Everything you can do at VIFF beyond the screen this fall
This year’s highly anticipated Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is happening from Thursday, Oct. 2 to Sunday, Oct. 12, and there is so much to see and do beyond the screen.
One of the largest film festivals in North America, VIFF 2025 will showcase approximately 170 feature films and 100 shorts from around the world at the festival’s 44th edition.
Cinema connoisseurs can also enjoy insightful talkbacks, live performances, and other special events throughout the popular VIFF Talks and VIFF Live series.
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VIFF Talks returns this year with several film industry leaders discussing their iconic works. According to programmer Kinga Binkowska, the series is the best spot to connect with and understand film culture and craftsmanship.
“I think it’s a vital festival component for cinephiles wanting to understand and appreciate the creative process of crafting films and episodic Binkowska,” the acclaimed curator and producer told Daily Hive.
“You get candid access to legendary cinematographers, production designers, writers, etc, where they share stories, process and inspiration from their projects and careers.”
There are ten VIFF Talks events selected for this year’s festival, including Academy Award–nominated screenwriter Jenny Lumet (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), Dennis Berardi (Frankenstein), director Zacharias Kunak (Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband)), and director, producer and screenwriter Janicza Bravo (The Bear).
“As much as I love the ‘educational’ aspects of the talks, let’s be honest, they are also super fun,” added Binkowska. “So I hope the audience takes a break from the many fantastic films we have this year to meet the masterminds behind some of the most accomplished works.
Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband)
Another highly anticipated series is VIFF Live, curated by Jarrett Martineau.
The nêhiyaw and Denesuline artist, presenter, and creative producer has curated VIFF Live for the past two years, and is excited for audiences to discover what the festival has in store in October.
“VIFF Live occupies a unique space within the festival in that it makes space for performances, artworks, and events that extend the cinematic experience beyond the screen,” explained Martineau.
“This year, we have everything from live AV dub music to live film score performance and dome-based AR storytelling. The program will bring performances to Vancouver that you won’t get to see anywhere else.”
A highlight of this year’s VIFF Live is renowned composers and musicians claire rousay and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe teaming up for an evening of haunting sonic underworlds and storytelling at the Rio Theatre.
The special concert will see claire rousay perform her new live score of the film The Bloody Lady, and Lowe will present an improvisation performance that reveals his cinematic worlds associated with his scores for films like The Man in My Basement, Candyman, Seeds, and Life After, the latter two of which are screening at VIFF 2025.
Köln 75
Other can’t-miss shows include Mad Professor performing a rare live dub set to celebrate the 30th anniversary of No Protection, as well as experimental musicians Julianna Barwick and loscil coming together to present ethereal live AV performances.
Ininew (Cree) astronomer, star knowledge keeper, and author Wilfred Buck will present a stellar journey into teachings and tellings of the northern night sky at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, and Vancouver pianist Chris Gestrin will play a solo set of Keith Jarrett-inspired music to accompany a screening of Köln 75.
“I think our experience of engaging with screen-based media is changing rapidly, and we’re growing more and more accustomed to live performance and events that blur the boundaries between genres and formats,” added Martineau.
“VIFF Live offers multiple opportunities to do that – to allow yourself to get lost in the live performance and to experience it with others as it’s happening live in front of your eyes and ears. The artists that I’ve curated for the Live program this year each have their own approach to this idea, but they share a similar ethos around building cinematic worlds with their storytelling that pushes past the boundaries of linear narratives into ethereal, abstract, and immersive experiences.”
VIFF
Also returning this year is VIFF Amp, which highlights the significant role of music in film, and Signals, co-presented by VIFF and DigiBC, an exploration of how creative technologies are creating new opportunities for storytelling.
VIFF is also hosting An Evening with Marc Maron, featuring a screening of Are We Good? along with an extended Q&A with the renowned comedian and WTF Podcast host.
There are also several must-see B.C. films to check out at VIFF this fall.
Vancouver International Film Festival 2025
When: Thursday, Oct. 2 to Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025
Time: Various times
Where: Various locations
Tickets: Single tickets are $21 for regular screenings, 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
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