2023 Vancouver International Film Festival

Last updated

2023 Vancouver International Film Festival
Location Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Founded1958
Festival dateSeptember 28 - October 8, 2023
Website VIFF
Vancouver International Film Festival

The 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival, the 42nd event in the history of the Vancouver International Film Festival, was held from September 28 to October 8, 2023. [1]

Contents

Awards

Winners of the juried Canadian film awards were announced on October 5. [2] The Vanguard award winner was announced on October 8, and Audience Award winners were announced on October 12.

AwardFilmFilmmaker
Audience Award, Galas & Special Presentations Monster Hirokazu Kore-eda
Audience Award, Showcase The Monk and the Gun Pawo Choyning Dorji
Audience Award, Panorama Irena's Vow Louise Archambault
Audience Award, VanguardLet Me Go (Laissez-moi)Maxime Rappaz
Audience Award, Northern Lights Aitamaako'tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun Banchi Hanuse
Audience Award, InsightsPhysician, Heal ThyselfAsher Penn
Audience Award, Spectrum Asog Seán Devlin
Audience Award, PortraitsCall Me DancerLeslie Shampaine, Pip Gilmour
Audience Award, Altered States Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant) Ariane Louis-Seize
Best Canadian Film Fitting In Molly McGlynn
Best Canadian Film, Honorable Mention Gamodi Felix Kalmenson
Best Canadian Documentary Someone Lives Here Zack Russell
Best Canadian Documentary, Honorable Mention Asog Seán Devlin
Best Canadian Short Film Katshinau Julien G. Marcotte, Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush
Best Canadian Short Film, Honorable MentionOur Grandmother the InletJaime Leigh Gianopoulos, Kayah George
Emerging Canadian Director Valley of Exile Anna Fahr
Emerging Canadian Director, Honorable Mention Richelieu Pier-Philippe Chevigny
Best BC Film WaaPaKe Jules Arita Koostachin
Best BC Film, Honorable Mention Asog Seán Devlin
Vanguard AwardAnimalSofia Exarchou
Vanguard Award, Honorable MentionOctopus Skin (La Piel Pulpo)Ana Cristina Barragán

Films

The full schedule was announced on September 6. [3]

Galas and special presentations

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Anatomy of a Fall Anatomie d'une chute Justine Triet France
The Boy and the Heron 君たちはどう生きるか Hayao Miyazaki Japan
La Chimera Alice Rohrwacher Italy, France, Switzerland
Fallen Leaves Kuolleet lehdet Aki Kaurismäki Finland, Germany
I'm Just Here for the Riot Kathleen Jayme, Asia Youngman Canada
Last Summer L'Été dernier Catherine Breillat
Monster 怪物 Hirokazu Kore-eda Japan
Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe Robert McCallum Canada
A Normal Family 보통의 가족 Hur Jin-ho South Korea
The Old Oak Ken Loach United Kingdom, France, Belgium
The Pot-au-Feu La Passion de Dodin Bouffant Tran Anh Hung France
Priscilla Sofia Coppola United States
The Promised Land Bastarden Nikolaj Arcel Denmark, Germany, Sweden
Seven Veils Atom Egoyan Canada
Swan Song Chelsea McMullan Canada
The Zone of Interest Jonathan Glazer United Kingdom, Poland, United States

Showcase

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
About Dry Grasses Kuru Otlar Üstüne Nuri Bilge Ceylan Turkey, France, Germany, Sweden
Close to You Dominic Savage Canada, United Kingdom
Creature Asif Kapadia United Kingdom
The Delinquents Los delincuentes Rodrigo Moreno Argentina, Brazil, Luxembourg, Chile
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World Nu astepta prea mult de la sfârsitul lumii Radu Jude Romania
Evil Does Not Exist 悪は存在しない Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Japan
Four Daughters بنات ألفة Kaouther Ben Hania France, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia
Four Little AdultsNelja Pienta Aikuista Selma Vilhunen Finland, Sweden
Green Border Zielona granica Agnieszka Holland Poland, Czech Republic, France, Belgium
How to Have Sex Molly Manning Walker United Kingdom
I Am Sirat Deepa Mehta, Sirat TanejaCanada
Il Boemo Petr Václav Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia
Just the Two of Us L'Amour et les forêts Valérie Donzelli France
Kidnapped Rapito Marco Bellocchio Italy, France, Germany
The Monk and the Gun Pawo Choyning Dorji Bhutan, France, United States, Taiwan
The Royal Hotel Kitty Green Australia, United Kingdom
The Teachers' Lounge Das LehrerzimmerIlker ÇatakGermany
They Shot the Piano Player Dispararon al pianista Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal Spain, France
Tótem Lila Avilés Mexico, Denmark, France

Panorama

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
19B Ahmad Abdalla Egypt
All Ears Liu Jiayin China
Blackbird Blackbird BlackberryElena NaverianiGeorgia, Switzerland
The Braid Laetitia Colombani France, Canada, Italy
Days of Happiness Les Jours heureux Chloé Robichaud Canada
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed Joanna ArnowUnited States
Gamodi Felix KalmensonCanada, Georgia
Goodbye Julia وداعا جوليا Mohamed Kordofani Sudan
HereBas DevosBelgium
Housekeeping for Beginners Domakinstvo za Pocetnici Goran Stolevski Macedonia, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo
If Only I Could Hibernate Баавгай болохсон, Baavgai BolohsonZoljargal PurevdashMongolia
In Broad Daylight白日之下Lawrence KanHong Kong
Irena's Vow Louise Archambault Canada, Poland
Let the River FlowEllos Eatnu Ole Giæver Norway, Sweden, Finland
Measures of Men Der vermessene Mensch Lars Kraume Germany
Oceans Are the Real Continents Los océanos son los verdaderos continentesTommaso SantambrogioCuba, Italy
One Day All This Will Be YoursEn dag kommer allt det här bli dittAndreas ÖhmanSweden
Only the River Flows 河边的错误Wei ShujunChina
Puan Maria Alché, Benjamín Naishtat Argentina, Italy, France, Germany, Brazil
Raging Grace Paris Zarcilla United Kingdom
The Rapture Le RavissementIris KaltenbäckFrance
Red Rooms Les Chambres rouges Pascal Plante Canada
Robot Dreams Pablo Berger Spain, France
The Settlers Los ColonosFelipe Gálvez HaberleChile
Snow in Midsummer 五月雪Chong Keat AunMalaysia, Singapore, Taiwan
SuddenlyMelisa ÖnelTurkey
There's No Place Like HomeDen, der lever stillePuk GrastenDenmark
Toll Pedágio Carolina Markowicz Brazil, Portugal
A Tour GuideEun-mi KwakSouth Korea
Tsugaru Lacquer Girlバカ塗りの娘Keiko TsuruokaJapan
Undercurrentアンダーカレント Rikiya Imaizumi Japan
Wild SwansGorai Phakhri Rajni Basumatary India

Vanguard

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
AnimalSofia ExarchouGreece, Austria, Romania, Cyprus, Bulgaria
BittenLa MorsureRomain de Saint-BlanquatFrance
The Face of the JellyfishEl Rostro de la MedusaMelisa LiebenthalArgentina
Let Me GoLaissez-moiMaxime RappazSwitzerland, France, Belgium
Octopus SkinLa Piel PulpoAna Cristina BarragánEcuador
On the GoMaría Gisèle Royo, Julia de CastroSpain
The Sea and Its WavesLa Mer et ses vaguesLiana Kassir, Renaud PachotLebanon, France
Tomorrow Is a Long Time Míng tian bi zuo tian chang jiuJow Zhi WeiSingapore, Taiwan, France, Portugal

Northern Lights

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Aitamaako'tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun Banchi Hanuse Canada
Les Filles du Roi Corey Payette
Fitting In Molly McGlynn
Float Sherren Lee
Hey, Viktor! Cody Lightning
I Don't Know Who You Are M. H. Murray
I Used to Be Funny Ally Pankiw
In Flames Zarrar Kahn
Richelieu Pier-Philippe Chevigny
Seagrass Meredith Hama-Brown
Someone Lives Here Zack Russell
Union Street Jamila Pomeroy
When Adam Changes Adam change lentement Joël Vaudreuil
Wild Goat Surf Caitlyn Sponheimer

Insights

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Common Ground Josh Tickell, Rebecca Harrell Tickell United States
Deep Rising Matthieu Rytz United States
The Invention of the OtherA invenção do OutroBruno JorgeBrazil
Lynx ManIlveskuiskaajaJuha SuonpääFinland, Estonia
Mareya Shot, Keetah Goal: Make the ShotBaljit Sangra, Nilesh Patel Canada
The Mission Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss United States, India
On the Adamant Sur l'Adamant Nicolas Philibert France, Japan
Physician, Heal ThyselfAsher PennCanada
WaaPaKe Jules Arita Koostachin Canada
Winter Chants冬未來 Jessey Tsang Tsui-Shan Hong Kong

Spectrum

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Asog Seán Devlin Canada, Philippines
Between RevolutionsÎntre revoluțiiVlad PetriRomania, Croatia, Iran
Hello DanknessSoda JerkAustralia
Kim's VideoDavid Redmon, Ashley SabinUnited States, United Kingdom, France
Lonely OaksVergiss Meyn NichtFabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl, Jens MühlhoffGermany
Mighty Afrin: In the Time of FloodsAngelos RallisGreece, France, Germany
The Mother of All Lies Kadib Abyad Asmae El Moudir Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
Orlando, My Political Biography Orlando, ma biographie politique Paul B. Preciado France
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood Savvusanna sõsaradAnna HintsEstonia, France, Iceland
The Tuba ThievesAlison O'DanielUnited States

Portraits

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Anselm Anselm – Das Rauschen der Zeit Wim Wenders Germany
Apolonia, ApoloniaLea GlobDenmark, Poland
Caiti Blues Justine HarbonnierCanada, France
Call Me DancerLeslie Shampaine, Pip GilmourUnited States, India
A Cooler Climate James Ivory, Giles GardnerFrance
Invisible Beauty Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng United States
It's Only Life After All Alexandria Bombach United States
PianoforteJakub PiątekPoland
Robert Irwin: A Desert of Pure FeelingJennifer LaneUnited States
Sculpting the GiantBanu Wirandoko, Rheza Arden WigunaIndonesia

Altered States

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
The Animal Kingdom Le Règne animal Thomas Cailley France
Animalia Parmi nous Sofia Alaoui Morocco, France, Qatar
Chronicles of a Wandering SaintCrónicas de una Santa ErranteTomas Gomez BustilloArgentina, United States
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant Ariane Louis-Seize Canada
My Animal Jacqueline Castel Canada
Restore Point Bod obnovyRobert HlozCzech Republic, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia
The Sacrifice Game Jenn WexlerUnited States
Tiger Stripes Amanda Nell EuMalaysia, Taiwan, France, Germany
The Wait La espera F. Javier Gutierrez Spain
White Plastic SkyMűanyag égboltTibor Bánóczki, Sarolta SzabóHungary, Slovakia

Leading Lights

A special program curated by guest programmer Anthony Shim, featuring a selection of films that had influenced his own journey as a filmmaker.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Dust in the Wind 戀戀風塵 Hou Hsiao-hsien Taiwan
Joint Security Area 공동경비구역 Park Chan-wook South Korea
Peppermint Candy 박하사탕 Lee Chang-dong South Korea, Japan
A Woman Under the Influence John Cassavetes United States

Focus: Women, Life and Freedom

A special program curated by guest programmer Fay Nass, screening films about misogyny and the subjugation of women.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
JoonamSierra UrichUnited States
NumbAmir ToodehroostaIran
Seven Winters in TehranSieben Winter in TeheranSteffi NiederzollGermany, France
Terrestrial VersesAyeh Haye Zamini Ali Asgari, Alireza KhatamiIran
Valley of Exile Anna Fahr Canada, Lebanon

Short Forum

All films in this short film program are Canadian.

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Province
All the Days of MayTous les jours de mai Miryam Charles Quebec
Ancestral ThreadsSean StillerBritish Columbia
Between You and MeCameron KletkeBritish Columbia
Black Box InvestigationsPaige SmithBritish Columbia
CassandraBea SantosOntario
Cloud StrikerAllan W. HopkinsBritish Columbia
ConvictionBruce Thomas MillerAlberta
The Company We KeepWojtek JakubiecQuebec
Cristo NegroPaul Stavropoulos, Brendan MillsOntario
Death Mask John Greyson Ontario
Defining HumanDaniel CodeBritish Columbia
DickinsoniaCharline DallyQuebec
DonnaKeenan MacWilliamOntario
Dream Tricks: Over a Six StairAdam SewardOntario
ElementWill NiavaQuebec
Four Mile Creek Ryan McKenna Quebec
Gentle Hum of SpringSimon GarezSaskatchewan
The Great Kind MysteryElla MortonNewfoundland and Labrador
Hair or No HairJanessa St. PierreBritish Columbia
Her Name Is Like a SighSolara Thanh-Binh DangBritish Columbia
In the Wake of the Cedar TreeTowustasinBritish Columbia
Katshinau Julien G. Marcotte, Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush Quebec
Lake Baikal Baigal Nuur Alisi Telengut Quebec
Les LavandièresLaura KamugishaQuebec
Making Babies Faire un enfant Éric K. Boulianne Quebec
Master of the HouseDylan MarandaBritish Columbia
Modern GooseKarsten WallManitoba
Mothers and Monsters Édith Jorisch Quebec
My Tomato HeartMon cœur de tomateBenoît Le Rouzès MénardQuebec
Nigiqtuq (The South Wind)Lindsay McIntyreAlberta
Our Grandmother the InletJaime Leigh Gianopoulos, Kayah GeorgeBritish Columbia
Outside Center Eli Jean Tahchi Quebec
Portrait of the Con Artist as a Young ManRyan LeeduAlberta
Redlights Eva Thomas Ontario
Return to Hairy Hill Retour à Hairy HillDaniel GiesQuebec
Return to Ombabika Ma-Nee Chacaby, Zoe Gordon, Shayne Ehman Ontario
SilkwormAmir HonarmandBritish Columbia
SistersMarisa HoickaOntario
Soleil de NuitFernando Lopez Escriva, Maria Camila AriasQuebec
Something ElseAutre ChoseÉtienne LacelleQuebec
Swallow Flying to the SouthMochi LinBritish Columbia
Sub TerraJeffrey ZablotnyOntario
Sun, Moon and Four PeaksKevin Jin Kwan KimBritish Columbia
Take CareTony MassilBritish Columbia
Two ApplesBahram JavaheryBritish Columbia, Yukon
Two One TwoShira AvniQuebec
Unspeakable HeapKara Ditte HansenBritish Columbia
Where Rabbits Come From D'où viennent les lapinsColin Ludvic RacicotQuebec
You Feel SoftCameron KletkeBritish Columbia
YunYuezhang QinBritish Columbia

International Shorts

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Almost FallPresque l'automneMargot PouppevilleFrance
Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy Basri & Salma Dalam Komedi Yang Terus BerputarKhozy RizalIndonesia, United States
Beyond the SeaHippolyte LeiboviciBelgium, France
Big Bang Carlos Segundo Brazil
Big DayChung Chieh ChiangTaiwan
ConfessionsStephanie KaznochaUnited States
Cuarto de HoraNemo ArancibiaChile, France
CutSamuel Lucas AllenAustralia
FairplayZoel AeschbacherSwitzerland, France
The Family CircusAndrew FitzgeraldUnited States
Far from the TreeDaleko od stromuEmma MarkováCzech Republic
HeaddressTaietsarón:sere ‘Tai’ LeclaireUnited States
HedgehogD. MitryUnited States
Hide Your CrazyAustin KaseUnited States
In Too Deep Chris Overton United Kingdom
Jeong-DongChoi Woo GeneSouth Korea
Just a RehearsalSolo un EnsayoHugo SanzSpain
Just the Two of UsToutes les deuxClara Lemaire AnspachFrance
A LienSam Cutler-Kreutz, David Cutler-KreutzUnited States
LovebugsTeddy Alvarez-NissenUnited States
MiraEva Louise HallUnited States
Night ShiftTurno nocturno Santiago LagoArgentina
Nowhere Garin Hovannisian Armenia, United States
An Ordinary DayJu-yeon GimSouth Korea
Pisko the Crab Child Is in LoveMakoto NagahisaJapan
Snif & SnüfMichael J. RuoccoUnited States
Southern AfternoonNan fang wu houTian LanChina
SpasmاسپاسمSahra AsadollahiIran
SushiIván MoralesSpain
Where the Time GoesJustin Tyler CloseUnited States, Canada
Youssou & MalekYoussou et MalekSimon FrenayFrance

Modes

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
AqueronteManuel Muñoz RivasSpain
A Bird Called MemoryLeonardo MartinelliBrazil, United Kingdom
Let's TalkSimon LiuHong Kong
Loving in BetweenJyoti MistrySouth Africa, Austria
Mast-delMaryam TafakoryIran, United Kingdom
Mother LandKantarama GahigiriRwanda, Switzerland
NYC RGBViktoria SchmidAustria, United States
Shadow DoesLaure ProuvostBelgium, France, Austria
Slow ShiftShambhavi KaulIndia, United States
Square the CircleHanna HovitieFinland
This Is Not HereCharlotte MungomeryAustralia, Peru, Spain

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver International Film Festival</span> Annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October.

Julia Kwan is a Canadian screenwriter, director, and occasional producer of her own short and feature films. She has brought a keen sense of the Chinese-Canadian cultural experience to her films. Several of the films were made in conjunction with the National Film Board of Canada. Her feature films include Eve and the Fire Horse (2005), as well as the feature length documentary film Everything Will Be (2014). She is also known for her short film 10,000 Delusions (1999) which screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

VIFF Dragons and Tigers Award for Young Cinema was an award from the Vancouver International Film Festival for a film director from the Asia-Pacific region. Presented to a film judged as the best film by an emerging director within the festival's Dragons and Tigers program for Asian cinema, it awarded a creative and innovative film, made early in the director's career, which had not yet won significant international recognition.

<i>Haida Modern</i> 2019 documentary

Haida Modern is a 2019 Canadian documentary film about the art and activism of Haida artist Robert Davidson. The film was directed by Charles Wilkinson, filmed, produced and edited by Wilkinson and Tina Schliessler and executive produced by Kevin Eastwood. It premiered at the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connor Gaston</span> Canadian film director

Connor Gaston is a Canadian film director based in British Columbia, known for making films with religious themes.

<i>Beans</i> (2020 film) 2020 film by Tracey Deer

Beans is a 2020 Canadian drama film directed by Mohawk-Canadian filmmaker Tracey Deer. It explores the 1990 Oka Crisis at Kanesatake, which Deer lived through as a child, through the eyes of Tekehentahkhwa, a young Mohawk girl whose perspective on life is radically changed by these events.

<i>Akillas Escape</i> 2020 Canadian drama film

Akilla's Escape is a 2020 drama film, directed by Charles Officer, his final feature prior to his death in 2023. The film stars Saul Williams as Akilla, a marijuana dealer retiring from the business following legalization, who tries to rescue a young boy from being drawn into a life of crime.

Jesse Anthony is an Onondaga director, screenwriter, and producer from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario.

The Borsos Competition is the main awards program for Canadian feature films screening at the annual Whistler Film Festival. Introduced for the first time in 2004, the juried competition presents six awards annually to honour films, actors, screenplays, directors, cinematographers and editors in Canadian cinema. Initially, only films that were having their world premieres at Whistler were eligible for the competition, although this requirement was soon dropped as the festival had difficulty attracting entrants who were willing to forego larger film festivals such as TIFF or the FNC, and thereafter films selected for competition only had to be a regional premiere within the Western Canada region.

The 2021 Vancouver International Film Festival, the 40th event in the history of the Vancouver International Film Festival, was held from October 1 to October 11, 2021. Unlike the 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival, which was staged entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 festival featured in-person screenings at the VIFF Centre and other venues, although most titles were also available on the online VIFF Connects platform.

<i>Portraits from a Fire</i> 2021 Canadian comedy-drama film

Portraits from a Fire is a Canadian comedy-drama film, directed by Trevor Mack and released in 2021. The first narrative feature film written and directed by a Tsilhqot'in filmmaker, the film stars William Magnus Lulua as Tyler, an amateur filmmaker living with his father Gord on a Tsilhqotʼin reserve in northern British Columbia, whose life is upended following the revelation of a long-hidden family secret.

Handle With Care: The Legend of the Notic Streetball Crew is a 2021 Canadian documentary film, directed by Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux and Kirk Thomas. The film is a portrait of the Notic Streetball Crew, a streetball team who were active in Vancouver in the early 2000s; Schaulin-Rioux and Thomas got their start in the film industry making short documentary films and performance videos about the team.

Coextinction is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Gloria Pancrazi and Elena Jean and released in 2021. The film centres on the environmental threat to orcas in the Pacific Ocean, caused in part by the simultaneous decline of Pacific salmon stocks that the orcas depend on for food.

The Vancouver International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Film is an annual award, presented by the Vancouver International Film Festival to honour the film selected by a jury as the best Canadian film screened at VIFF that year.

The 2022 Vancouver International Film Festival, the 41st event in the history of the Vancouver International Film Festival, was held from September 29 to October 9, 2022. The festival opened with the Marie Clements film Bones of Crows, and closed with Hirokazu Kore-eda's film Broker.

Kathleen Jayme is a Canadian documentary filmmaker from Vancouver, British Columbia. She is most noted for the films Finding Big Country and The Grizzlie Truth, which examine the history of the ill-fated Vancouver Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association.

WaaPaKe ("Tomorrow") is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Jules Arita Koostachin and released in 2023. The film explores the intergenerational impacts that the Canadian Indian residential school system has continued to have on generations of indigenous people who were not themselves students in the system, but have still been deeply scarred by it because of its effects on their parents and grandparents.

Gamodi is a Canadian-Georgian science fiction film, directed by Felix Kalmenson and released in 2023. Set during the COVID-19 pandemic, the film stars Matt Shally and Maqzime Rauch as Viktor and Tarzan, a drag queen and a teenage drifter in Tbilisi who, with nowhere to self-isolate during COVID lockdowns, squat together in an abandoned tower block which increasingly resembles a purgatory between life and death.

Katshinau is a Canadian short drama film, directed by Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush and Julien G. Marcotte, and released in 2023. The film stars Soleil Launière as Marie, an indigenous slave in New France who is driven to undertake radical actions to secure her freedom.

The 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival, the 43rd event in the history of the Vancouver International Film Festival, was held from September 26 to October 6, 2024. The first five films in the program were announced on August 8, 2024, with the full program released on August 28.

References