VIFF Current and Coming Films & Events

Mistress Dispeller — Elizabeth Lo, China/USA, 2024
An accomplished businessman of advancing years, Mr Li is having an affair with a much younger woman, Fei Fei. Li’s wife is aware, but instead of confronting her husband, she avails herself of the services of “mistress dispeller” Teacher Wang, who insinuates herself into Li and Fei Fei’s romance to make them see the error of their ways. It’s a jaw-dropping subterfuge, but a strategy that throws this very familiar marital dynamic into sharp relief. Indeed, watching Elizabeth Lo’s non-fiction film is often a surreal experience, but a fascinating experiment all the same.
“This level of intimacy and access is rare in any non-fiction film, guiding Mistress Dispeller toward a profound and searching panorama of loneliness and partnership, where everyone gets a chance to be heard.” Ryan Lattanzio, Indiewire
Fri. Nov 28, 2:00pm, LOC; Sat. Nov 29, 4:30pm, LOC; Sun. Nov 30, 4:30pm, LOC; Mon. Dec 1, 5:15pm, LOC; Thu. Dec 4, 6:00pm, LOC;; Sun. Dec 7, 6:15pm, LOC; Mon. Dec 8, 4:00pm, LOC

Meadowlarks — Tasha Hubbard, Canada, 2025
Fifty years after being separated during the Sixties Scoop, four Cree siblings reunite on a long weekend trip to Banff. Over scenic backdrops of forest trails, snow-capped mountains, and crystalline lakewater, Connie, Marianne, Gwen, and Anthony tend to their wounded family history as they seek to connect with their Indigenous culture and one another. Based on her 2017 documentary Birth of a Family, Tasha Hubbard’s sensitive family drama relates a life-affirming story of kinship and belonging.
Fri. Nov 28, 1:30pm, VC; Fri. Nov 28, 6:30pm, LOC; Sat. Nov 29, 2:30pm, LOC; Sat. Nov 29, 6:35pm, LOC; Sun. Nov 30, 2:20pm, LOC; Mon. Dec 1, 12:00pm, LOC; Mon. Dec 1, 7:30pm, LOC; Tue. Dec 2, 2:00pm, LOC; Wed. Dec 3, 4:00pm, VC; Thu. Dec 4, 8:15pm, LOC

 Measures for a Funeral — Sofia Bohdanowicz, Canada/Norway/UK, 2024
When a young academic discovers a personal connection to legendary Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow, she is compelled to dig deeper. Her investigations lead her on the trail of an elusive concerto, Opus 28, dedicated to Parlow and lost for over a century, but which she is determined to bring to light—no matter the cost to her personal life. At once a ghost story, detective yarn, and archival investigation, Sofia Bohdanowicz’s latest docu-fiction is a testament to the mysterious power of music to move us.
Sat. Nov 29, 12:30pm, VC; Sun. Nov 30, 6:45pm, LOC; Mon. Dec 1, 2:10pm, LOC; Wed. Dec 3, 3:45pm, LOC

VIFF Live: O Brother, Where Art Thou? + The Soda Crackers (25th Anniversary Screening) Joel & Ethan Coen, USA, 2000
Join us for a fun afternoon of bluegrass music with the Soda Crackers, followed by a special anniversary screening of the Coen brothers’ beloved Homeric comedy, O Brother, Where Art Thou? starring George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson as three runaway convicts searching for treasure in 1930s Mississippi. Produced by T-Bone Burnett, the soundtrack album for the film won the Grammy for Album of the Year and counts among the best-selling soundtrack albums of the past 25 years.” A cockeyed marvel of a comedy packed with amazing set pieces and glorious music.” Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Sun. Nov 30, 2:00pm, VC

Film Studies: He Ran All the Way — John Berry, USA, 1951
John Berry’s gripping, poignant thriller stars John Garfield in his final film performance. He plays Nick Robey, a small-time hood on the run from a stick-up gone wrong. Shelly Winters plays Peg Dobbs, the insecure young lady whose family Robey seeks cover with — and eventually holds hostage. Winters is terrific in her portrayal of inhibited romantic desire, and Garfield gives his all as the sympathetic, tormented criminal: the tension between his toughness and his tenderness is powerful indeed. This Film Studies screening will feature a 15-20 minute introduction by Mike Archibald. “By far the best movie by the blacklisted director John Berry.” Michael Sragow, The New Yorker
Mon. Dec 1, 11:00am, VC

ROMANIAN FILM FESTIVAL — An exciting collection of films celebrating Romanian films and film makers

The New Year That Never Came (Free Screening) — Bogdan Mureşanu, Romania, 2024
Kicking off a short season celebrating Romanian film (on Romania’s National Day, no less), Bogdan Mureşanu’s highly acclaimed debut feature was immediately recognized as another impressive statement in the resurgent Romanian New Wave. Six intertwined stories map out of the grim absurdities of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime on the eve of the 1989 Romanian Revolution, fear and mistrust contrasted with hopeful glimpses of a better future. Reflecting national unrest and dissatisfaction through the lens of interfamilial struggles and professional pressures, this is a powerful probe of Romanian political history. Best Film, Orizzonti, Venice 2024
“A confident and, at times, savagely funny work which… builds to a blisteringly powerful conclusion.” Wendy Ide, Screen International
Mon. Dec 1, 6:30pm, VC

Romanian Film Festival: Box of Freedom (Free Screening) — Adelina Suvagau, Romania, 2021

In the still-harsh world of post-Communist Romania, where many ex-party figures still hold power, blacklisted comedienne Dora is a defiant, mirthful beacon for freedom. Realizing her life is in danger, she flees Europe in a cargo ship’s container bound for Canada. Using humor as a survival strategy, Dora writes and performs new comedic material to the other two passengers in the container. Q&A with filmmaker Adelina Șuvagău

Tue. Dec 2, 8:50pm, VC

Romanian Film Festival: Traffic (Free Screening) –– Teodora Mihai, Romania, 2024
A young Romanian couple, Natalia and Ginel, emigrate to Western Europe for a better life, but harsh reality destroys their dreams. Living in poverty, they become complicit in a plot to rob an art museum… (no, not the Louvre, though it was inspired by a true art theft case in Rotterdam in 2012). Traffic deals with the economic disparities between Western and Eastern Europe. Leading Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) wrote and co-produced the film.
Tue. Dec 2, 6:20pm, VC

 Romanian Film Festival: Tata (Free Screening) — Lina Vdovîi, Radu Ciorniciuc, Romania/Germany/Netherlands, 2024  
After years of estrangement, Lina, a Moldovan journalist, receives a video message from her father, a migrant worker in Italy, showing bruises on his arms. Equipping him with a hidden camera, Lina finds herself on a parallel journey – uncovering a pattern of domestic violence that has plagued her family for generations. Filmed across Italy, Moldova, and Romania, Tata is a raw portrait of a family locked in a relentless struggle against toxic masculinity. “A gripping work on multiple levels.” POV magazine
Wed. Dec 3, 8:30pm, VC

Romanian Film Festival: Milk Teeth (Free Sceening) — Mihai Mincan, Romania, 2025  
Romania, 1989. The twilight of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s dictatorship. In a small, isolated town, Maria, a ten-year-old girl, is the last person to witness her sister disappearing before her eyes. Torn apart by the loss, she tries to make sense of a new, terrifying reality. Can she summon the courage to grow up?“Loaded with atmosphere and allegory, Mincan crafts a superb coming-of-age story that eloquently tackles a generational zeitgeist of 1980s Romania.” Andrew Murray, The Upcoming
Wed. Dec 3, 6:15pm, VC

Romanian Film Festival: Comatogen (Free Screening) — Igor Cobileanschi, Romania/Republica Moldova, 2025
Igor Cobileanschi’s film is the story of a divorced nurse, Alina, looking after a comatose patient who happens to be a renowned artist. When Alina’s boyfriend offers her grown son Radu a job at his real estate business she’s grateful. But no good deed goes unpunished and Alina will be forced to reevaluate her principles. Cleverly structured to examine an ethical quandry from four different points of view, Comatogen is another compelling work from the Romanian New Wave.
Thu. Dec 4, 8:30pm, VC

Romanian Film Festival: Nasty (Free Screening) — Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D Posecu, Romania, 2025  
1972. Ilie Năstase wins his first US Open, while reaching both the Wimbledon and Davis Cup finals, and enters tennis history. NASTY explores his highs and lows, the controversies that surrounded the 1973 world number one ranked player, and the enduring impact he has had on the world of tennis. Lovable, charming and generous, yet temperamental, arrogant and obscene – Năstase disrupted the sport’s antiquated etiquette with a great sense of showmanship on the court, and became its first rebel rock star.
Thu. Dec 4, 6:00pm, VC

COMING SOON

Ju Dou –– Zhang Yimou, China, 1990
A landmark film in Chinese cinema, Zhang Yimou’s second feature brought a new eroticism to the screen, and made an international star of his discovery, Gong Li — but it’s the film’s ravishing colour cinematography that’s unforgettable. Set in a dye factory in 1920s China, Ju Dou is a melodrama about the extra-marital affair of the factory owner’s young wife (Gong Li) and his adopted son. The lovers’ passion challenges patriarchal tradition and conventional morality, a resonant message in the face of the authoritarian crackdown that culminated in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Best Director, Cannes Film Festival. “Visually stunning…  an intellectually and artistically brave film.” Caryn James, New York Times
Fri. Dec 5, 2:30pm, VC; Sun. Dec 7, 3:00pm, VC; Mon. Dec 8, 5:45pm, VC; Tue. Dec 9, 5:30pm, VC; Wed. Dec 10, 2:00pm, VC; Thu. Dec 11, 6:30pm, VC; Thu. Dec 11, 8:30pm, VC; Fri. Dec 12, 6:30pm, LOC; Sat. Dec 13, 12:15pm, LOC; Sat. Dec 13, 8:15pm, LOC; Sun. Dec 14, 6:15pm, LOC; Tue. Dec 16, 8:15pm, LOC;

Cover-Up — Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, USA, 2025
Oscar-winner Laura Poitras and Emmy-winner Mark Obenhaus turn the camera on legendary journalist Seymour Hersh. Known for uncovering stories governments wanted buried — from My Lai to Abu Ghraib — Hersh refuses to play into a nostalgic biography, challenging the filmmakers as they dig into his decades-long pursuit of truth. What unfolds is not a tribute but an urgent reflection on the price of reporting, the paranoia of power, and the fragility of trust.
Fri. Dec 5, 2:00pm, LOC; Sun. Dec 7, 8:30pm, LOC; Mon. Dec 8, 8:30pm, LOC; Tue. Dec 9, 4:00pm, LOC; Sun. Dec 14, 8:15pm, LOC; Mon. Dec 15, 3:10pm, LOC; Tue. Dec 16, 1:40pm, LOC;

The Baltimorons — Jay Duplass, USA, 2025
Here’s your early Xmas present: an endearing indie comedy with a 90s vibe, this is the best rom-com of the year. Newcomer Michael Strassner (who also wrote the screenplay) plays Chris, a genial but somewhat aimless stand up comedian whose career has stalled. It’s the afternoon of December 24 and a dental emergency throws off his plans. Divorced dentist Didi (Liz Larson) agrees to fix him up, but then finds there’s no getting rid of him — especially when he realizes he’s been towed. “The feel-good movie of 2025 has arrived.” Kristy Pushko, Mashable

VIFF Live: Beatlemania! Get Back Unplugged + A Hard Day’s Night Film Screening — Richard Lester, UK, 1964
Fri. Dec 5, 12:15pm, VC; Sun. Dec 7, 1:30pm, LOC; Mon. Dec 8, 3:30pm, VC; Mon. Dec 8, 6:10pm, LOC; Tue. Dec 9, 6:30pm, LOC; Wed. Dec 10, 2:15pm, LOC; Thu. Dec 11, 6:00pm, LOC; Sun. Dec 14, 4:00pm, LOC; Wed. Dec 24, 12:30pm, LOC
Get Back Unplugged – The Beatles Reimagined, aims to revisit some of the best loved songs of late-period Beatles, and to deliver them with the joy and spontaneity of friends singing around a kitchen table. Bringing together six stellar singers and players who, between them, span the worlds of folk, Celtic, blues, jazz, and classical music, this intimate and engaging performance does not try to imitate the Fab Four, but rather seeks to present renditions that are authentic to the musicians’ own unique voices. After their set, enjoy the Beatles’ zany box office smash, A Hard Day’s Night.“One of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies.” Roger Ebert
Sun. Dec 7, 7:00pm, VC

You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine — Michael John Warren, USA, 2025
John Prine was a songwriter’s songwriter, someone who expressed complex emotions through simple, truthful words. In October of 2022, a remarkable array of artists came together at Prine’s favourite venue, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, to pay tribute to the late, great man through song and story. They include Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Dwight Yoakam, Jason Isbell, Kurt Vile, Lyle Lovett, Allison Russell & JT Nero, Valerie June, Nathaniel Rateliff.|
Sun. Dec 7, 4:00pm, LOC; Tue. Dec 9, 3:40pm, VC; Tue. Dec 9, 8:40pm, LOC; Thu. Dec 11, 8:10pm, LOC; Fri. Dec 12, 8:45pm, LOC;

Clairtone + Q&A with Filmmaker Ron Mann — Ron Mann, Canada, 2025
Join acclaimed filmmaker Ron Mann for a lively slice of arcane Canadiana, the rise and fall Clairtone, the homegrown electronics company founded by Peter Munk and David Gilmour in the 1960s. Renowned for their high-end stereos and color televisions that epitomized iconic mid-century design, Clairtone soared to international acclaim, becoming a symbol of Canadian ingenuity and modernity. However after six years of spectacular growth, the company’s failure to navigate economic challenges led to a dramatic decline (shades of Blackberry).
Sun. Dec 7, 1:00pm, VC

VIFF Kids Club: The Muppet Christmas Carol — Brian Henson, USA, 1992
Join movie fun lovers for VIFF Kids Club – VIFF’s monthly family matinee series with film-inspired crafts, photo booth and special concession snacks before the show! Doors open at 10 am for activities, with the film screening at 11 am. Sir Michael Caine delivers one of his very finest performances as Ebenezer Scrooge in this surprisingly faithful, funny, charming, and downright irresistible musical Muppet version of the Dickens yuletide favourite! Age 7+“A wonderful festive story, enchantingly told.” Daily Telegraph
Sun. Dec 7, 10:00am, VC

 The Apartment — Billy Wilder, USA, 1960
Billy Wilder’s 1960 Best Picture winner is one of those movie landmarks where you can see America growing up and smelling the coffee. It’s a bitter, pungent film – a “comedy” in name only – about “the takers and the ones who get took”. Jack Lemmon is CC Baxter, an insurance clerk at Consolidated Life. His bachelor pad has a revolving door – only he’s never in it. Our Premium Pick series affords VIFF+ Premium members the opportunity to share a movie of their choice with their friends and our audience. This month’s film was requested by both Allesandro de Feo and Marc Staehling.
“There is a melancholy gulf over the holidays between those who have someplace to go, and those who do not. The Apartment is so affecting partly because of that buried reason.” Roger Ebert
Mon. Dec 8, 7:45pm, VC

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