Missed a VIFF screening of a film you really wanted to see? Don’t you worry because from October 10th to October 15th 2015 you can catch popular VIFF films at Vancity Theatre. Being outside of VIFF’s dates, these are not official festival screenings, and as in past years, festival passes, ticket packs and complimentary vouchers will not be accepted for VIFF Repeats. Attendees will need to purchase an individual ticket for each show. Check out the complete schedule below:
Saturday, October 10
Rams – 11:45am
A sibling rivalry of biblical proportions set in the context of competitive ram-breeding farm culture may seem like an unlikely combination, but Icelandic filmmaker Grímur Hákonarson creates a compelling, understated and often quite amusing drama that deservedly took home the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.
I am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced – 1:45pm
In 2009, the story of Yemeni teenager Nojoom Ali’s bid to legally extricate herself from an abusive, arranged marriage to a much older man made headlines. Khadija Al-Salami has beautifully adapted the subsequent bestseller into an emphatic drama featuring a wonderful performance from Reham Mohammed as the young Ali and a striking backdrop of Yemen’s astonishing mountain villages and ancient “skyscrapers.
A Ballerina’s Tale – 4:00 pm
In this rich, immersive documentary, we meet Misty Copeland, a ballerina who aims to be a principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater. Misty is young, beautiful and talented—readymade for the great American Success Story. One thing complicates the picture, however: she’s African-American.
Umrika – 6:15 pm
Rama (Life of Pi’s Suraj Sharma) is flushed out of rural life when he learns that his brother is missing in Mumbai. As a search for answers thrusts him into the metropolis’ chaos, he forges letters from his sibling to his mother in hopes of sparing her heartbreak. In turn, Prashant Nair crafts a moving story about devotion and discovery.
100 Yen Love – 8:30 pm
The fraught and very possibly doomed romance between a dumpy 32-year-old woman and a failing boxer gives 100 Yen Love its storyline, but the film’s focus is on its unlikely heroine, a chronic underachiever who finally discovers something worth getting out of bed for. Take’s command of image and mood couldn’t be better; Ando Sakura is stupendous in the lead.
Sunday, October 11th
Requiem for the American Dream – 4:30 pm
Noam Chomsky and his unassailable arguments about how economic inequality has become an entrenched part of western life are front and centre in Peter Hutchison, Kelly Nyks and Jared P. Scott’s superbly reasoned documentary, one part analysis and one part call to arms. The interviews with Chomsky were shot over four years and show that none of the 86-year-old’s fight has gone out of him. “This short, sharp, smart essay-film makes excellent use of Chomsky’s insights…”—Hollywood Reporter
Sabali – 6:15 pm
When her boyfriend stops making love with her, Jeannette (Marie Brassard) begins an affair with a young co-worker (Francis La Haye). Alas, it turns out that her heart problems are physical as well as metaphorical. When Jeannette inherits the heart of a deceased Malian woman, she’s stalked by the donor’s son (Youssef Camara) who’s convinced that she’s the reincarnation of his late mother… Ryan McKenna’s stylized and nuanced film is sure to delight.
The Lobster – 8:15 pm
The pressures of courtship are pushed to absurdist extremes in this outrageous comedy from Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth). Confined to an isolated resort, singles (including Colin Farrell) must take a mate within 45 days or be transformed into animals. As Farrell falls in with a band of rebel loners (who count Rachel Weisz among their members), Lanthimos wrings much pathos from his outlandish premise. “A wickedly funny, unexpectedly moving satire… Perversely romantic…”—Variety
Monday, October 12th
Painted Land: In Search of the Group of Seven – 12:00 pm
Phyllis Ellis’ documentary is equal parts mystery, history and adventure. Algoma’s tangled wilderness and Lake Superior’s expansive North Shore inspired The Group of Seven in their formative years – young artists searching to articulate the Canadian landscape. Now, three modern-day adventurers canoe across lakes, bushwhack through untamed forests and scale cliffs to seek out the vistas that inspired these artists. Seeing the iconic paintings side by side with the astonishing locations that inspired them is a reminder of art’s power and this land’s majestic beauty.
Rainbow Island – 1:45 pm
One of the most astonishingly exotic films in this year’s festival has to be Khosrow Sinai’s drama. The title refers to the island of Hormuz, with its extraordinary multicoloured soils, ancient Portuguese forts and folk-art traditions. How much are the custom-bound villagers willing to welcome the outside world? Enter Dr. Ahmad Nadalian, a highly educated interloper from Tehran who proposes a radical plan to transform the islands assets into a thriving cultural destination.
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict – 4:00 pm
Peggy Guggenheim not only amassed one of the world’s most impressive collections of contemporary art but also rightfully earned a reputation as the consummate bohemian. In her wildly entertaining follow up to Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, Lisa Immordino Vreeland explores how Guggenheim forsook her bourgeois birthright in favour of a villa in Venice, crashing international art scenes, and discovering the likes of Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko in the process
Sleeping Giant – 6:15 pm
Andrew Cividino’s remarkable debut is a story of friendship, confusion, betrayal and peer pressure. Fourteen-year-old Adam is enduring a dull summer in a small Lake Superior beach community when he meets local boys Foster and Rizzo.
The Royal Tailor – 8:15 pm
The term “costume drama” takes on a whole new meaning in Lee Wonsuk’s sumptuous period melodrama, which centres on the rivalry between the official tailor to the king’s court and a handsome young upstart with new ideas and techniques. Their conflict plays out amid a welter of fabrics, passions and protocols, with several top stars adding dramatic weight. The attention to the details of tailoring is awesome.
Tuesday, October 13
Landfill Harmonic – 1:30 pm
In Latin America’s largest landfill, a garbage picker uncovers the raw materials for makeshift musical instruments. As cellos and violins are fashioned from stray detritus, a group of local children are likewise transformed into the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura.
Hannah: Buddhism’s Untold Journey – 4:00 pm
In the late 60s, India experienced a Western invasion as outsiders flooded over the border in hopes of finding enlightenment. The Beatles may’ve been the highest profile pilgrims, but Hannah Nydahl, a young Danish woman, was ultimately the most influential. She and her husband were the first westerners to study under His Holiness the 16th Karmapa and then spread his teachings abroad. Part biography, part adventure film, Adam Penny and Marta György-Kessler’s documentary celebrates a true pioneer.
The Devout – 6:15pm
After his terminally ill daughter (Olivia Martin) claims to have had a past life as an astronaut, a Christian teacher (Charlie Carrick) experiences a profound crisis of faith. Obsessively seeking answers, he risks his marriage and his remaining days with his child to determine whether she’s lived before… and might live again. Reflective and provocative, Connor Gaston’s debut is one of the year’s most unique Canadian features.
Wednesday, October 14
Jumbo Wild – 2:30 pm
Nick Waggoner’s gorgeous, gripping documentary captures a decades-long struggle over the future of Jumbo Valley, deep within the raw, rugged Purcell range of B.C.’s Columbia Mountains. Exploring a tug-of-war between a proposed (and long-delayed) $450-million ski resort near Invermere versus community members, conservationists and the Ktunaxa Nation and Shuswap Indian Band who are determined to see Jumbo kept wild, Waggoner’s film documents the fierce ideological battle surrounding how we value land.
Palio – 4:00 pm
Siena is one of the world’s most picturesque cities and the Palio is its crowning glory. Held twice a summer, this often ruthless bareback horse race brings pageantry and unparalleled intensity to the tight turns of the medieval town’s Piazza del Campo. Cosima Spender’s breathtaking documentary centres on a young upstart intent on making his mark in this cutthroat competition.
Racing Extinction – 6:15 pm
Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) returns with another enviro-doc that doubles as a top-flight thriller. Racing against the clock to stave off a mass extinction, Psihoyos’ undercover activists infiltrate underground marketplaces trafficking in endangered marine life and immerse us in oceans turning toxic from our energy consumption. The stakes couldn’t be higher, resulting in a film that unfolds with uncommon urgency.
No Men Beyond This Point – 8:30 pm
In a world where women procreate asexually, male babies have become passé and an entire gender faces extinction… What’s a guy to do? Well, the youngest man alive (Patrick Gilmore), who toils as a housekeeper for a West Vancouver all-female family, is unaware that he’s about to become a key player in a battle for survival. Camera Shy’s Mark Sawers is at the height of his satirical powers with this wry speculative mockumentary.
Thursday, October 15
Marshland – 6:30 pm
In an absorbing mystery that recalls True Detective, disparate homicide investigators must solve a series of grisly murders in a remote, rotten-to-the-core community. Employing southern Spain’s harsh landscapes to sublime atmospheric effect, Alberto Rodríguez plunges us into a world in which menace takes myriad forms. Winner of 10 Goyas, including Best Film, Best Screenplay & Best Actor.
Magallanes – 8:45 pm
William Faulkner’s adage, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past” is again proved true in actor-turned-director Salvador del Solar’s tense drama. A former soldier in the Peruvian army who now drives a taxi in Lima, Magallanes (Mexican star Damián Alcázar) has his world turned upside down when Celina (The Milk of Sorrow’s Magaly Solier), a woman from his violent past, gets into his cab and asks for his help. Can Magallanes find redemption and help Celina in the bargain?
