Wes World: There's a Wes Anderson film celebration happening in Vancouver this month

Heads up, movie lovers! One of Hollywood’s most unique filmmakers is getting a retrospective in Vancouver just in time for the holidays.

Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is presenting Wes World: 10 Films by Wes Anderson from December 21, 2022, to January 5, 2023

The celebration at VIFF Centre – Vancity Theatre includes all 10 of Wes Anderson’s films, including his dynamic debut, cult classics, and award-winning works.

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“Anderson is unique, a supremely playful aesthete whose movies remind us that, sometimes, Style is Substance,” VIFF declared in the retrospective’s description. “Wes’s world is wittier, prettier, infinitely more amusing than our own, which is why we are drawn to revisit these flights of fancy even as we recognize the regret running through them.”

An opening night party will be held on Wednesday, December 21 along with a screening of Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, which earned him his first Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.

Dress up in your best Wes Anderson-inspired costume as there will be chances to win prizes. The festive celebration will also feature trivia, a poster gallery, an exclusive cocktail, and more.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (VIFF/Submitted)

The lineup of films being screened during VIFF’s Wes World series includes:

• The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
• Bottle Rocket (1996)
• Rushmore (1998)
• Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
• Isle of Dogs (2018)
• The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
• The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
• Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
• The French Dispatch (2021)

Each film will be screened twice throughout the retrospective. See the full schedule online.

“Anderson makes movies that are every bit as emotional as Steven Spielberg’s,” writes VIFF programmer Tom Charity on viff.org. “Anderson is contemporary cinema’s resplendent visual stylist. His attention to the fabric of his films is on a Kubrickian level, but unlike Kubrick, his instincts are playful, light, free-wheeling… In a word, fun.”

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (VIFF/Submitted)

And for more movie-watching goodness throughout the holiday season, make plans to visit VIFF for their Best of 2022. The annual series is your opportunity to catch up on some of the most acclaimed and popular films released in the past 12 months.

The Best of 2022 series runs from December 26 to January 5 and includes the hit Everything Everywhere All at Once, Cannes-winning Triangle of Sadness, South Korean noir romance Decision to Leave, the powerful RRR, and more.

RRR (VIFF/Submitted)

Wes World: 10 Films by Wes Anderson

When: December 21, 2022, to January 5, 2023
Time: Various times. See the full schedule online.
Where: VIFF Centre – 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $10 for students and accessible pricing, $13 for seniors, and $15 for adults. 3-pack of tickets available for $27-$30. Purchase online