About This Year’s Festival Program

While we’ve been working for eight months to curate the lineup for our 41st edition, it’s been a two-and-half year process to restore our festival to a scale be tting the exceptional work we’ll be sharing with you: one of the most engaged audiences I’ve had the privilege of experiencing a lm with.

We’re thrilled to be back in some familiar venues and equally excited to unveil our re-envisioned lm series. A selection of timely lms that illustrate the breadth of VIFF’s programming, Showcase provides another entry point into the festival for both newcomers and seasoned attendees. Spectrum explores innovative, immersive non ction lmmaking, while Vanguard marks the return of an international narrative competition to VIFF. Deeply tied to the histories and cultures of their regions, these lms are keenly perceptive and wonderfully vibrant.

A collection of more than 235 lms re ects an equal number of unique perspectives, artistic practices, and modes of expression. Given that, I’m hesitant to make any sweeping statements that aim to tie a tidy bow around such a diverse, complex complement of lms. Instead, I’ll share a couple of observations that I hope linger with you as you explore our program and venture into our venues. lege of being able to host such premieres. We likewise recognize our responsibility to ensure that the presentation of these lms be ts their high calibre. Beyond projection and sound, this means ensuring that they create a dialogue between one another and spark conversation after the end credits have rolled.

Additionally, close to half of the program’s fulllength lms are a director’s rst feature. When these lmmakers started down their creative path, it’s unlikely they envisioned that their rst feature would be shot amidst a pandemic, with all the restrictions and considerations that accompany such a crisis. Even directors in the lineup who’ve plied their trade for decades undoubtedly found themselves encountering challenges they’d never considered possible. And yet, against almost insurmountable odds, these lms nd their way to us uncompromised thanks to the unwavering vision of their creators.

Make no mistake: cinema allows us to witness miracles. Let’s not take this art that enriches us for granted. While you’re attending this year’s VIFF, I encourage you to contribute to a culture of appreciation. As these lms hit the screen, I invite you to not just admire their exceptional craft and transportive power, but also the resilience and resolve of the lmmakers who found a way to bring these stories to us.

These have undoubtedly been challenging times, but we now have much celebrate. Let’s have a wonderful festival!

“Make no mistake: cinema allows us to witness miracles. Let’s not take this art that enriches us for granted.”