150 feature films and 81 short films comprise the line-up for this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). The 2024 edition of VIFF will kick off with the documentary Ari’s Theme, directed by Nathan Drillot and Jeff Lee Petry, which tells the story of Vancouver musician Ari Kinarthy who defied the odds after receiving a diagnosis for the rare motor neuron disease type-2 spinal muscular atrophy and wowed music buffs with his unique compositions. POV’s Susan G. Cole called it “brooding and beautiful, epic and tender” in her review at Hot Docs.
“VIFF is an overflowing, multidimensional, full-tilt celebration of film and film culture,” said Kyle Fostner, Executive Director, in a statement from VIFF. “We’re very excited to share this year’s expansive and sensorially rich program with Vancouver. From an extraordinary film lineup to our unique series of live performances, nurturing artist and industry development programs to the cutting-edge storytelling happening in creative technology, VIFF is a platform for diverse voices and artistic visionaries. Whether you’re looking to discover emerging talent, to become part of the cultural conversation, or are just here to feel the warm glow of cinema, VIFF truly has something for everyone.”
Other documentaries screening on the Canadian front at VIFF include Mike Downie’s The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal about Canada’s iconic rock band; Curl Power, Josephine Anderson’s upbeat take on a women’s curling team; So Surreal: Behind the Masks, director Neil Diamond and Joanne Robertson’s inquiry into the disappearance and repatriation of Indigenous masks; Disco’s Revenge, Omar Majeed & Peter Mishara’s portrait of the rise of house music; Yuqi Kang’s diving doc 7 Beats Per Minute; Theo Loo’s portrait of elder care, Inay (Mama); Kim O’Bomsawin’s look at Indigenous youths in Ninan Auassat: We, the Children; the world premiere of Christopher Auchter’s doc about logging in Haida territory, The Stand; Halima Elkhatabi’s portrait of contemporary cohabitation, Living Together; and the Canadian premiere of Academy Award winner Daniel Roher’s latest film Blink, directed with Edmund Stenson.
International documentaries at the festival include Mati Diop’s Golden Bear winner Dahomey; Dawn Porter’s acclaimed Luther Vandross bio Luther: Never Too Much; Enrique Sánchez Lansch’s Pol Pot Dancing about the reclamation of classical dance in Cambodia; Mark Cousins’ take on modernist Scottish painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham in A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things; Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s award winning portrait of Israel-Palestine relations No Other Land; and Johan Grimonprez’s jazzy political tapestry Soundtrack to a Coup d’État.
The 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival runs Sept. 26 to October 6.
