Vancouver International Film Festival reveals first official selections

Grab the popcorn and don’t forget the butter because Vancouver International Film Festival returns this fall.

VIFF 2024 is returning to screens across the city from September 26 to October 6, and the first five selections for the Special Presentations and Showcase sections have just been revealed.

Movie lovers will discover hundreds of film screenings during the festival’s 43rd edition. There is also an extensive VIFF Live program full of unique experiences curated by Indigenous scholar and media maker Jarrett Martineau.

VIFF+ Members receive Early Bird Day advance access to tickets on Thursday, August 8. General festival passes, ticket packs, and VIFF Live tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, August 9, at noon.

 

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“As we put the finishing touches on the lineup behind the scenes, we’re excited to unveil five official selections,” said Curtis Woloschuk, director of programming for VIFF, in a release. “While we’ll be announcing dozens of premieres later this month, we take this opportunity to announce a complement of films that have garnered acclaim with their premieres in Berlin and Cannes.

“Running the gamut from gripping social realist drama to evocative animation, each of these films offers an enthralling cinematic experience as they investigate colonialism, climate crisis, and other contemporary issues while championing love, friendship, and independence.”

VIFF/Facebook

The Special Presentations and Showcase sections are made up of the year’s most anticipated films. The first titles and directors revealed for VIFF 2024 include:

• All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia, France/India/Netherlands/Luxembourg)
• Caught by the Tides (Jia Zhangke, China)
• Dahomey (Mati Diop, France/Senegal/Benin)
• Flow (Gints Zilbalodis, Latvia/France/Belgium)
• My Favourite Cake (Maryam Moghaddam, Behtash Sanaeeha, Iran/France/Sweden/Germany).

Caught by the Tides/Submitted

Returning this year is VIFF Live, which aims to push the boundaries of traditional film festival programming by combining cinema culture with music and storytelling in one-of-a-kind live shows.

This year’s program includes a two-part performance by the legendary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin and acclaimed Canadian tenor and composer Jeremy Dutcher and a deeply personal concert by JUNO Award-winner Elisapie that incorporates film by Émilie Monnet;

Japanese singer-songwriter Eiko Ishibashi will also perform live at the Canadian premiere of a silent film by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), and experimental composer William Basinski teams up with filmmaker James Elaine for the Canadian premiere of an immersive live show.

Elisapie/Submitted

“I’m excited to present artists that work at the outer edges of sound and image,” explained VIFF Live curator Jarrett Martineau. “Each artist experiments with form by exploring the deep relationships between memory, time, history, and presence in their storytelling.

“This year’s program also features an intergenerational spectrum of voices, from emerging names to renowned icons in the film industry. In their own way, all the artists respond to questions around collaboration, archives, and what we carry forward from the past.”

The full festival schedule will be released on Wednesday, August 28.

VIFF (Christopher Edmonstone/Submitted)

VIFF is also reopening this month with major upgrades, and they’re welcoming audiences back with Total Cinema from August 17 to September 20.

The celebratory series at VIFF Centre – Vancity Theatre will spotlight “everything that makes going to the movies special, with an eclectic selection of classic films that demand to be seen on the big screen.”

Total Cinema is also a showcase of the many technological improvements completed inside the downtown theatre.

Vancouver International Film Festival 2024

When: September 26 to October 6, 2024
Time: Various times
Where: Various locations
Tickets: Single tickets range from $14 to $19, with ticket packs and festival passes also available. VIFF+ Members receive discounts on all VIFF tickets and the free U25 membership offers additional discounts to those between the ages of 19 and 25. Purchase online.

Daily Hive is a proud media sponsor of the Vancouver International Film Festival