VIFF Serves Up a Global Cinematic Feast (Sept. 26 – Oct. 6)
The Vancouver International Film Festival returns Sept. 26 to Oct. 6, with screenings of 140 feature films and 81 shorts from 72 countries. Here are 10 that have been building some buzz ahead of the fest.
Director Mads K. Baekkevold tells the story of Vancouver chef Hidekazu Tojo, who helped popularize sushi in the West and is credited with inventing the California Roll. Shot in BC and Japan, Baekkevold traces the life of chef Tojo, who is still working his magic at Tojo’s Restaurant on West Broadway. The Chef & the Daruma will have its world premiere on Monday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m. at SFU Woodwards.
Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez’s documentary delves into the 1961 murder of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. In the aftermath, American jazz musicians found themselves woven into the Cold War narrative, acting as both protestors and pawns in the struggle between African independence and colonial oppression.
How do you describe a Guy Maddin film to the uninitiated? Maybe Luis Bunuel’s Un Chien Andalou meets the Marx Brothers with Victor Sjöström on camera? There are many masterworks in the Maddin canon, and most have been screened for VIFF audiences. The Winnipeg filmmaker’s latest project is a collaboration with brothers Evan and Galen Johnson whom he’s worked with many times over the years. Nobody refuses an acting gig on a Maddin film, and this time around, the cast includes Cate Blanchett, Roy Dupuis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Charles Dance, Takehiro Hira, and Denis Ménochet.
This subversive tour-de-force from Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who was forced to leave his homeland after making The Seed of the Sacred Fig, is an intimate family drama that includes documentary newsreel footage of street protests in Iran. Earlier this year, the film won the Special Jury Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Josephine Anderson’s documentary Curl Power tracks the 4KGirl$, a teenage curling team from Maple Ridge, as they compete to become Canadian Junior Curling Champions.
Director Marielle Heller describes Nightbitch, starring Amy Adams and based on Rachel Yoder’s acclaimed 2021 novel, as “a comedy for women and a horror film for men.”
The VIFF Closing Film, Emilia Pérez, is a “maximalist musical melodrama” with many scores to settle. Zoe Saldana won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival this year for her portrayal of a Mexico City defence attorney in Jacques Audiard’s film, which also features Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz, and Edgar Ramírez.
Director Sean Baker, who made his critically acclaimed 2015 film Tangerine with three iPhone 5S smartphones, returns to VIFF with the comedy-drama Anora, starring Mikey Madison. Described as a “modern Cinderella story,” Anora won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Jason Reitman recreated Studio 8H at NBC Studios in midtown Manhattan for his new film, Saturday Night. The film tells the story of what happened in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live on Oct. 11, 1975.
The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal
A documentary made by Gord Downie’s brother Mike, pays tribute to The Tragically Hip’s legacy and celebrates the legendary Canadian band’s 40th anniversary. The director and the band will attend the Vancouver Playhouse screening of the film on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 6 p.m.
The full VIFF schedule is available online.
