2025 Vancouver International Film Festival
2025 Canadian film festival
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival, the 44th event in the history of the Vancouver International Film Festival, was held from October 2 to 12, 2025.[1]
LocationVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Founded1958
Festival dateOctober 2 - October 12, 2025
WebsiteVIFF
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1958 |
| Festival date | October 2 - October 12, 2025 |
| Website | VIFF |
The first batch of film announcements were released on August 6, alongside the announcement of the Arts Club Theatre Company's Granville Island Stage and the Alliance Française as new screening venues.[1] The full program was announced on August 27.[2]
Awards
Winners of the juried awards were announced on October 8,[3] with winners of the audience awards announced on October 17.[4]
| Award | Film | Filmmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Audience Award, Galas & Special Presentations | Kokuho | Lee Sang-il |
| Audience Award, Showcase | In the Room | Brishkay Ahmed |
| Audience Award, Panorama | Meadowlarks | Tasha Hubbard |
| Audience Award, Vanguard | Gazelle | Nadir Saribacak, Samy Pioneer |
| Audience Award, Northern Lights | Akashi | Mayumi Yoshida |
| Audience Award, Insights | Free Leonard Peltier | Jesse Short Bull, David France |
| Audience Award, Spectrum | Khartoum | Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Philip Cox |
| Audience Award, Portraits | The Essence of Eva | Malcolm Willis, Alex Fegan |
| Audience Award, Altered States | Fucktoys | Annapurna Sriram |
| Audience Award, Spotlight on Korea | 3670 | Park Joon-ho |
| Audience Award, Focus | Bad Girl | Varsha Bharath |
| Best Canadian Film | The Things You Kill | Alireza Khatami |
| Best Canadian Documentary | The Track | Ryan Sidhoo |
| Best Short Film | No Skate! | Guil Sela |
| Emerging Canadian Director | Blue Heron | Sophy Romvari |
| Best BC Film | ||
| Vanguard Award | Wind, Talk to Me | Stefan Djordjevic |
Films
Galas and special presentations
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| After the Hunt | Luca Guadagnino | Italy, United States | |
| Christy | David Michôd | United States | |
| Father Mother Sister Brother | Jim Jarmusch | United States, Ireland, France | |
| Franz | Agnieszka Holland | Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, France, Turkey | |
| It Was Just an Accident | یک تصادف ساده | Jafar Panahi | Iran, France, Luxembourg |
| Jay Kelly | Noah Baumbach | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Kokuho | Lee Sang-il | Japan | |
| Köln 75 | Ido Fluk | Poland, Germany, Belgium | |
| The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt | United States | |
| Mile End Kicks | Chandler Levack | Canada | |
| Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie | Matt Johnson | Canada | |
| No Other Choice | Eojjeol suga eopda | Park Chan-wook | South Korea |
| Nouvelle Vague | Richard Linklater | France | |
| Palestine 36 | Annemarie Jacir | Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan | |
| A Private Life | Vie Privée | Rebecca Zlotowski | France |
| Rental Family | Hikari | United States | |
| The Secret Agent | O Agente Secreto | Kleber Mendonça Filho | Brazil, France, Netherlands, Germany |
| Sentimental Value | Affeksjonsverdi | Joachim Trier | Norway, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom |
| Sirāt | Oliver Laxe | France, Spain | |
| Steal Away | Clement Virgo | Canada, Belgium | |
| Wake Up Dead Man | Rian Johnson | United States | |
| Young Mothers | Jeunes mères | Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne | Belgium, France |
Showcase
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arco | Ugo Bienvenu | France | |
| Blue Moon | Richard Linklater | United States, Ireland | |
| The Blue Trail | O Último Azul | Gabriel Mascaro | Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Netherlands |
| Calle Malaga | Maryam Touzani | Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium | |
| Case 137 | Dossier 137 | Dominik Moll | France |
| Father | Otec | Tereza Nvotová | Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland |
| La grazia | Paolo Sorrentino | Italy | |
| In the Room | Brishkay Ahmed | Canada | |
| Left-Handed Girl | 左撇子女孩 | Shih-Ching Tsou | Taiwan, France, United States, United Kingdom |
| The Little Sister | La Petite Dernière | Hafsia Herzi | France, Germany |
| Living the Land | 生息之地 | Huo Meng | China |
| The Love That Remains | Ástin Sem Eftir Er | Hlynur Pálmason | Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France |
| Lovely Day | Mille secrets mille dangers | Philippe Falardeau | Canada |
| Miroirs No. 3 | Christian Petzold | Germany | |
| Orphan | Árva | László Nemes | Hungary, France, Germany, United Kingdom |
| Orwell: 2+2=5 | Raoul Peck | United States, France | |
| Pillion | Harry Lighton | United Kingdom | |
| Renoir | ルノワール | Chie Hayakawa | Japan, France, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar |
| Resurrection | 狂野时代 | Bi Gan | China, France |
| Romería | Carla Simón | Spain, Belgium, Germany | |
| Silent Friend | Stille Freundin | Ildikó Enyedi | Germany, France, Hungary |
| Sound of Falling | In Die Sonne Schauen | Mascha Schilinski | Germany |
| Two Prosecutors | Два прокурора | Sergei Loznitsa | France, Germany, Netherlands, Latvia, Romania, Lithuania |
| Tuner | Daniel Roher | United States | |
| What Does That Nature Say to You | Geu jayeoni nege mworago hani | Hong Sang-soo | South Korea |
| Wrong Husband | Uiksaringitara | Zacharias Kunuk | Canada |
| Youngblood | Hubert Davis | Canada | |
Panorama
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| As the Water Flows | Cui Hu | Zhuo Bian | China |
| Bidad | Soheil Beiraghi | Iran | |
| Blood Lines | Gail Maurice | Canada | |
| Brand New Landscape | Miharashi Sedai | Yuiga Danzuka | Japan |
| Broken Voices | Sbormistr | Ondřej Provazník | Czech Republic |
| The Condor Daughter | La Hija Cóndor | Álvaro Olmos Torrico | Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay |
| Fantasy | Kukla | Slovenia, North Macedonia | |
| Human Resource | Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit | Thailand | |
| Hysteria | Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay | Germany | |
| The Ice Tower | La tour de glace | Lucile Hadžihalilović | France, Germany, Italy |
| Idiotka | Natasya Popov | United States | |
| If I Had Legs I'd Kick You | Mary Bronstein | United States | |
| The Ivy | Hiedra | Ana Cristina Barragán | Ecuador, Mexico, France, Spain |
| Kontinental '25 | Radu Jude | Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Luxembourg | |
| Last Night in Taipei | Cheng-Chui Kuo | Taiwan, France | |
| The Last One for the Road | Le città di pianura | Francesco Sossai | Italy, Germany |
| Late Shift | Heldin | Petra Volpe | Switzerland, Germany |
| Lucky Lu | 幸福之路 | Lloyd Lee Choi | Canada, United States |
| MA - Cry of Silence | မ | The Maw Naing | Myanmar, South Korea, Singapore, France, Norway, Qatar |
| Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) | Joel Alfonso Vargas | United States | |
| Meadowlarks | Tasha Hubbard | Canada | |
| The Message | El mensaje | Iván Fund | Argentina, Spain |
| Middle Life | Pavan Moondi | Canada | |
| My Father's Son | Bi Ru Fu Zi | Qiu Sheng | China, France |
| The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo | La misteriosa mirada del flamenco | Diego Céspedes | Chile, France |
| Peak Everything | Amour Apocalypse | Anne Émond | Canada |
| A Poet | Un poeta | Simón Mesa Soto | Colombia |
| The President's Cake | مملكة القصب | Hasan Hadi | Iraq, Qatar, United States |
| Saikai Paradise | Saikai Rakuen | Keiko Tsuruoka | Japan |
| The Scout | Paula González-Nasser | United States | |
| Skin of Youth | Ồn ào tuổi trẻ | Ash Mayfair | Vietnam, Singapore, Japan |
| Solomamma | Janicke Askevold | Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland | |
| Tape | Bizhan Tong | Hong Kong, United Kingdom | |
| The Things You Kill | Alireza Khatami | Canada, France, Poland, Turkey | |
| Train Dreams | Clint Bentley | United States | |
Spotlight on Korea
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3670 | Park Joon-ho | South Korea | |
| Edhi Alice: Take | Kim Ilrhan | South Korea | |
| No Other Choice | Eojjeol suga eopda | Park Chan-wook | South Korea |
| The Nonsense | Lee Je-hui | South Korea | |
| Savon | Binu | Lee Jun Sup | South Korea |
| Sua's Home | Kaerieoreul kkeuneun sonyeo | Yun Simkyoung | South Korea |
| What Does That Nature Say to You | Geu jayeoni nege mworago hani | Hong Sang-soo | South Korea |
| Winter Light | Gyeourui Bit | Cho Hyun-suh | South Korea |
| Wrangler | Hunryeonsa | Seo Eun-sun | South Korea |
Vanguard
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bora | Sardbad | Mohammad Esmaeili | Iran |
| Dance of the Living | La lucha | José Alayón | Spain, Colombia |
| Eel | Hé mán | Chu Chun-Teng | Taiwan |
| Gazelle | Nadir Saribacak, Samy Pioneer | United States, Turkey | |
| God Will Not Help | Bog Neće Pomoći | Hana Jušić | Croatia, Italy, Romania, Greece, France, Slovenia |
| Little Trouble Girls | Kaj ti je deklica | Urška Djukić | Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia |
| Thus Spoke the Wind | Maria Rigel | Armenia | |
| Wind, Talk to Me | Vetre, pričaj sa mnom | Stefan Djordjevic | Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia |
Northern Lights
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Sunset | Kunsang Kyirong | Canada | |
| Akashi | Mayumi Yoshida | Canada | |
| Blue Heron | Sophy Romvari | Canada, Hungary | |
| Clan of the Painted Lady | Jennifer Chiu | Canada | |
| Finch and Midland | Timothy Yeung | Canada, Hong Kong | |
| Follies | Folichonneries | Eric K. Boulianne | Canada |
| Hemela | Pirouz Nemati | Canada, Iran | |
| Modern Whore | Nicole Bazuin | Canada | |
| Nesting | Peau à peau | Chloé Cinq-Mars | Canada |
| Nika and Madison | Eva Thomas | Canada | |
| Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants | Bryce Hodgson | Canada | |
| The Track | Ryan Sidhoo | Canada, Bosnia | |
| Treasure of the Rice Terraces | Kent Donguines | Canada, Philippines | |
| A Welcome Distraction | Brian Daniel Johnson | Canada | |
Insights
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover-Up | Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus | United States | |
| Everest Dark | Jereme Watt | Canada | |
| Factory | Gong Chang | Hao Zhou | China |
| Free Leonard Peltier | Jesse Short Bull, David France | United States | |
| How to Build a Library | Maia Lekow, Christopher King | United States | |
| I Died | Li Cham | Ana Ts’uyeb | Mexico |
| Landmarks | Nuestra tierra | Lucrecia Martel | Argentina, United States, Mexico, France, Denmark, Netherlands |
| Life After | Reid Davenport | United States | |
| Marriage Cops | Shashwati Talukdar, Cheryl Hess | India, United States | |
| Remaining Native | Paige Bethmann | United States | |
| Seeds | Brittany Shyne | United States | |
| The Shadow Scholars | Eloise King | United Kingdom | |
| Shifting Baselines | Julien Élie | Canada | |
| Walls - Akinni Inuk | Sofie Rørdam, Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg | Greenland | |
| With Hasan in Gaza | مع حسن في غزّة | Kamal Aljafari | Palestine, Germany, Switzerland, France, Qatar |
Spectrum
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agatha's Almanac | Amalie Atkins | Canada | |
| Always | Deming Chen | United States, France, Taiwan, China | |
| Ancestral Visions of the Future | Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese | France, Lesotho, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia | |
| BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions | Kahlil Joseph | United States | |
| Edhi Alice: Take | Kim Ilrhan | South Korea | |
| Fiume o morte! | Igor Bezinović | Croatia, Italy, Slovenia | |
| The Great North | Jenn Nkiru | United Kingdom | |
| Khartoum | Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Philip Cox | Sudan, United Kingdom, Germany, Qatar | |
| Memory of Princess Mumbi | Daniel Hauser | Kenya, Switzerland | |
| WTO/99 | Ian Bell | United States | |
| Your Touch Makes Others Invisible | Rajee Samarasinghe | Sri Lanka, United States | |
Portraits
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are We Good? | Steven Feinartz | United States | |
| The Art of Adventure | Alison Reid | Canada | |
| Assembly | Rashaad Newsome, Johnny Symons | United States | |
| Caravaggio | David Bickerstaff, Phil Grabsky | United Kingdom | |
| The Essence of Eva | Malcolm Willis, Alex Fegan | Ireland | |
| Half Moon: Kinan Azmeh | Frank Scheffer | Netherlands | |
| I Want It All: Hildegard Knef | Ich will alles. Hildegard Knef | Luzia Schmid | Germany |
| John Candy: I Like Me | Colin Hanks | United States | |
| The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes | Jenn Strom | Canada | |
| Particle Dance | ryushi no dance | Hiromoto Oka | Japan |
| La Salsa Vive | Juan Carvajal | Colombia, United States | |
| Sun Ra: Do the Impossible | Christine Turner | United States | |
Leading Lights
Guest curator: Matthew Rankin.
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Divine Intervention | يد إلهية | Elia Suleiman | France, Germany, Morocco, Palestine |
| Lights in the Dusk | Laitakaupungin valot | Aki Kaurismäki | Finland, Germany, France |
| A Moment of Innocence | Nūn o Goldūn | Mohsen Makhmalbaf | Iran, France |
| News from Home | Chantal Akerman | France, Belgium | |
Focus: Edges of Belonging
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad Girl | Varsha Bharath | India | |
| CycleMahesh | Suhel Banerjee | India | |
| Hidden Tremors | Bhoothalam | P.G. Sreekanth | India |
| I Am Revathi | Njaan Revathi | P. Abhijith | India |
| Secrets of a Mountain Serpent | Nidhi Saxena | India | |
Altered States
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dead Lover | Grace Glowicki | Canada | |
| Death Does Not Exist | La mort n'existe pas | Félix Dufour-Laperrière | Canada, France |
| Deathstalker | Steven Kostanski | United States, Canada | |
| Dracula | Radu Jude | Romania, Austria, Luxembourg, Brazil | |
| Foreigner | Ava Maria Safai | Canada | |
| Fucktoys | Annapurna Sriram | United States | |
| Honey Bunch | Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli | Canada | |
| Night Stage | Ato Noturno | Marcio Reolon, Filipe Matzembacher | Brazil |
| OBEX | Albert Birney | United States | |
| Our Hero, Balthazar | Oscar Boyson | United States | |
| The Plague | Charlie Bolinger | United States, Romania | |
| A Useful Ghost | ผีใช้ได้ค่ะ | Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke | Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany |
Short Forum
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Province |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 12 Inch Pianist | Lucas Ansel | United States | |
| Adieu Ugarit | Samy Benammar | Canada | |
| Ambush | Kameen | Yassmina Karajah | Canada, Jordan |
| Arguments in Favor of Love | Gabriel Abrantes | Portugal | |
| Baadarane | Samah El Kadi | Lebanon | |
| Ball Lightning | Trina Baker | United States | |
| Bleat! | Ananth Subramaniam | Malaysia, Philippines | |
| Bread Will Walk | Alex Boya | Canada | |
| Budget Paradise | LaTajh Simmons-Weaver | United States | |
| Canada in the 12th Century | Jack Parker | Canada | |
| Cocotte Coulombe, Filmmaker | Cocotte Coulombe, cinéaste | Charles-François Asselin | Canada |
| Confluence | Charlene R. Moore, Oliver Darrius Merrick King | Canada | |
| The Death of the Fish | Eva Lusbaronian | France | |
| Dinner | Hyejin Yoo | South Korea | |
| Extra Life (And Decay) | Stéphanie Lagarde | Netherlands, France | |
| Father Alphonse and the Fight Between Carnival and Lent | Diana Thorneycroft | Canada | |
| The Foreigner | Wen-Shuo Hsueh | Taiwan | |
| Four Walls of Memory | Joanna Płatek | Poland | |
| The Glass Essays | River Yuhao Cao | United Kingdom, China | |
| Good Luck to You All | Cordell Barker | Canada | |
| Healer | Chelsea McMullan | Canada | |
| The Housekeeper | Surya Balakrishnan | India | |
| How to Live Together | Tim Nicholas | United States | |
| In My Hand | Marja Helander, Liselotte Wajstedt | Norway | |
| Inanna | Dragos Badita | Romania, Canada | |
| Jeff | Julia Hebner | United States | |
| The Light of Immortality | Mikołaj Janik | Poland | |
| A Light That Doesn't Dim | Colby Barrios | United States | |
| The Littles | Andrew Duplessie | United States, Canada | |
| Living Grounds | Emile Lavoie | Canada | |
| Loynes | Dorian Jespers | Belgium | |
| A Metamorphosis | Lin Htet Aung | Myanmar | |
| Mother of Dawn | Clara Trevisan | Belgium, Brazil, Finland, Portugal | |
| Muljil: Diving | Young Eun Yoo (Yooye) | South Korea | |
| My Comrade | Tathagata Ghosh | India | |
| My Dad is an Astronaut | Bianca Rose Cheung | Canada | |
| Nine Times Better | Lorenzo Follari, Emma Dock | Sweden | |
| No Matter the Weather | Beau temps, mauvais temps | Florence Lafond | Canada |
| No One Knows I Disappeared | Hanxiong Bo | China | |
| No Skate! | Guil Sela | France | |
| Not Enough for the Love Inside | Marcelo Matos de Oliveira, Wallace Nogueira | Brazil | |
| One Duck Down | Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre | Canada | |
| Origin | Marion Chuniaud-Lacau | Canada, Colombia | |
| Orlo with Karma | Kangdrun | China | |
| Our Pantheons | Rosalie Charrier | France | |
| Our Room | Jaume Claret Muxart | Spain | |
| Paradaïz | Matea Radic | Canada | |
| Paradise Heights | Karl Kai, Robert Mentov | Canada | |
| Pow! | Joseph Clift | United States | |
| Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts | Shervin Kermani | Canada | |
| Resistance Meditation | Sara Wylie | Canada | |
| ripe | chín | Solara Thanh Bình Đặng | Canada |
| The River | Herrana Addisu | United States | |
| Pidikwe (Rumble) | Caroline Monnet | Canada | |
| Santa Clara: Birth in Three Phases | Arturo Franco, Tono Mejuto | Spain | |
| Skin on Skin | Simon Schneckenburger | Germany | |
| A Soft Touch | Heather Young | Canada | |
| The Sphinx | Jesse Padveen | Canada, United States | |
| Tears Burn to Ash | Natalie Murao | Canada | |
| Thanks to Meet You! | Richard Hunter | United Kingdom | |
| There's a Devil Inside Me | Karina Lomelin Ripper | United States | |
| Tiger | Loren Waters | United States | |
| To Look, and to Look Again | Monica Cheema | Canada | |
| Le Tour De Canada | John Hollands | Canada | |
| Two People Exchanging Saliva | Deux personnes échangeant de la salive | Alexandre Singh, Natalie Musteata | France, United States |
| A Very Straight Neck | Neo Sora | Japan | |
| WASSUPKAYLEE | Pepi Ginsberg | France, United States | |
| Water Girl | Sandra Desmazières | France, Netherlands, Portugal | |
| We Were the Scenery | Christopher Radcliff | United States | |
| Wednesdays with Gramps | Chris Copeland, Justin Copeland | United States | |
| Weekend One | Mykea Fairweather Perry | United Kingdom | |
| Winkie | Daniel Duranleau | Canada | |
| Yves and His Bonsaïs | Yves et ses bonsaïs | Ophelia Spinosa | Canada |
Modes
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| +10K | Gala Hernández López | Spain, France | |
| Abortion Party | Julia Mellen | Spain | |
| Anatomy of a Lost Sound | Zuko Garagić | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, United States | |
| Blind, Into The Eye | Atefeh Kheirabadi, Mehrad Sepahnia | Iran, Germany | |
| BOA | Alexandre Dostie | Canada, France | |
| Daria's Night Flower | Maryam Tafakory | Iran, United Kingdom, France | |
| Force Times Displacement | Angel Wu | Taiwan | |
| Goodbye, Fishies | Jonathan Zhang | Australia | |
| happiness | Fırat Yücel | Netherlands, Turkey | |
| It Must Be Because I Decided to Leave | Zhuoyun Chen | China, United States | |
| L'mina | Randa Maroufi | Morocco, France, Italy, Qatar | |
| Lloyd Wong, Unfinished | Lesley Loksi Chan | Canada | |
| Monument | Jeremy Drummond | United States | |
| Rezbotanik | Pedro Gonçalves Ribeiro | Portugal, Brazil, Spain | |
| Samba Infinito | Leonardo Martinelli | Brazil, France | |
| Sixty-Seven Milliseconds | Fleuryfontaine | France | |
| The Uniformed | Timon Ott | Germany | |