Sneak peek: A few reasons why this year's VIFF is extra special
We’re just over a month away from the upcoming VIFF, and at a media preview, Daily Hive learned some things that make this year’s festival extra special.
For starters, fans of documentaries are going to feast at this year’s VIFF, which is the 45th annual event. At the media preview, VIFF organizers, including executive director Kyle Fostner, said that this year’s festival will be the second-largest documentary festival in Canada.
In total, there are going to be more than 160 features at this year’s festival.
Also on stage was the director of the Institute for the Moving Image, Ana Belén Asfura. It’s an initiative that was launched this year to support equity-deserving filmmakers across B.C. and Canada.
We saw a trailer of The Debut, the flick that will open up the festival and already has lots of buzz.
The Debut features Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, and Jesse Eisenberg. The latter also wrote and directed the feature, the third time he has played those roles behind the camera, with the others being A Real Pain and When You Finish Saving the World, which also starred Moore.
VIFF’s 2026 event also features lots of local content, with B.C. film, filmmakers, and culture getting a huge spotlight shining on them. That includes films that include two local heroes, Terry Fox and Rick Hansen.
Run Terry Run is a new documentary featuring primarily archival footage of Fox’s legendary and historic Marathon of Hope. The documentary will include footage that has never before been seen.
The other film is Man in Motion: Celebrating Rick Hansen. Hansen will also be featured in a conversation on Oct. 3, and you can find more details on the website.
“This year marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Vancouver International Film Festival,” said Fostner.
“VIFF is quickly becoming the archetype of the modern film festival,” he added.
Another movie that organizers drew attention to was Tangles, a new animated feature backed by Seth Rogen as executive producer, and he also voices a character, as does Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Elaine fame.
And it’s another local piece.
“A star-studded cast of comedians lend their voices to this adaptation of Vancouverite cartoonist Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir of the same name,” the VIFF blurb reads.
One thing that stood out at the media preview was how much the people at the top care about film, the people behind those films, and the organization at large. For Vancouver residents who have mourned artistic institutions the city has lost, VIFF is an easy one to support and keep alive.
You can find the full 2026 program on the official website, including ticket purchasing details.