT, OCT 7

TUE, OCT 10 THU, OCT 12

Panorama

Colombia

USA

The Dragon Defense

En el séptimo día

La defensa del dragon

6:30 PM 11:00 AM

SFU IN09

North American Premiere. The shabby bars, cafés, chess clubs and casinos of Bogotá serve as the atmospheric setting for Natalia Santa’s winsome debut, a tale of three amiable, middle-aged losers that plays like Latinflavoured Kaurismäki. Samuel (Gonzalo de Sagarminaga) ekes out a living playing chess for cash and, like his two friends, seems resigned to his lot—but is he really…? “This wry, compassionate female perspective on some uncomfortably familiar midlife male traits… repays the viewer in deadpan charm.”—Hollywood Reporter Cast Gonzalo de Sagarminaga, Hernan Mendez, Manuel Navarro, Maia Landaburu, Martha Leal, Laura Osma Prod Ivette Liang, Nicolás Ordóñez, Natalia Santa, Ivan Herrera

Brazil

6:30 PM 1:30 PM

CINE SFU

International Premiere. Jim McKay’s return to filmmaking is a genuine triumph, a throwback to the early 1990s (when he helmed Sundance hit Girls Town) as well as to neorealism. Set in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, this classical drama explores the “invisible” life of a neighbourhood by trailing José, an illegal Mexican immigrant, who must balance his work as a delivery man and his obligations to his pregnant wife (who’s still in Mexico) and his soccer team (who are about to compete for a championship). “Exquisitely crafted...”—Variety Cast Fernando Cardona, Gilberto Jiménez, Alfonso Velazquez, Abel Perez, Genoel Ramírez, Gilberto Arenas Prod Alex Bach, Lindsey Cordero, Caroline Kaplan, Jim McKay, Michael Stipe

8:30 PM 2:00 PM

VCT IN10

North American Premiere. While on a long trip that culminated in an exploration of parts of Africa, director Fellipe Barbosa’s friend Gabriel Buchmann died on a mountain in Malawi. Buchmann (winningly played by João Pedro Zappa) was a generous and friendly idealist who gave away large parts of his budget, and Barbosa sensitively dramatizes his story, enlisting the help of those who knew Buchmann to play themselves. Gorgeously shot, “this uplifting drama… [is] a moving look at the transformative nature of travel…”—Screen France 4 Visionary Award, Cannes 17 Cast João Pedro Zappa, Caroline Abras, Alex Alembe, Lenny Siampala, John Goodluck, Rashidi Athuman Prod Rodrigo Letier, Roberto Berliner, Clara Linhart, Yohann Cornu

SUN, OCT 8 MON, OCT 9

1:00 PM 8:30 PM

IN08 IN08

FRI, SEP 29 THU, OCT 12

9:15 PM 3:45 PM

Cast Ana Geislerova, Martin Finger, Jiři Macháček, Klára Melíškova, Gabriela Míšova Prod Viktor Tauš Selected Filmography Divided We Fall; Kawasaki’s Rose; The Teacher

9:30 PM 4:30 PM

IN10 IN10

Cast Sven Dolinski Prod Astrid Johanna Ofner

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, Berlin 17 Cast Véro Tshanda Beya, Gaetan Claudia, Papi Mpaka Prod Arnaud Dommerc, Alain Gomis, Oumar Sall Selected Filmography Andalucia; Aujourd’hui

USA

Golden Exits

FRANCIS LEE, UK, 2017, 104 MIN.

International Premiere. Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, 1939: after the Gestapo arrest three men, a family friend provides for their wives and children, but over the years a forbidden love blossoms. An assured period piece which uses the familiar WWII backdrop as fertile soil, VIFF fave Jan Hrebejk’s latest takes root as a moving, humane drama unafraid to wrestle with the fraught tensions of love, family, and betrayal with a twinkle in its eye. “Family Friend achieves an exquisite balance between comedy and drama.”—Prague Reporter

TUE, OCT 10 WED, OCT 11

Alain Gomis’ vibrant, impressionistic drama, set in the streets of Kinshasa, focuses on a single mother (the riveting Congolese singer Véro Tshanda Béya), a bar singer who tries to go it alone in a megacity where corruption, violence and ingrained sexism make every day a challenge. When her 14-year-old son is badly injured in an accident, she reaches out… “Gomis’ latest… [weaves] a sensual, sometimes hopeful, sometimes disturbing urban tapestry with threads of image, sound, poetry, and song.”—Variety

God’s Own Country PLAY PLAY

ALAIN GOMIS, SENEGAL/FRANCE/BELGIUM/ GERMANY/LEBANON, 2017, 123 MIN.

Canadian Premiere. Based on Peter Weiss’ 1960 story of the same name, Farewell traces the early years and initial forays into artistic creation of the novelist, playwright, artist and filmmaker who became one of the German language’s most important artistic figures of the 20th century. Framed as a struggle to escape both historical events (he and his halfJewish kin undertook a cross-Europe odyssey in the 1930s and 40s) and the reins of family, Astrid Johanna Ofner’s debut is a literary adaptation unlike any other.

JAN HREBEJK, CZECH REPUBLIC, 2017, 130 MIN.

FELLIPE BARBOSA, BRAZIL/FRANCE, 2017, 131 MIN.

ASTRID JOHANNA OFNER, AUSTRIA, 2017, 80 MIN.

Filmography Everyday People; Our Song; Girls Town

Garden Store: Family Friend

Gabriel e a Montanha

Félicité

Abschied von den Eltern

Czech Republic

Gabriel and the Mountain MON, OCT 2 TUE, OCT 3

WED, OCT 4 FRI, OCT 6

Senegal

Farewell

JIM MCKAY, USA, 2017, 92 MIN.

NATALIA SANTA, COLOMBIA, 2017, 80 MIN.

SAT, OCT 7 MON, OCT 9

Austria

Contemporary World Cinema

FRI, OCT 6 WED, OCT 11

9:15 PM 11:30 AM

ALEX ROSS PERRY, USA, 2017, 94 MIN.

PLAY IN10

SAT, OCT 7 MON, OCT 9

9:30 PM 2:15 PM

IN10 IN10

Announcing himself as a major talent with this remarkable, award-winning debut, writerdirector Francis Lee has crafted a sharply observed, richly textured and thrillingly sensual story about the redemptive powers of love and self-acceptance. Josh O’Connor is outstanding as mistrustful Johnny, who slowly opens up to the possibility of happiness with the help of gentle Gheorghe (Alec Secăreanu), a ruggedly handsome Romanian farmhand whose soulful appreciation for rural life provides the catalyst for transformative change.

Canadian Premiere. An acerbic delight with a satirical edge, Alex Ross Perry’s latest offers up an intriguing tangle of unrequited desire. Oblivious to overtures from her married employer (Adam Horowitz), Naomi (Emily Browning), a new arrival in NYC, sets her sights on the equally unhappily betrothed Buddy (Jason Schwartzman). Caught between their passions and their better judgment, the ensemble finds themselves in a roundabout of seduction and malaise. “Elegant and supremely expressive…”—Hollywood Reporter

Teddy Award, Berlin 17; Best British Feature, Edinburgh 17

Cast Emily Browning, Adam Horovitz, Mary-Louise Parker, Lily Rabe, Jason Schwartzman, Chloë Sevigny Prod Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Alex Ross Perry, Adam Piotrowicz, Katie Stern, Joshua Blum

Cast Josh O’Connor, Alec Secăreanu, Gemma Jones, Ian Hart, Harry Lister Smith, Patsy Ferran Prod Manon Ardisson, Jack Tarling

Selected Filmography The Color Wheel; Listen Up Philip; Queen of Earth

Filmography Laura; Casa Grande Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Contemporary World Cinema

Panorama

Brazil

Israel

Good Manners

Holy Air

JULIANA ROJAS, MARCO DUTRA, BRAZIL/FRANCE, 2017, 135 MIN.

SHADY SROUR, ISRAEL, 2017, 81 MIN.

As Boas Maneiras

WED, OCT 4 FRI, OCT 6

Hawa Moqadda

6:15 PM 1:30 PM

RIO IN09

Canadian Premiere. Clara, a lonely, lowerclass black nurse from the outskirts of São Paulo, is hired by the mysterious, wealthy and white Ana to be the nanny of her unborn child. The two women develop an unlikely bond, which, under the full moon, eventually becomes sexual. But all is not well with Ana, and a fateful night changes their plans and alters the film itself. Creating a dreamy, stylized São Paulo, Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra tell their story as a political fairy tale, creating a warped Walt Disney film. Cast Isabél Zuaa, Marjorie Estiano, Miguel Lobo, Cida Moreira, Andrea Marquee Prod Sara Silveira, Maria Ionescu, Clément Duboin, Frédéric Corvez Filmography (Juliana Rojas) Hard Labor; Necropolis Symphony (Marco Dutra) Hard Labor; When I Was Alive; The Silence of the Sky

India

PLAY SFU

Canadian Premiere. A droll yet melancholic undercurrent runs throughout this alternately funny and tender satire about a subject you rarely see onscreen—the lives of modern Arab Christians in Israel. Adam (writer-director Shady Srour), an unsuccessful 40-ish ArabChristian businessman living in Nazareth with his wife, decides to bottle the “holy air” from Mount Precipice and sell it to tourists—if, that is, he can avoid the gangsters demanding protection money and the priest who controls the market on Christian trinkets... Cast Shady Srour, Laëtitia Eïdo, Shmulik Calderon, Tareq Copti, Dalia Okal, Bian Anteer Prod Ilan Moskovitch, Shady Srour Filmography Sense of Need

Ice Mother Bába z Ledu

Mukti Bhawan

SHUBHASHISH BHUTIANI, INDIA, 2016, 102 MIN.

10:45 AM 6:30 PM 3:45 PM

VCT IN09 PLAY

Canadian Premiere. The aged Daya (Lalit Behl) has a dream foretelling his own death and demands that his beleaguered son Rajiv (Adil Hussain), an accountant, take him to the holy city of Varanesi to await his fate. Rajiv has no choice but to agree and soon they are in the eponymous Varanesi hotel, a vermin-infested dive… Featuring lovely views of the holy city, Shubhashish Bhutiani’s debut is warm, funny and charming by turns. “An Indian comedy full of emotional depth and understated paradox…”—Hollywood Reporter Unesco Award, Venice 16 Cast Adil Hussain, Lalit Behl, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Palomi Ghosh, Navnindra Behl, Anil K. Rastogi Prod Sanjay Bhutiani, Sajida Sharma

9:30 PM 4:00 PM

Czech Republic

Hotel Salvation FRI, SEP 29 MON, OCT 2 TUE, OCT 10

SUN, OCT 8 THU, OCT 12

BOHDAN SLÁMA, CZECH REPUBLIC, 2017, 106 MIN.

MON, OCT 9 THU, OCT 12

7:00 PM 1:45 PM

IN10 IN10

Canadian Premiere. With her lonely weeks bookended by fraught visits from her sons, widowed Hana (Zuzana Kronerová) is adrift-until she pulls the drowning Brona (Pavel Nový) from a freezing river. As she succumbs to his odd charms, she’s likewise seduced by the invigoration of ice-swimming and the camaraderie of the eccentrics who claim it as their passion. Bohdan Sláma’s film is a beautifully rendered reminder that self-realization and a sense of belonging can be discovered through the most unlikely circumstances. Best Screenplay (International), Tribeca 17 Cast Zuzana Kronerová, Pavel Nový, Václav Neužil, Tatiana Vilhelmová, Marek Daniel Prod Pavel Strnad, Petr Oukropec Selected Filmography Four Sons

Panorama

Lebanon

Norway

Cuba

Slovakia

The Insult

The King’s Choice

Last Days in Havana

ZIAD DOUEIRI, FRANCE/LEBANON, 2017, 110 MIN.

ERIK POPPE, NORWAY, 2016, 130 MIN.

FERNANDO PÉREZ, CUBA/SPAIN, 2016, 93 MIN.

L’Insulte

THU, OCT 5 FRI, OCT 6

Kongens Nei

7:00 PM 11:00 AM

IN09 IN09

During a renovation in Beirut, a disagreement over plumbing escalates until Toni, a Lebanese Christian, utters a grievous insult at Yasser, a Palestinian refugee. Filing a formal complaint that leads to a highly publicized trial, Yasser inadvertently fuels a national debate between their respective communities. Reminding us how the trivial can serve as tinder for a political wildfire, director Ziad Doueiri crafts a modern day fable about how someone can play oppressor and victim in the same conflict. Cast Adel Karam, Christine Choueiri, Kamel El Bacha, Rita Hayek, Elie Njem, Tatal El Jurdi Prod Jean Bréhat, Rachid Bouchareb, Julie Gayet, Nadia Turincev Filmography The Attack; Lila Says; West Beirut

SAT, SEP 30 THU, OCT 5 THU, OCT 12

11:00 AM 3:30 PM 9:30 PM

Canadian Premiere. Chronicling the nerveracking days before and after the Norwegian monarch King Haakon VII (Jesper Christiansen) made the decision to resist the invading German army during WWII, Eric Poppe’s (Hawaii, Oslo) exceedingly well-acted drama was short-listed for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar earlier this year. Classical filmmaking at its finest, it “benefits from excellent cinematography by John Christian Rosenlund [and] retrieves a part of the past that deserves to be remembered.”—Hollywood Reporter Audience Award, Edinburgh 17 Cast Jesper Christensen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Karl Markovics, Tuva Novotny, Arthur Hakalahti, Svein Tindberg Prod Finn Gjerdrum, Stein B. Kvae Selected Filmography Troubled Water; 1,000 Times Goodnight

India

Russia

SUN, OCT 8 THU, OCT 12

6:45 PM 1:15 PM

IN10 SFU

Alankrita Shrivastava weaves together four stories of Indian women refusing to play by the rules in this warmly funny tale. Shirin (Konkona Sen Sharma) hides her job from her husband; Leela (Aahana Kumra) gets engaged while having an affair; religious student Rehana (Plabita Borthakur) discovers sensual pleasures; and Auntie Usha (Ratna Pathak Shah) is obsessed with erotic fiction… “Lipstick is audaciously outspoken about women’s sexual desires and fantasies, both visually and verbally.”—Hollywood Reporter Best Film, London Asian Film Festival 17; Spirit of Asia Award, Tokyo 16

IN10 SFU

North American Premiere. Fernando Pérez’s tragicomic tale expertly captures Havana’s faded glory while detailing the lives of those caught up in uncertain times. Exuberant Diego (Jorge Martínez) has AIDS and is confined to his bed; lifelong friend Miguel (Patricio Wood) is a dishwasher who takes care of his every need. When Diego’s spunky (and pregnant) 15-year-old niece Yusi (Gabriela Ramos) arrives on the scene, his days liven up considerably… “A touching celebration of love, devotion and stoical endurance.”—Screen Best Feature, Havana 17 Cast Jorge Martínez, Patricio Wood, Gabriela Ramos, Cristian Jesús Pérez Prod Danilo León, José María Morales Selected Filmography Life is to Whistle; Havana Suite; Madrigal

9:00 PM 3:15 PM 9:15 PM

CENT PLAY PLAY

Once again, modern Russia comes under the knife of master vivisectionist Andrei Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, VIFF 14). The marriage of Boris (Alexei Rozin) and Zhenya (Maryana Spivak) is in its death throes when their son Alyosha (Matvey Novikov) disappears after hearing them fight. Was he kidnapped? As Boris and Zhenya face bureaucratic lethargy and their own selfish desires, time may be running out… “An eerie thriller of hypnotic, mysterious intensity.”—Guardian Jury Prize, Cannes 17

Cast Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra, Plabita Borthakur, Sushant Singh, Vikrant Massey Prod Prakash Jha

Cast Maryana Spivak, Alexey Rozin, Matvey Novikov, Marina Vasilyeva, Andris Keishs, Alexey Fateev Prod Alexandre Rodnyansky, Serguey Melkumov

Filmography Turning 30!!!

Selected Filmography The Return; Leviathan; Elena

THU, SEP 28 SUN, OCT 1 THU, OCT 5

PETER BEBJAK, SLOVAKIA/UKRAINE/CZECH REPUBLIC, 2017, 112 MIN.

TUE, OCT 3 THU, OCT 5

1:15 PM 9:30 PM

IN09 IN10

North American Premiere. The corrupt, shifting boundary between the Slovak Republic and Ukraine in the days prior to the former’s entry into the EU is the setting for Peter Bebjak’s tense crime drama about the head of a cigarette-smuggling ring (a star-making turn from Tomáš Maštalír) whose personal and professional lives are starting to unravel… “Redolent of The Godfather and The Sopranos with a soupçon of Animal Kingdom and a welcome dose of black humor, The Line is an entertaining, fast-paced crime thriller…”— Variety Best Director, Karlovy Vary 17 Cast Tomáš Maštalír, Emília Vášáryová, Andy Hryc, Zuzana Fialová, Eugen Libeznuk, Kristína Kanátova Prod Wanda Adamík-Hrycová Filmography Zlo; The Cleaner

Ukraine

JOHN CARROLL LYNCH, USA, 2017, 88 MIN.

ANDREI ZVYAGINTSEV, RUSSIA/FRANCE/BELGIUM/ GERMANY, 2017, 127 MIN.

SUN, OCT 1 WED, OCT 4 MON, OCT 9

8:45 PM 3:45 PM

Lucky

Nelyubov

ALANKRITA SHRIVASTAVA, INDIA, 2016, 116 MIN.

TUE, OCT 3 THU, OCT 5

Čára

USA

Loveless

Lipstick Under My Burkha

The Line

Últimos días en La Habana

IN09 PLAY IN10

Contemporary World Cinema

9:00 PM 3:45 PM 9:45 PM

SFU SFU IN09

Harry Dean Stanton is a mainstay of American acting, and this film is his valediction: a funny, poignant portrait of a man approaching death with all the dignity he can muster. Stanton’s Lucky is a man who lives life on his own terms: from his yoga exercises to the pack of smokes he consumes every day, he does it his way, all the time. But now he’s approaching the end of the road, and it’s time to take stock…Stirring monologues, lovable characters and, of course, superb acting make this film a winner. Cast Harry Dean Stanton, David Lynch, Ron Livingston, Ed Begley Jr., Tom Skerritt, Beth Grant Prod Greg Gilreath, Adam Hendricks, John Lang, Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Ira Steven Behr, Richard Kahan, Drago Sumonja, Logan Sparks

The Nest of the Turtledove Gnizdo gorlytsi

TARAS TKACHENKO, UKRAINE/ITALY, 2016, 102 MIN.

WED, OCT 11 THU, OCT 12

6:00 PM 11:00 AM

IN08 IN09

North American Premiere. Taras Tkachenko’s sensitively directed film centres on married mother Daryna (Rymma Ziubina), who returns to the rural Bukovina region of Ukraine after two years in Genoa working as a maid. Can the newly independent Daryna possibly resume her traditional roles—especially given she is pregnant? Employing finely etched realism, Tkachenko drops in subtle examples of Ukrainian traditions that add to the flavour of this affecting drama. Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Ukrainian National Film Awards 17 Cast Rymma Zyubina, Vitaliy Linetsky, Mauro Cipriani, Natalya Vasko, Mykola Boklan Prod Volodymyr Filippov, Andriy Suyarko, Alla Ovsiannikova, Oleksandr Kovalenko Filmography Lovers in Kiev Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Contemporary World Cinema

Panorama

India

Egypt

Newton

The Nile Hilton Incident

AMIT V. MASURKAR, INDIA, 2017, 104 MIN.

FRI, SEP 29 SUN, OCT 1

9:00 PM 10:45 AM

TARIK SALEH, EGYPT/SWEDEN, 2017, 107 MIN.

IN10 IN09

3:45 PM 9:00 PM

IN09 SFU

Canadian Premiere. On Election Day in the conflict-ridden jungle of Chhattisgarh, central India, Newton (Rajkummar Rao), an idealistic polling clerk, is caught between indifferent security forces and a public that refuses to vote for fear of reprisals. Darkly comic and surprisingly tense, Amit V. Masurkar’s dramedy exposes the contradictions faced by the world’s largest democracy. “The shades of grey that Newton must ultimately confront… are splashed across the screen with subtle power and simmering poignancy.”—Screen

Canadian Premiere. By setting his gripping neo-noir in a Cairo on the edge of revolution, director Tarik Saleh elevates a riveting tale into a forceful political allegory. Cynical cop Noredin (Fares Fares) sees his inquiries about a murdered singer stymied at every turn. The deeper he goes into Cairo’s underworld, the higher up the political ladder the crime reaches… “Perfumed with an enervated atmosphere of decrepitude… Saleh’s striking feature parts the curtains on an era in the final throes of decline…”—Hollywood Reporter

Jury Award, Hong Kong 17

Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Dramatic, Sundance 17

Cast Rajkummar Rao, Anjali Patil, Pankaj Tripathi, Raghubir Yadav Prod Manish Mundra Filmography Sulemani Keeda

Cast Fares Fares, Mari Malek, Yaser Ali Maher, Ahmed Selim, Slimane Dazi, Hichem Yacobi Prod Kristina Aberg Filmography Gitmo; Metropia; Tommy

GermanFilmsVIFF2016_Artwork 18.08.16 12:47 Seite 1

Bangladesh

Iran

No Bed of Roses

No Date, No Signature

MOSTOFA SAWAR FAROOKI, BANGLADESH/INDIA, 2017, 86 MIN.

VAHID JALILVAND, IRAN, 2017, 104 MIN.

Bedoune Tarikh, Bedoune Emza

Doob

FRI, OCT 6 SUN, OCT 8

7:30 PM 1:00 PM

IN10 VCT

North American Premiere. Indian star Irrfan Khan is riveting as a vain filmmaker who leaves his wife for his daughter’s classmate in Mostofa Sawar Farooki’s realistic dissection of family dysfunction. With a dispassionate camera that captures every subtle expression and action, Sawar Farooki crafts probing visuals that perfectly match Khan’s layered performance. “Irrfan Khan takes the lead in this nuanced film from Bangladesh about… the quietly devastating impact of a husband’s infidelity on those closest to him.”—Screen Cast Irrfan Khan, Nusrat Imrose Tisha, Parno Mittra, Rokeya Prachy, Rahad Hossain Prod Abdul Aziz, Ashok Dhanuka, Himanshu Dhanuka Selected Filmography Bachelor; Made in Bangladesh; Television

WED, OCT 4 SAT, OCT 7

SAT, SEP 30 SUN, OCT 1

9:30 PM 3:45 PM

IN09 IN10

North American Premiere. Vahid Jalilvand’s film gives us Dr. Nariman (Amir Agha’ee), a forensic pathologist and upstanding member of the community. When he injures a child in a motor vehicle accident, the good doctor is willing to take him to the hospital, but the kid’s father declines his help. The next morning Nariman discovers that the boy has died... Besides being a riveting drama, No Date, No Signature offers a nuanced look at class and power relations in contemporary Iran. It’s a disquieting but profoundly satisfying movie. Best Director, Fajr Film Festival 17 Cast Amir Agha’ee, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Hediyeh Tehrani, Sa’eed Dakh, Alireza Ostadi, Zakiyeh Behbahani Prod Ali Jalilvand, Ehsan Alikhani Filmography Wednesday, May 9

Panorama

Finland

Chile

The Other Side of Hope Toivon tuolla puolen

AKI KAURISMÄKI, FINLAND, 2017, 98 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 MON, OCT 9 FRI, OCT 13

11:00 AM 6:30 PM 6:30 PM

SFU CENT SFU

The Finnish master of the droll and the deadpan, Aki Kaurismäki, returns with a second feature concerning the European refugee crisis, this one about a Syrian (Sherwan Haji) who washes up on Finland’s glum shores and becomes an unlikely friend to a middle-aged Finnish shirt salesman (Sakari Kuosmanen) in the midst of re-making his life. Compassionate and wryly funny by turns, this is Kaurismäki firing on all cylinders. “A deeply humane film…”—Time Out Best Director, Berlin 17 Cast Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen, Janne Hyytiäinen, Ilkka Koivula, Nuppu Koivu, Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon Prod Aki Kaurismaki, Misha Jaari, Mark Lwoff, Reinhard Brundig Selected Filmography Drifting Clouds; The Man Without a Past; Le Havre

Sweden

Spain

Los Perros WED, OCT 4 MON, OCT 9

2:30 PM 9:30 PM

IN10 IN10

Canadian Premiere. In Marcela Said’s (The Summer of Flying Fish, VIFF 13) icily effective drama, wealthy upper class married woman Mariana (a nuanced Antonia Zegers) is drawn to her riding instructor Juan (Alfredo Castro), known as “The Colonel.” Her infatuation doubles when she learns he is being investigated for human rights’ abuses during the Pinochet era. Used to getting her own way, Mariana is unprepared for what comes next… “Supremely assured and intriguing… Said’s precise filmmaking… rivets the attention.”—Variety Cast Antonia Zegers, Alfredo Castro, Rafael Spregelburd, Alejandro Sieveking, Elvis Fuentes Prod Sophie Erbs, Tom Dercourt, Augusto Matte, Santiago Gallelli, Benjamin Domenech, Joao Matos, Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo Selected Filmography I Love Pinochet; The Summer of Flying Fish

AMANDA KERNELL, SWEDEN/DENMARK/NORWAY, 2016, 110 MIN.

ANA URUSHADZE, GEORGIA/ESTONIA, 2017, 107 MIN.

6:15 PM 11:15 AM

Sashishi deda

PLAY IN10

6:00 PM 3:45 PM

CENT PLAY

4:30 PM 7:15 PM

IN10 IN10

North American Premiere. Ana Urushadze’s remarkable debut finds a Tblisi housewife (Nata Murvanidze) forced to choose between her family life in the patriarchal Georgian society and her lifelong repressed passion for writing. Opting to plunge into the artistic abyss, she sacrifices herself to her book both mentally and physically and her fantasy life begins to merge with her reality. When she decides to read her novel to her family, it becomes clear she is using her writing to sublimate her frustrations, and all hell breaks loose.

Grand Jury Prize, Best Actress, Seattle 17; Special Jury Prize, Best Actress, Tokyo 17; Best Director of a Debut Film, Venice 16

Cast Nata Murvanidze, Ramaz Ioseliani, Dimitri Tatishvili, Avtandil Makharadze Prod Lasha Khalvashi, Tinatin Kajrishvili, Ivo Felt

FRI, SEP 29 MON, OCT 2

6:45 PM 1:30 PM

IN09 IN09

The sly Fernando Trueba (Oscar-winner for Belle Epoque) places Penélope Cruz front and centre in this farcical comedy about a Hollywood movie shoot in 50s Spain, when Franco was at the height of his power. Cruz is the beautiful, much-married superstar Macarena Granada, who gets mixed up in a leftist plot while essaying the role of Queen Isabella in a costume epic. Mandy Patinkin and Cary Elwes co-star. “Cruz carries the film. She has a ridiculous kind of heroism, and her disguises are hilarious…”—Guardian

Kurdish director Hussein Hassan shot this affecting drama—about a Yazidi woman (Diman Zandi), kidnapped by ISIS members during the Yazidi genocide, who is rejected by her community after being rescued by her fiancé (Rekesh Shabaz)—in refugee camps in Kurdistan with the help of the Yazidi community. Unfussy visuals and a fast pace add urgency to a subject never before filmed. “Hassan’s sensitive, muted handling of potentially explosive subject material has the undeniable ring of authenticity…”—Screen

Cast Penélope Cruz, Chino Darín, Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, Clive Revill, Antonio Resines Prod Penélope Cruz, Mercedes Gamero, Mikel Lejarza Ortiz

Best Fiction Feature, Dubai 16

Selected Filmography The Girl of Your Dreams; Calle 54; Chico & Rita

Filmography Narcissus Blossom

MON, OCT 9 TUE, OCT 10

Cast Rekesh Shabaz, Diman Zandi, Maryam Boobani, Imad Lezgin Prod Mehmet Aktaş

Greece

SANAL KUMAR SASIDHARAN, INDIA, 2017, 85 MIN.

The indigenous Sami of northern Scandinavia have been labelled “inferior” throughout modern history. Half Sami herself, debuting director Amanda Kernell crafts a deeply moving coming-of-age tale, set in 1930s Sweden, about a 14-year-old Sami girl (Lene Cecilia Sparrok, riveting) whose rejection of her heritage has profound consequences. “A stirring debut… Robustly blends adolescent fears that resonate across borders and generations with a fascinatingly specific, rarely depicted cultural context.”—Variety

Cast Lene Cecilia Sparrok, Mia Erika Sparrok, Maj Doris Rimpi, Julius Fleischanderl Hanna Ahlström Prod Lars G Lindström

WED, OCT 4 FRI, OCT 6

Sexy Durga

Scary Mother

TUE, OCT 10 THU, OCT 12

HUSSEIN HASSAN, KURDISTAN/QATAR/GERMANY, 2016, 92 MIN.

FERNANDO TRUEBA, SPAIN, 2016, 128 MIN.

India

Sami Blood

SAT, OCT 7 WED, OCT 11

Reseba: The Dark Wind

La reina de España

Georgia

Sameblod

Kurdistan

The Queen of Spain

MARCELA SAID, CHILE/FRANCE, 2017, 94 MIN.

Contemporary World Cinema

4:45 PM 6:45 PM

IN10 RIO

Durga (Rajshree Deshpandey) and Kabeer (Kannan Nair), a young couple in Kerala, accept a ride from two young men in a van. So begins their nightmare… Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s powerful thriller was, reportedly, completely improvised, which explains its disturbing realism and the feeling that anything might happen at any moment. “Generates a steady thrum of dread… The story of one couple’s journey gone horribly awry feel[s] universal, an allegory about the violent misogyny that plagues India.”—Slant Tiger Award, Rotterdam 17 Cast Rajshree Deshpandey, Vishnu Vedh, Sujeesh K. S., Bilas Nair, Kannan Nair, Arun Sol Prod Shaji Mathew Selected Filmography Parole; Six Feet High

Son of Sofia O Gios tis Sofias

ELINA PSYKOU, GREECE/BULGARIA/FRANCE, 2017, 111 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 MON, OCT 2

11:15 AM 9:30 PM

IN10 PLAY

Canadian Premiere. After his father dies, 11-year-old Russian Misha (Viktor Khomut) is reunited with his mother in Athens and has to accept a new culture, a new language and a new father while dealing with conflicting adolescent desires… Set during the 2004 Olympics, Elina Psykou’s occasionally disturbing work boasts surreal, deadpan touches and a striking blend of reality and fantasy. “Psykou’s fairy tale-ish coming-of-age drama… takes one surprising left turn after another… [Her] film is never less than unique.”—Variety Jury Award, Best International Narrative Feature, Tribeca 17 Cast Viktor Khomut, Valery Tscheplanowa, Thanassis Papageorgiou, Artemios Havalits, Areti Seintaridou, Ivonni Maltezou Prod Giorgos Karnavas, Konstantinos Kontovrakis

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Contemporary World Cinema

Panorama

Turkey

Spain

Vancouver's leading arts source.

Sour Apples

Summer 1993

Ekşi Elmalar

Estiu 1993

YILMAZ ERDOGAN, TURKEY, 2016, 114 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 WED, OCT 11

1:45 PM 6:15 PM

CARLA SIMÓN, SPAIN, 2017, 96 MIN.

IN10 PLAY

Cast Yilmaz Erdogan, Songül Öden, Farah Zeynep Abdullah, Sükran Ovali, Devrim Yakut, Sükrü Özyildiz Prod Necati Akpinar

Best First Feature, Berlin 17

PHILIPPA LOWTHORPE, UK, 2017, 96 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 WED, OCT 11

Cast Laia Artigas, Paula Robles, Bruna Cusí, David Verdaguer, Fermi Reixacha Prod Valérie Delpierre

USA

Swallows and Amazons 2:00 PM 6:45 PM

CENT IN09

Pippa Lowthorpe’s loving adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s 1930 novel is a delightful throwback, a Tom Sawyer-like tale of four children adventuring on a lake, where they encounter imaginary pirates and possibly less-imaginary spies. The past is as strange as an alternate universe here, but the film’s values (integrity and curiosity, endeavour and courage) are as potent as ever. “A charmingly old-fashioned family adventure…”—Time Out Youth Jury Award, Best Feature, Seattle 16 Cast Rafe Spall, Andrew Scott, Kelly Macdonald Prod Nicholas Barton, Nick O’Hagan, Joe Oppenheimer

STAY CONNECTED AT STRAIGHT.COM

Sweet Virginia

JAMIE M. DAGG, USA/CANADA, 2017, 92 MIN.

FRI, SEP 29 SUN, OCT 1 SAT, OCT 7

9:30 PM 1:00 PM 6:15 PM

IN09 RIO RIO

Drawing comparisons with the Coen brothers’ work at its noirish best, Jamie M. Dagg’s dark drama is set in small-town Alaska and features a stone-cold killer (Christopher Abbott), a nasty femme fatale (Imogen Poots) and a retired rodeo star (Jon Bernthal) who cross paths when a murder plot goes awry, spreading collateral damage everywhere… “Part neonoir, part latter-day Western, this exceptional indie thriller… yields one of the gnarliest and most unsettling movies we’re likely to get this year.”—Variety Cast Christopher Abbott, Jon Bernthal, Imogen Poots, Rosemarie DeWitt, Odessa Young, Jared Abrahamson Prod Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Chris Ferguson, Fernando Loureiro, Robert Vasconcellos Filmography River

IN10 IN10

Canadian Premiere. When both of her parents die of AIDS, six-year-old Frida (an amazing Laia Artigas) is sent to live with her uncle in the Catalan countryside. Unsure about how her parents died—shame keeps the adults mum—and thrown by her new surroundings, she begins to act out… Debuting director Carla Simón draws on her own experience for this deeply affecting drama. “A delicate sleeper of a film that movingly looks at an orphaned sixyear-old’s loneliness and confusion without the usual dip into sentimentality.”—Variety

VIFF 2017

11:15 AM 7:15 PM

Canadian Premiere. Poet, actor and filmmaker Yilmaz Erdogan reaches a career high in this epic dramedy, using his feel for mood, wit and the nuances of character to spectacular effect. Telling the story of a proud man and his three beautiful daughters over the course of decades, the film generates laughs and poignancy in copious measures. Graced with casting coups, vivid colours and wonderful performances, it’s an old-fashioned delight of the kind Hollywood has lost the ability to make.

Selected Filmography Magic Carpet Ride; The Butterfly’s Dream

Proud Official Media Partner

SUN, OCT 1 THU, OCT 5

Panorama

Mexico

Germany

Tales of Mexico

Tehran Taboo

La habitación

CARLOS CARRERA, DANIEL GIMÉNEZ CACHO, CARLOS BOLADO, ERNESTO CONTRERAS, ALFONSO PINEDA ULLOA, ALEJANDRO VALLE, IVÁN ÁVILA DUEÑAS, NATALIA BERISTÁIN, MEXICO/POLAND, 2016, 120 MIN.

THU, OCT 5 WED, OCT 11

6:00 PM 4:00 PM

Italy

RIO IN09

Canadian Premiere. The eight enthralling narratives that make up this kaleidoscopic anthology film are anchored by the single studio apartment that serves as their shared setting. Over a hundred-year span, we witness the growing pains of a Mexico in flux, with revolution and human trafficking but two sources of conflict. Remarkable cinematography turns the same room into eight unique time capsules, and accomplished performances led by Irène Jacob (Three Colors: Red) transform this into a visceral experience. Cast Irène Jacob, Kaori Momoi, Kristyan Ferrer, Sofía Espinosa, Noé Hernández, Francisco Barreiro Prod Edher Campos, Luis Salinas, Marta Lewandowska, Marta Habior

ALI SOOZANDEH, GERMANY/AUSTRIA/IRAN, 2017, 96 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 MON, OCT 2

7:00 PM 4:00 PM

IN09 IN09

North American Premiere. A youthful lust for life and taboo sexual adventure is at the heart of Iran-born, German-based Ali Soozandeh’s brash, animated combination of rotoscoped characters and drawn settings, some in 3D. The sex lives of a prostitute, a male musician, and two young women ingeniously intersect in a version of Tehran never before seen on screen. “This wily account of 20-something Iranians negotiating an assault course of laws and prohibitions to get their kicks fizzes with energy and bad behaviour.”— Screen Cast Elmira Rafizadeh, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Arash Marandi, Bilal Yasar, Negar Mona Alizadeh, Payam Madjlessi Prod Frank Geiger, Ali Samadi Ahadi, Mark Fencer, Armin Hofmann, Antonin Svoboda, Bruno Wagner

Romania

La Tenerezza

GIANNI AMELIO, ITALY, 2016, 103 MIN.

THU, OCT 5 WED, OCT 11

Contemporary World Cinema

6:30 PM 1:30 PM

PLAY IN09

Canadian Premiere. One of Italy’s finest contemporary filmmakers, Gianni Amelio scores a late-career triumph with this intimate drama. Alienated from his own children, elderly Lorenzo (Renato Carpentieri) finds himself drawn to the neighbours across from his apartment. Fabio (Elio Germano), Michela (Micaela Ramazzotti) and their children are a happy brood on the surface, but, as the old man gets closer to them, tragedy reaches out… Gorgeously shot and populated with memorable characters, this is a quietly devastating film. Cast Renato Carpentieri, Elio Germano, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Micaela Ramazzotti, Greta Scacchi, Arturo Muselli Prod Elisabetta Trautteur Selected Filmography Lamerica; The First Man; Happy to be Different

That Trip We Took with Dad Die Reise mit Vater

ANCA MIRUNA LĂZĂRESCU, ROMANIA/GERMANY/ HUNGARY, 2016, 111 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 SUN, OCT 8 WED, OCT 11

6:15 PM 9:30 PM 12:15 PM

IN08 IN09 IN08

Canadian Premiere. In 1968, brothers Mihai (Alexandru Mărgineanu), a doctor, and Emil (Răzvan Enciu), an 18-year-old contrarian, accompany their ill father William (Ovidiu Schumacher) on a trip from Arad, Romania, to Dresden, where Dad is scheduled for surgery. The Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia puts a large crimp in their plans… Anca Miruna Lăzărescu’s debut, drawing from her own father’s life, “wraps its political message up in a warm and engaging family dramedy… Deserves every one of its 111 minutes.”—Eye for Film Cast Alex Mărgineanu, Răzvan Enciu, Ovidiu Schumacher, Susanne Bormann, Manuel Klein, Doru Ana Prod David Lindner Leporda, Verona Maier Filmography The Secret of Deva

Norway

USA

NATHAN SILVER, USA, 2017, 83 MIN.

JOACHIM TRIER, NORWAY/SWEDEN/FRANCE/ DENMARK, 2017, 116 MIN.

1:00 PM 6:30 PM

IN09 PLAY

This Nordic thriller features Eili Harboe in a star-making role. Playing the titular character, she gives a beguiling performance, expressing angst and repression yet still giving off a powerful erotic charge. A small-town girl gone to study in Oslo, Thelma meets her first love— and starts to experience seizures. Things get even more drastic from there, as director Joachim Trier (Louder Than Bombs) combines the religious, the sexual and the supernatural to mesmerizing effect. Cast Eili Harboe, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Kaya Wilkins Prod Thomas Robsahm Filmography Oslo, August 31st; Reprise

WED, OCT 11 THU, OCT 12

9:00 PM 4:00 PM

Brazil

Tom of Finland

Thirst Street

Thelma FRI, SEP 29 MON, OCT 9

Finland

CINE IN09

Canadian Premiere. Nathan Silver (Exit Elena, Soft in the Head, both VIFF 13) takes a step up with this blackly comic thriller about amour fou, set largely in Paris. Flight attendant Gina (Lindsay Burdge), reeling from her lover’s suicide, has a one-night stand with sleazy Parisian bartender Jerôme (Damien Bonnard) and then promptly moves to Paris in order to pursue the “love of her life”—despite Jerôme’s lack of interest… Fuelled by Burdge’s highoctane performance, this is an unforgettably twisted story of neurotic passion. Cast Lindsay Burdge, Damien Bonnard, Esther Garrel, Lola Bessis, Jacques Nolot, Françoise Lebrun Prod Louise Bellicaud, Claire Charles-Gervais, Josh Mandel, C. Mason Wells, Ruben Amar, Katie Stern, Joshua Blum, Matthew Ellison, David Solal, Elsa Leeb, Jordan Goldnadel Selected Filmography Exit Elena; Uncertain Terms; Stinking Heaven

DOME KARUKOSKI, FINLAND/GERMANY/DENMARK/ SWEDEN, 2017, 116 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 SAT, OCT 7

9:45 PM 1:45 PM

PLAY IN10

LGBTQ icon Tom of Finland—the artist who saw his “pornographic” drawings of wellendowed hunks go from criminal to celebrated—is the fascinating focus of director Dome Karukoski’s biopic, starring an excellent Pekka Strang. Moving from WWII through to Tom’s halcyon days and nights in the California of the 1970s and 80s, the drama “is most effective at showcasing the bountiful beauty of [Tom’s] fleshy, filthy sketches, as well as the empowered pursuit of pleasure for which they continue to stand.”—Variety FIPRESCI Prize, Gothenburg 17 Cast Pekka Strang, Lauri Tilkanen, Jessica Grabowsky, Taisto Oksanen, Seumas Sargent, Jakob Oftebro Prod Aleksi Bardy, Miila Haavisto, Annika Sucksdorff

Vazante

DANIELA THOMAS, BRAZIL/PORTUGAL, 2017, 116 MIN.

TUE, OCT 3 THU, OCT 5

9:15 PM 1:15 PM

PLAY IN10

Canadian Premiere. Set in 1820s Brazil, Daniela Thomas’ first solo directorial effort (she co-directed three films with Walter Salles) centres on mine owner Antonio (Adriano Carvalho), a widower whose ineffectual colonial ways and fading estate, powered by increasingly rebellious slaves, mirror the decline of Portuguese fortunes in general. “[A] striking study of racial and gender politics in colonial Brazil… The arresting black-andwhite cinematography and the intriguing, textured sound design [are] first rate.”—Screen Cast Adriano Carvalho, Juliana Carneiro da Cunha, Sandra Corveloni, Roberto Audio, Vinicius Dos Anjos, Luana Nastas Prod Beto Amaral, Maria Ionescu, Sara Silveira Selected Filmography Midnight; Sunstroke

Selected Filmography Forbidden Fruit; Heart of a Lion; The Grump

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

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Panorama

Germany

Denmark

Western

10:45 AM 6:15 PM 9:00 PM

For High School Students

Winter Brothers Vinterbrødre

VALESKA GRISEBACH, GERMANY, 2017, 119 MIN.

MON, OCT 2 WED, OCT 4 FRI, OCT 13

Contemporary World Cinema

VCT SFU SFU

The long-awaited follow-up to her wonderful Longing (VIFF 06), Valeska Grisebach’s tense drama chronicles the culture clash when a team of male German workers sets up camp in the Bulgarian countryside to construct a river-fed power plant. The amazing work of the non-professional cast and Grisebach’s unstinting realism make for a superb social critique. “There are no stagecoaches or sixshooters in this sharp, simmering drama of German-Bulgarian discord, but the spirit of John Ford graces it.”—Variety Cast Meinhard Neumann, Reinhardt Wetrek, Syuleyman Alilov Letifov, Veneta Frangova, Vyara Borisova, Kevin Bashev Prod Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski, Maren Ade, Valeska Grisebach, Michel Merkt Filmography Be My Star; Longing

South Africa

HLYNUR PÁLMASON, DENMARK/ICELAND, 2017, 94 MIN.

FRI, SEP 29 WED, OCT 4

1:45 PM 7:15 PM

SFU IN10

Captivatingly shot in a cool 16mm that complements its snowy environment, Hlynur Pálmason’s film is an immersive look into the world of an Icelandic limestone mine through the eyes of Emil (Elliott Crosset Hove), an awkward, fragile man who can’t quite fit in. An eccentric, dissonant account of outsiderdom, it’s punctuated with bursts of surrealism and bouts of dark humour. “An impressively original, auspiciously idiosyncratic debut, one that scratches away at truths about masculinity, lovelessness and isolation…”—Variety Cast Elliott Crosset Hove, Simon Sears, Victoria Carmen Sonne, Peter Plaugborg, Lars Mikkelsen Prod Julie Waltersdorph Hansen, Per Damgaard Hansen, Hlynur Pálmason

VIFF High School Program

Bad Genius

Each year, VIFF welcomes over 1,000 secondary students to weekday matinee screenings, offering them the chance to experience great cinema from around the world. In 2017, we’ve chosen films that speak to younger audiences on their own terms. This year’s program features youth exploring indigenous identity, the power of writing, the passage to adulthood and more. From Thailand to Toronto, Sweden to the States, these films cross borders and cultures to bring audiences together. Each of them is unique, and all of them are vital.

France

High School Groups: Only $8 per ticket Full details and film ratings at viff.org

AlphaGo p. 48

Sami Blood p. 41

GREG KOHS, USA

MON, OCT 2

The Young Karl Marx

JOHN TRENGOVE, SOUTH AFRICA/GERMANY/ NETHERLANDS/FRANCE, 2017, 88 MIN.

RAOUL PECK, FRANCE/GERMANY/BELGIUM, 2017, 118 MIN.

SUN, OCT 8 THU, OCT 12

Le Jeune Karl Marx

6:00 PM 1:00 PM

IN08 IN08

Ritual circumcision of South African Xhosa boys as a passage into manhood is only one form of wound on display in John Trengove’s sensitive debut. Centred around the closeted Xolani (well-known gay singer Nakhane Touré), a caregiver to the newly circumcised boy-men; his (married) lover, Vija (Bongile Mantsai); and Xolani’s latest charge, the rebellious teen Kwanda (Niza Jay Ncoyini), this powerful drama is “[a] hard-edged but beautifully wrought study of clashing Xhosa models of masculinity.”—Variety Audience Award, Sydney Film Festival 17 Cast Nakhane Touré, Bongile Mantsai, Niza Jay Ncoyini, Thobani Mseleni Prod Elias Ribeiro, Cait Pansegrouw

MON, OCT 9 FRI, OCT 13

9:00 PM 3:30 PM

IN09

CENT SFU

Canadian Premiere. Fresh off the success of I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck—aided by screenwriter Pascal Bonitzer—tackles the early days of the friendship between Karl Marx (August Diehl) and Friedrich Engels (Stefan Konarske) as they struggle to establish the Communist Party and complete the Communist Manifesto… “This intense, fervent film about the early development of communism… shouldn’t work, but it does, due to the intelligence of the acting and the stamina and concentration of the writing and directing.” —Guardian Cast August Diehl, Stefan Konarske, Vicky Krieps, Hannah Steele, Olivier Gourmet, Alexander Scheer Prod Nicolas Blanc, Rémi Grellety, Robert Guédiguian, Raoul Peck Selected Filmography The Man on the Shore; Lumumba; I Am Not Your Negro

Bad Genius p. 82

NATTAWUT POONPIRIYA, THAILAND

FRI, OCT 6

10:45 AM

I N10

Subject to Classification

11:15 AM

IN10

VARIOUS

WED, OCT 4

MIAO WANG, USA/CHINA

1:00 PM

Teen Years: Heaven and Hell p. 98 11:15 AM

SFU

Subject to Classification

Maineland p. 49 THU, OCT 5

THU, OCT 12

Violence, Coarse Language

No Advisory

The Wound Inxeba

AMANDA KERNELL, SWEDEN/DENMARK/NORWAY

11:00 AM

SFU

Unarmed Verses p. 65 CHARLES OFFICER, CANADA

WED, OCT 4

Coarse Language

1:00 PM

SFU

Subject to Classification

Reel Youth Film Festival p. 97

The Workshop p. 47 LAURENT CANTET, FRANCE

VARIOUS

TUE, OCT 10

11:00 AM

IN09

FRI, OCT 13

12:30 PM

SFU

Subject to Classification

Also note that we have classified several other films at the festival for viewers under the age of 18. Please visit the “Youth” section at viff.org Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Spotlight on France

Panorama

France

Faces Places Visages, Villages

AGNÈS VARDA, JR, FRANCE, 2017, 90 MIN.

SUN, OCT 1 FRI, OCT 6

11:00 AM 6:45 PM

SFU PLAY

The great Agnès Varda, now 89, hits the road with the photographer JR in search of people and their villages—faces and places—that make rural France what it is. As the two artists work with villagers to affix JR’s monumental portraits of the locals to various buildings, the documentary celebrates the transformative power of art, as embodied in our two witty and wise hosts. “If Faces Places is Agnès Varda’s last film, it’s a profoundly moving and absolutely essential farewell.”—IndieWire Featuring Agnès Varda, JR Prod Emile Abinal, Charles S. Cohen, Julie Gayet, Nadia Turincev, Nichole Fu, Etienne Comar Selected Filmography (Agnès Varda) Cleo from 5 to 7; The Gleaners & I; The Beaches of Agnès; (JR) Women are Heroes

France

Spotlight on France

The rich cinematic culture that continues to flourish in France is celebrated with this selection of fine big-screen offerings.

BPM (Beats Per Minute) 120 battements par minute

ROBIN CAMPILLO, FRANCE, 2017, 144 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 MON, OCT 2

3:15 PM 6:15 PM

PLAY PLAY

A crowd favourite at Cannes this year, Robin Campillo’s fast-paced drama positively vibrates with energy, commitment and joie de vivre. As the AIDS crisis claims more and more lives in early 1990s Paris, the AIDS activist group ACT-UP begins a heated campaign to raise awareness and disrupt the blasé middle class. “Five stars! Compellingly combines elegy, tragedy, urgency and a defiant euphoria… This film has what its title implies: a heartbeat. It is full of cinematic life.”—Guardian Grand Prix, FIPRESCI Award, Cannes 17 Ismael’s Ghosts SERIES SPONSORS

MEDIA SPONSOR

Consulat général de France à Vancouver

Cast Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois, Adèle Haenel, Antoine Reinartz, Félix Maritaud, Ariel Borenstein Prod Hugues Charbonneau, Marie-Ange Luciani

Panorama

France

Ava

Dalida

LÉA MYSIUS, FRANCE, 2017, 105 MIN.

FRI, SEP 29 SUN, OCT 1

3:00 PM 6:45 PM

France

IN08 IN09

SUN, OCT 1 WED, OCT 4

3:45 PM 9:15 PM

France

Django

LISA AZUELOS, FRANCE/ITALY, 2016, 124 MIN.

Ismael’s Ghosts Les Fantômes d’Ismaël

ÉTIENNE COMAR, FRANCE, 2017, 117 MIN.

IN09 RIO

FRI, SEP 29 THU, OCT 12

Spotlight on France

3:15 PM 6:00 PM

CENT SFU

North American Premiere. Soon to go blind, defiant 13-year-old Ava (Noée Abita) resolves to exploit her summer at the beach to its fullest. In debuting director Léa Mysius’ hands, this resolution takes us to some exciting places as Ava explores her sexuality and falls in with a beach-bum bad boy (Juan Cano)… “[The] startlingly assured, exquisitely shot Ava is a film that doesn’t simply explore the textural possibilities of 35mm film for the hell of it, it makes thematic use of them, to stunning, evocative effect.”—Variety

Canadian Premiere. Paris-based singer/actress Dalida is given the biopic she deserves in Lisa Azuelos’ chronicle of the woman who galvanized the French music scene between the late 50s and the mid-80s. While selling 170 million records worldwide, she endured unbearable tragedy in her personal life and committed suicide in 1987. Newcomer Sveva Alviti in the lead “is not only a dead ringer for the dead star but also, just like the title character, a charismatic force of nature that’s impossible to ignore.”—Hollywood Reporter

Writer Étienne Comar (Of Gods and Men) makes a daring directorial debut by confining this look at the life of legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt (played marvellously by A Prophet’s Reda Kateb) to the soul-forging months during WWII when the musician had to make a choice: collaborate and go on a tour of Germany or face up to the facts and resist… Co-starring the great Cécile de France. “Kateb [gets] the chance to shine in… [this] handsomely made affair with one of the best scores imaginable.”—Variety

Cast Noée Abita, Laure Calamy, Juan Cano, Tamara Cano, Daouda Diakhate, Baptiste Archimbaud, Franck Beckmann Prod Jean-Louis Livi, Fanny Yvonnet

Cast Sveva Alviti, Riccardo Scamarcio, Jean-Paul Rouve, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Alessandro Borghi, Valentina Carli Prod Julien Madon, Lisa Azuelos, Jérôme Seydoux

Cast Reda Kateb, Cécile de France, Beata Palya, BimBam Merstein, Gabriel Mirété, Vincent Frade Prod Olivier Delbosc, Marc Missonnier

Selected Filmography LOL; Quantum Love

ARNAUD DESPLECHIN, FRANCE, 2017, 132 MIN.

TUE, OCT 3 WED, OCT 11

9:00 PM 10:45 AM

CENT IN09

Canadian Premiere. VIFF fave Arnaud Desplechin (My Golden Days, Kings and Queen) returns with his most daring film yet, a tour-de-force of mise-en-scène, shown here in the longer director’s cut not screened at the Cannes festival earlier this year. A dream cast—Mathieu Amalric, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marion Cotillard, Louis Garrel—enacts this fraught drama about a filmmaker (Amalric), haunted by his past mistakes, whose current production is interrupted when his ex-wife (Cotillard) suddenly appears after 21 years away… Cast Mathieu Amalric, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marion Cotillard, Louis Garrel Prod Pascal Caucheteux, Vincent Maraval Selected Filmography Kings and Queen; A Christmas Tale

France

Milla

VALÉRIE MASSADIAN, FRANCE/PORTUGAL, 2017, 128 MIN.

THU, SEP 28 WED, OCT 4

8:45 PM 11:45 AM

VCT IN08

North American Premiere. Forsaking sentimentality in favour of authenticity, Valérie Massadian employs immaculate mise-enscène and precise camerawork to craft a portrait of a 17-year-old runaway (Séverine Jonkeere, discovered by in teen shelter) who suddenly finds herself with child, abandoned by her boyfriend and forced to embrace adult responsibility. Sometimes to be simple is to be daring, and in creating Milla’s world and simply allowing her to live in it, Massadian has fashioned a moving, memorable and transformative work. Special Jury Prize, Locarno 17 Cast Séverine Jonckeere, Luc Chessel, Ethan Jonckeere Prod Sophie Erbs Filmography Nana

France

A Season in France

The Valley of the Wolves The Workshop

MAHAMAT-SALEH HAROUN, FRANCE, 2017, 100 MIN.

JEAN-MICHEL BERTRAND, FRANCE, 2016, 92 MIN.

La Vallée des loups

Une saison en France

FRI, OCT 6 TUE, OCT 10

7:00 PM 1:30 PM

IN09 IN09

Having fled the civil war-ravaged Central African Republic for Paris, a respected teacher (Eriq Ebouaney) now barely fends for his family by peddling produce. While he finds a loving companion (Sandrine Bonnaire) who helps him confront his past traumas, French bureaucracy proves a harsher mistress, impeding his bid for asylum and chance at a new life. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun offers a compassionate and visceral account of the unenviable lot of illegal immigrants struggling to maintain a sense of dignity. Cast Eriq Ebouaney, Sandrine Bonnaire, Ibrahim Burama Darboe, Aalayna Lys, Bibi Tanga Prod Florence Stern Filmography Grigris; Dry Season; Abouna

THU, OCT 5 SAT, OCT 7

L’Atelier

6:30 PM 11:15 AM

SFU IN10

North American Premiere. Director JeanMichel Bertrand (Flirting with Heights, VIFF 11) spent three years deep in the French Alps single-mindedly seeking out wolves in their natural habitat. Gradually, he managed to closely observe one wolf pack—and ended up being accepted by them… Full of sublime images of the titular mountain valley (which Bertrand refuses to reveal the location of), captured in all four seasons, and the spectacular flora and fauna that live there, this is a gorgeous adventure story worthy of Jack London. Prod Jean-Pierre Bailly Filmography Flirting with Heights

LAURENT CANTET, FRANCE, 2017, 113 MIN.

TUE, OCT 10 FRI, OCT 13

9:00 PM 12:30 PM

PLAY SFU

Expanding on ideas that made his The Class (VIFF 08) a Palme d’Or winner, Laurent Cantet’s deft and captivating drama focuses on a literary workshop in depressed La Ciotat (near Marseille) and the push-pull relationship that develops between hot-headed—and possibly violent—student Antoine (Matthieu Lucci, excellent) and workshop head Olivia (Marina Fois). “Cantet makes an enthralling return to form with this topical fusion of political debate session and socially conscious thriller.”—Variety Cast Marina Foïs, Matthieu Lucci, Warda Rammach, Issam Talbi, Florian Beaujean, Mamadou Doumbia Prod Denis Freyd Selected Filmography Human Resources; Time Out; The Class

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Documentaries

Panorama

Iran

Documentaries This acclaimed series explores the endless possibilities of nonfiction filmmaking while probing involving subject matter.

USA

24 Frames

ABBAS KIAROSTAMI, IRAN/FRANCE, 2017, 120 MIN.

FRI, SEP 29 WED, OCT 4

3:15 PM 9:00 PM

VCT CINE

Canadian Premiere. The late Abbas Kiarostami’s last film contains 24 four-and-a-halfminute segments, each inhabiting a fixed frame and depicting landscapes, animals, even a digitized reproduction of Bruegel’s The Hunters in the Snow. They also contain a haunting summation of the master’s life’s work that will have you seeing the world through new eyes. “A mesmeric glimpse into Kiarostami’s mysterious mind… Gorgeous… Watching it is akin to opening a series of nesting dolls, or leafing through a book of dreams.”—Guardian Prod Ahmad Kiarostami, Charles Gillibert Selected Filmography Taste of Cherry; Certified Copy; Like Someone in Love

USA

GEETA GANDBHIR, ASAD FARUQI, USA, 2017, 74 MIN.

Preceded By Divide (p. 99) and Invisible Line (p. 99)

9:00 PM 11:00 AM

SFU SFU

North American Premiere. This harrowing documentary takes us to an exceptionally dangerous area along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. Hunkering down with members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bomb Disposal Unit, Geeta Gandbhir and Asad Faruqi document their bravery and dedication. America’s military actions in the region have had deadly consequences for the neighbouring nations, and this film confronts a most agonizing aspect of the struggle. Tense, taut and ultimately quite moving, it’s a tribute to bravery and much more besides. Prod Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Geeta Gandbhir, Asad Faruqi Selected Filmography (Geeta Gandbhir) Love the Sinner; I Am Evidence Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey

GREG KOHS, USA, 2017, 90 MIN.

MON, OCT 2 TUE, OCT 3

11:00 AM 6:30 PM

IN09 PLAY

Canadian Premiere. “I think it will be five to zero, or perhaps four to one,” says a confident Lee Sedol, the world’s greatest player of Go, the Chinese game of strategy, in the lead up to his match against Google’s AlphaGo A.I. program. Because of its simple rules and near-infinite possible outcomes, Go is ideal for testing A.I. programs; Greg Kohs’ fascinating documentary follows the Google team as it prepares for the impossible—beating the champ—and reveals what could be a breakthrough in the humans vs. machines battle. Featuring Lee Sedol Prod Kevin Proudfoot, Josh Rosen, Gary Krieg Selected Filmography Song Sung Blue

USA

Armed with Faith THU, OCT 5 SAT, OCT 7

AlphaGo

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story ALEXANDRA DEAN, USA, 2016, 90 MIN.

THU, SEP 28 SUN, OCT 8 WED, OCT 11

6:45 PM 9:30 PM 3:45 PM

SFU IN10 PLAY

Canadian Premiere. “Any girl can look glamorous; all she has to do is stand still and look stupid.” So declares Hollywood icon Hedy Lamarr, whose legendary beauty and affinity for scandal—denounced by the Pope at 18, six ex-husbands, drug addiction, financial ruin— blinded the world to the brilliant mind behind the invention of a secret WWII communications system that became the basis for modern WiFi. “The underexposed, amazing story of a Hollywood glamour queen who could have been a scientist.”—Hollywood Reporter Featuring Hedy Lamarr, Susan Sarandon, Mia Farrow, Mel Brooks, Peter Bogdanovich, Robert Osborne Prod Katherine Drew

Panorama

USA

Caniba

VERENA PARAVEL, LUCIEN CASTAING-TAYLOR, USA/ FRANCE, 2017, 96 MIN.

FRI, SEP 29 TUE, OCT 10

9:15 PM 6:45 PM

CINE CINE

“Caniba is a film that reflects on the discomfiting significance of cannibalistic desire in human existence through the prism of one Japanese man, Issei Sagawa, and his mysterious relationship with his brother, Jun Sagawa. Rather than taking cover behind facile outrage, or creating a masquerade out of humanity’s voyeuristic attraction to the grotesque… we try to treat cannibalistic desire and acts with the unnerving gravity they deserve...” —Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor Prod Valentina Novati, Verena Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor Selected Filmography Somniloquies

Sweetgrass; Leviathan;

Warning: Viewer discretion advised.

USA

Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun? 9:00 PM 4:45 PM

IN08 IN10

9:00 PM 10:45 AM

VCT IN09

Marking the 40th anniversary of NASA’s Voyager launch, this wonderful documentary recounts that triumph with verve and details the still-ongoing mission. Illustrated with fascinating CGI imagery and laced with anecdotes that run from the poignant to the comical, it’s a crowd-pleaser through and through. “[A]weinspiring…It’s rare for a film to make one swell with pride about something he or she had no direct hand in, but The Farthest accomplishes that feat with aplomb.”—Variety Audience Award, Seattle 17 Prod John Murray, Clare Stronge Selected Filmography Here Was Cuba

7:30 PM 2:15 PM 6:15 PM

VCT PLAY VCT

DAVE O’LESKE, USA, 2017, 96 MIN.

FRI, SEP 29 SUN, OCT 1 FRI, OCT 13

6:30 PM 3:30 PM 4:00 PM

PLAY RIO VCT

Canadian Premiere. Dina and Scott are set to be hitched and are adorably, head-overheals in love. But, with each of them dealing with unique challenges—Scott has Asperger’s Syndrome and Dina a “smorgasbord” of mental disabilities—an awkward case of cold feet arises. Scott is squeamish about sex, while his fiancée, very much an expert in that department, craves intimacy. Antonio Santini and Daniel Sickle’s heartfelt and charming doc portrait “is alternately comic and tragic and best when it’s both at once…”—IndieWire

Prod Travis Wilkerson

Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, Sundance 17

Selected Filmography An Injury to One; Who Killed Cock Robin?

Prod Daniel Sickles, Antonio Santini

Featuring Fred Beckey Prod Dave O’Leske, Jason Reid, Colin Plank, Andy McDonough

Filmography Mala Mala

Filmography Spirit of Snow

India

BEN RUSSELL, FRANCE/GERMANY, 2017, 143 MIN.

Preceded By Chasing Stars p. 99

SAT, SEP 30 SAT, OCT 7 THU, OCT 12

Canadian Premiere. The political and personal intersect in Travis Wilkerson’s revisiting of a fateful Alabama night in 1946 when a white man (who also happened to be his great-grandfather) took a black man’s life and never served a day in prison. Wilkerson frames his masterful film as a mystery investigation into this family secret, returning to his hometown to uncover the truth. As with all good historical inquiries, Wilkerson’s powerful film speaks volumes to the present—and demands that we never forget.

Good Luck

EMER REYNOLDS, USA, 2017, 121 MIN.

Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey

DANIEL SICKLES, ANTONIO SANTINI, USA, 2017, 101 MIN.

TRAVIS WILKERSON, USA, 2017, 90 MIN.

SAT, SEP 30 MON, OCT 2

USA

Dina

France

The Farthest TUE, OCT 3 THU, OCT 5

USA

Documentaries

TUE, OCT 3 FRI, OCT 6

9:00 PM 8:45 PM

CINE CINE

USA

Machines

RAHUL JAIN, INDIA/FINLAND/GERMANY, 2016, 71 MIN.

THU, SEP 28 SAT, SEP 30

International Premiere. “Dirtbag climber: n. a person who dedicates her or his entire existence to the pursuit of climbing…” Beginning in the 1940s, Seattle’s ornery Fred Beckey, now 94, made climbing as many unscaled peaks as humanly possible his life’s goal. Hundreds of mountains and 70 years later, he gets his due with Dave O’Leske’s portrait, which offers keen insight into the climber’s life—and beautiful archival footage—while charting the successes (all those peaks) and failures (all those relationships) of a man obsessed.

7:00 PM 12:30 PM

CINE VCT

Maineland

MIAO WANG, USA/CHINA, 2017, 90 MIN.

THU, OCT 5 SAT, OCT 7

1:00 PM 6:30 PM

SFU IN09

Two mining communities on opposite sides of the world, one blasting away rock for copper, the other dredging water and panning for gold; one deep below the earth’s surface, the other above, in the tropical heat; one stateowned and organized, the other independent and illegal. Ben Russell reveals the working conditions of miners in Serbia and Suriname through a careful mix of calm observation, focused formalism and ecstatic surrealism, finding common ground between these men, workers and humans all.

Inside a textile factory in India’s Gujarat region, shirtless workers toil alongside the many machines needed to produce dyes and fabrics. Working 12-hour shifts, these men earn the equivalent of $3 per day… Rahul Jain’s pointedly political documentary gives a voice to these workers while capturing the paradoxical beauty of the machines, both human and man-made, at work. “With the mystery and potency of a dream, Rahul Jain’s brief, fierce documentary… [is] a sombre, relevant piece of work.”—Guardian

Canadian Premiere. Maine, USA, meets Mainland China in this look at Freyburg Academy, an American boarding school known for welcoming East Asian students. Director Miao Wang follows expat teens Harry and Stella as they negotiate this new environment, and she portrays their trials and triumphs with a sympathetic eye. Warmhearted and wonderfully energetic, this is a tribute to multiculturalism that never ignores its complexity. “[S]erves to remind audiences of the power, and beauty, in differences.”—Austin Chronicle

Prod Janja Kralj, Guillaume Cailleau

Prod Thanassis Karathanos, Rahul Jain, Iikka Vehkalahti

Special Jury Award, SXSW 17

Selected Filmography Let Each One Go Where He May; A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness

Prod Miao Wang, Violet Du Feng, Damon G. Smith, Robert Chang Selected Filmography Beijing Taxi

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

Panorama

Czech Republic

A Marriage Story

Searching for a New Science

Strnadovi

HELENA TREŠTÍKOVÁ, CZECH REPUBLIC, 2017, 102 MIN.

SUN, OCT 1 SAT, OCT 7

1:15 PM 9:15 PM

IN09 IN09

Prod Kateřina Černá, Pavel Strnad

WED, OCT 11 THU, OCT 12

3:45 PM 8:45 PM

MICHAEL GLAWOGGER, MONIKA WILLI, AUSTRIA/ GERMANY, 2017, 107 MIN.

VCT SFU

International Premiere. Framed around a spirited, ongoing debate between Oxford physicist/devout churchgoer Ard Louis and filmmaker/avowed atheist David Malone, this singular documentary takes a deep dive into probing questions about the nature of the universe and whether notions like meaning, purpose, morality and even “god” can be reconciled with what we now understand about the world. Bursting with catalytic ideas and captivating images, Malone’s documentary is sure to inspire endless post-screening philosophical debate. Prod David Malone

Selected Filmography Private Universe

THU, SEP 28 SAT, SEP 30

9:00 PM 3:30 PM

CINE IN08

Canadian Premiere. VIFF veteran Michael Glawogger was a bravely experimental documentary director; he looked at the world with the eyes of an awed observer but never dropped his critical stance. Shot across Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean and subSaharan Africa, and completed by Monika Willi after his death, Untitled documents poverty, the aftermath of war and more, making poetry out of the momentous and the ordinary alike. Glawogger has ended his life with a valediction on film—a gesture of love towards a troubled world. Prod Tommy Pridnig, Peter Wirthensohn Selected Filmography (Michael Glawogger) Workingman’s Death; Whores’ Glory

Filmography Testing God

France

Israel

Untitled

DAVID MALONE, UK, 2017, 106 MIN.

North American Premiere. Helena Treštíková’s film documents a staggering 35 years in the life and marriage of Ivana and Vaclav Strnad. Starting with a humble wedding and gathering in force as it progresses, the film has its share of quotidian moments but pushes into some unexpected territory as well. As time passes on and the triumphs and defeats pile up, the film gains a novelistic density. Fans of the British 7 Up series will be pleased, but this film has its own unique virtues. It’s an indelible human portrait.

West of the Jordan River AMOS GITAI, ISRAEL/FRANCE, 2017, 88 MIN.

MON, OCT 2 SAT, OCT 7

6:45 PM 1:45 PM

IN08 SFU

North American Premiere. In this examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Amos Gitai displays his trademark curiosity and passion, taking us to the streets of Hebron and beyond to interview citizens about their resentments, hopes and fears. Also prominent are the journalists, politicians and activists who shape the dominant narratives of this struggle. This is liberal filmmaking in the best sense: compassionate, generous and open to nuance. There are many voices to be heard and Gitai ensures that each of them seems vital. Featuring Amos Gitai Prod Amos Gitai Selected Filmography Promised Land; Free Zone; Rabin, the Last Day

USA

Winnie

PASCALE LAMCHE, FRANCE/NETHERLANDS/SOUTH AFRICA, 2017, 98 MIN.

SAT, OCT 7 WED, OCT 11

Austria

Documentaries

11:00 AM 6:30 PM

IN09 SFU

The complicated, controversial life of South Africa’s Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the “mother of a nation,” is the focus of Pascale Lamche’s complex portrait. Beginning with her marriage to Nelson Mandela in 1958, Lamche’s sympathetic chronology marshals ample archival footage and interviews with Madikizela-Mandela, as well as family members, allies and opponents to craft a revealing perspective on the people and events that changed South Africa forever. “Densely packed and informative.”—Screen Directing Award, World Cinema Documentary, Sundance 17 Featuring Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Prod Christoph Jörg Selected Filmography Sophiatown; Black Diamond

The Work

JAIRUS MCLEARY, GETHIN ALDOUS, USA, 2017, 88 MIN.

SUN, OCT 8 TUE, OCT 10

9:00 PM 11:00 AM

SFU IN10

Canadian Premiere. Twice a year, members of the public are invited into Folsom State Prison to join convicts—many serving time for brutally violent offenses—for four days of intensive group therapy. Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldous’ vérité tour-de-force powerfully illuminates how trauma and toxic masculinity impact men on both sides of the prison’s walls. “An emotionally riveting documentary that may very well be the most powerful group therapy ever caught on camera.”—IndieWire Grand Jury Award, Documentary, SXSW 17 Prod Alice Henty, Jairus McLeary, Eon McLeary, Miles McLeary, Angela Sostre Filmography (Gethin Aldous) Renzo Gracie: Legacy

Discover more docs! It’s a fact: This year’s VIFF boasts more than 60 documentary features spread across multiple streams! To see the full list of these films, visit viff.org and search “Documentaries” in the “Genre” index.

Buy tickets and read full film descriptions at viff.org

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Vancity

SFU-GCA

Rio

Playhouse

Intl Village 10

Intl Village 9

Intl Village 8

Cinematheque

Centre for Arts

Sunday, October 01

Vancity

SFU-GCA

Rio

Playhouse

Intl Village 10

Intl Village 9

Intl Village 8

Cinematheque

Centre for Arts

Saturday, September 30

Vancity

SFU-GCA

Rio

Playhouse

Intl Village 10

Intl Village 9

Intl Village 8

Cinematheque

Centre for Arts

Friday, September 29

Vancity

SFU-GCA

Rio

Playhouse

Intl Village 10

Intl Village 9

Intl Village 8

Cinematheque

Centre for Arts

Thursday, September 28

13:00

3:15pm 144min p46

Top of the Lake p2 12:45pm 120min p33

Top of the Lake: ... 10:30am 120min p33

1:15pm 87min p71

11:00am 90min p46

3:00pm 120min p33

Top of the Lake p3

3:45pm 88min p39

Lucky

Dirtbag: ... Evolution of...

Faces Places

3:30pm 96min p49

3:45pm 104min p40

Sweet Virginia

1:45pm 69min p83

11:15am 96min p42

No Date, No Sig...

3:45pm 124min p47

1:00pm 92min p42

Claire's ...

Summer 1993

1:15pm 102min p51

22:00 9:00pm 127min p39

Loveless

6:15pm 92min p89

Leaning Into th...

6:15pm 100min p59

Hollow in the L...

6:30pm 78min p97

Reel Youth F...

6:45pm 105min p47

Ava

7:15pm 70min p71

Trial: ...

6:00pm 78min p67

23:00

8:30pm 88min p84

The Departure

9:00pm 75min p58

the city bef...

9:00pm 86min p59

Once There W...

9:00pm 132min p85

Honeygiver Among the ...

9:30pm 92min p89

Chavela

9:15pm 98min p97

New Skins & Old...

Still Night, St...

21:00

9:00pm 98min p67

20:00

9:15pm 83min p59

Meet Beau Di...

6:30pm 90min p83

Maison du bo...

Song of Granite 4:45pm 104min p91

Dalida

Dina 7:30pm 101min p49

Disappearance 8:45pm 92min p36

9:45pm 116min p43

Tom of Finland

9:30pm 71min p67

PROTOTYPE

9:30pm 104min p40

No Date, No Sig...

9:00pm 90min p49

Did You Wonder ...

Angkor Awakens:...

5:45pm 140min p70

19:00 3:15pm 95min p34

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Human Flow

17:00

6:30pm 87min p71

Evolution of...

6:15pm 84min p58

Entanglement

6:30pm 100min p30

Indian Horse

6:45pm 83min p91

Shadowman

7:00pm 96min p43

Tehran Taboo

6:15pm 111min p43

That Trip We Took ...

Tattoos

22:00

9:00pm 87min p65

21:00 Forest Mo...

In The Fade

16:00

Creator Talk

Okja

8:45pm 104min p91

MODES 2 8:30pm 93min p100

6:45pm 65min p66

19:00

7:00pm 121min p32

6:30pm 90min p88

Creator Talk

Song of Granite

23:00

9:15pm 130min p37 8:45pm 111min p59

Bosch: ...

23:00

Garden Store: ...

9:00pm 104min p40

Never Steady, Neve...

20:00

Sweet Virginia 9:30pm 92min p42

Newton

Bitch

6:00pm 90min p79

5:00pm 90min p79

3:45pm 123min p89

Tattoos

15:00

2:30pm 93min p65

2:00pm 87min p65 10:45am 104min p40

14:00

A Marriage Story

13:00

Newton

11:00

12:00

1:15pm 107min p88

Machines 12:30pm 71min p49

11:00am 98min p41

3:30pm 120min p35

Clive Davis: ...

At the End of the Tun...

Beuys: ...

The Party Other Side of H...

1:30pm 71min p34

Skin So Soft

BPM (Beats Per Minute)

4:30pm 96min p95

Meditation Park

1:45pm 114min p42

11:15am 111min p41

Lowlife

4:45pm 95min p83

12:30pm 94min p21

Sour Apples

Son of Sofia

2:00pm 129min p83

11:00am 130min p39

Becoming Who I ...

Untitled 3:30pm 107min p51

12:00pm 157min p71

Anarchist from the Co...

A Yangtze Landscape

Azar

18:00 Loving Vincent