Opening Night
Feature Documentary
April 2 @ 7:00pm

Alison Reid (Canada)
86 Minutes

In 1957, world renowned wildlife artist Robert Bateman and spirited biologist Bristol Foster embarked on a global expedition in a Land Rover they called “The Grizzly Torque” – a journey that ignited a deep love of our planet and set in motion a powerful story of environmental activism though art and science.

Feature Film
April 3 @ 7:00pm

Mayumi Yoshida (Vancouver, BC) 100Minutes

When Kana, a Japanese artist living in Vancouver, returns to Tokyo for her grandmother’s funeral, she finds herself caught between two worlds — the life she’s built abroad and the one she left behind. As family expectations close in and an old flame, Hiro, reappears, Kana begins to question where she truly belongs.

Feature Documentary
April 4 @ 1:00pm

Patrick Shannon (Comox Valley) 99 Minutes

On the remote islands of Haida Gwaii, the Skidegate Saintsare more than a basketball team: they are a symbol of pride, resilience, and the unbreakable spirit of their community. Saints and Warriorsfollows the Saints as they defend their championship at the 2024 All Nativetournament, even as a wave of challengers emerges from the Lower Mainland and the community fights for sovereignty over their lands, waters, and the future of Haida Gwaii itself.

Closing Night
Feature Film
April 4 @ 7:00pm

Julia Neill & Jacob Smith (Canada)
94 Minutes

Sheila McCarthy and Mary Walsh play Nora and Edna, two women who form an unlikely alliance over a shared distaste for their nursing home. Soon they’re plotting one last rebellious adventure. Funny, poignant, and heart-warming, Dancing On the Elephant is a fitting final film to this year’s CVIFF – celebrating the power of a good story to bring us together.

Short Film Programming - Canada’s Best - April 3 @ 10:00am

Shane has the worst luck when it comes to umbrellas; Every single one he’s owned has given out within months, if not days, of purchase. When he finally finds the “World’s Strongest Umbrella” he is dismayed at the realization he cannot afford it. What will he do? Steal it!

Connection Program 3 - April 5 @ 11:30am

Nuk Suwanchote (United States) 13:45 minutes

An imaginary friend (Jason Faunt) finds out his sole purpose is to bring happiness to his child, only to discover his child is a 90 year old man (Tom Skerritt) on his death bed.

Connection Program 3 - April 5 @ 11:30am

Luke J. Salewski (United States) 5:25 minutes

Eric, a lonely visually impaired man makes a wish on his birthday, and finds himself hearing the audio description for the film. (Audio description is a narrative track describing the action taking place on screen for visually impaired viewers).

Connection Program 3 - April 5 @ 11:30am

Paul Holbrook (United Kingdom) 16:59 minutes

A depressed housewife seeks out a troubled young man from her past with disastrous consequences.

Relatonships Program 2 - April 4 @2:00pm

Alec Marquis (Burnaby, BC) 14:34 Minutes

Two brothers navigate their past and repair their relationship after the death of their father.

Strength Program 4 - April 5 @ 2:30pm

Emanuel Foucault (Victoria, BC) 20:12 minutes

Haunted by a melody and tormented by her peers, a tree-planter and aspiring folk singer seeks solace in the wilderness—only to find the land whispering her deepest desires, pulling her into something darker than she ever imagined.

Out Of The Box Program 1 - April 4 @ 11:00am

Lorna Carmichael (Vancouver BC) 7:10 minutes

A box of handwritten letters takes us on a journey through a young man’s national service, as he courts his wife to be. Years later, during lockdown, his children re-read their late Father’s letters, to their Mum, Elizabeth, providing a much needed connection.

Strength Progam 4 - April 5 @ 2:30pm

Andrew Jonathan Smith (United Kingdom) 12:08 minutes

Emma embarks on a bureaucratic odyssey to get her life back after an administrative

error leaves her legally dead..

Out Of The Box Program 1 - April 4 @ 11:00am

Nikki Buziak & Leo Fafard (Regina Sask.) 17:00 minutes

While dealing with a bully, a 9 year-old girl has to navigate a slippery situation during a gymnastics routine at the local Rec Centre.

Strength Program 4 - April 5 @ 2:30pm

Alireza Kazemipour & Panta Mosleh (Vancouver. BC) 10:57 minutes

A heart wrenching memory of a refugee boy losing his mother.

Connection Program 3 - April 5 @ 11:30am

Mimi Dejene (Vancouver. BC) 9:12 minutes

In an exploration of grief, a young girl’s world shifts between reality and a vibrant underwater fantasy as she navigates the depths of her loss, using her imagination.

Out Of The Box Program 1 - April 4 @ 11:00am

Jett Kowalchuk (Moosejaw, Sask) 9:59 minutes

John adjourns from his mundane life in order to get his first tattoo. His walk-in takes a turn when the parlour he visits promises more than just ink on skin.

Out Of The Box Program 1 - April 4 @ 11:00am

Ian Tan (Vancouver, BC) 11:23 minutes

In the wake of a family tragedy, a young couple has a horrifying encounter with a yellow Volkswagen Beetle on a deserted highway.

Connection Program 3- April 5 @ 11:30am

Jishnu Nandanan (United Kingdom) 15:58 minutes

A traffic warden travels to a high cliff determined to jump. There, he encounters a young man with a similar intention - and an ice cream van. Through an unexpected moment of purposeful connection, they decide it might be worth living another day.

Out Of The Box Program 1 - April 4 @ 11:00am

Patti Henderson (Vancouver, BC) 3:23 minutes

An homage to 1930s-1940s cinema.

By combining a photo manipulated matte image with live-action footage to create the illusion of a distant location, Miss Pearlman could live in the present through her memories of the past.

‘We are who we remember ourselves to be’.

Relationships Program 2 - April 4 @ 2:00pm

Nathaniel Sutton (Edmonton, AB) 1:34 minutes

When a new guitar arrives, the old one grows jealous and hatches a devious plan to eliminate the competition, one that spirals out of control and changes the course of everything in ways no one could have predicted.

Out Of The Box Program 1 - April 4 @ 11:00am

Perry & Alois Sieben (Vancouver, BC) 16:37 minutes

While aboard a ferry, Jeremy’s ideal match appears in a dating app: Nemo. Through messages exchanged in the app, a tenuous connection forms between the two. As the ferry sails on and on into the night, the truth of this connection begins to surface.

Strength Program 4 - April 5 @ 2:30pm

Arnold Lim (Victoria BC) 21:07 minutes

Sang-Ook, a Hikikomori (shut in) whose locked himself in his room for a year, builds a camera obscura from his room as a conduit to the outside world.

Connection Program 3 - April 5 @ 11:30am

Joe Borg (United Kingdom) 10:44 minutes

When a severely hungover man finds himself on a reluctant walk with a new neighbour, the pair must overcome a language barrier to find common ground and a much-needed support system.

Out Of The Box Program 1 - April 4 @ 11:00am

Sina Moazeni (Vancouver, BC.) 6:21 minutes

How far can imagination go in reclaiming a life shattered by trauma? Room 27 follows Jonah, a psychiatric patient whose vivid fantasy world becomes both refuge and battleground. As he confronts his past through surreal visions, art and imagination emerge as his path to healing, self-discovery, and reclaiming lost dreams.

Connection Program 3 - April 5 @ 11:30am

Étienne Galloy (Quebec) 19:45 minutes

While going through a major depersonalization episode, Salem embarks on a solo biking journey on the road 132 all across the Gaspé Peninsula, with the intent of ending her life where the Land ends.

Out Of The Box Program 1 - April 4 @ 11:00am

Dan Nicholls (Vancouver, BC) 18:26 minutes

A young couple sets off in the middle of the night to bury their kid's stuffed bunny, as one of them is convinced that the stuffy might be cursed.

Saturday Night Feature - April 5 @ 6:30pm - Film Panel; 8:00pm - Film

Darrell Dennis (Vancouver Island, BC)
92 minutes

A young Indigenous couple get a break from their troubled lives when they find each other through a summer of love on the Pow-Wow circuit.

Strength Program 4 - April 5 @ 2:30pm

David Bercovici-Artieda (Victoria, BC) 15:00 minutes

The Fast Runner is a powerful tale of resilience and compassion during the Holocaust. Frida, a young Jewish girl, questions her Rabbi’s kindness, even toward Herr Muller, a German policeman. When their paths cross in a concentration camp, her act of compassion sparks an unexpected moment of humanity, changing everything.

Opening Night Feature - April 3 @ 7:30pm

Gia Coppola (United States) 85 minutes

The Last Showgirl, a poignant film of resilience, rhinestones and feathers, stars Pamela Anderson as Shelly, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.

Feature Film - April 4 @ 5:00pm

Ian Ebright (United States)
87 minutes

An up-and-coming writer refuses to leave the spotlight when his best friend and debate opponent suffers cardiac arrest, leading to an obsession over his new opponent and a growing rift with his ailing wife.

*INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE*

Relationships Program 2 - April 4 @ 2:00pm

Cherise Keown (Calgary, AB ) 7:44 minutes

Based on a poem written by Cherise Keown - a daughter finds closure in being able to finally say goodbye.

Out Of The Box Program 1 - April 4 @ 11:00am

Shira Avni (Quebec) 4:10minutes

Two One Two, by animation filmmaker Shira Avni, combines shimmering clay on glass animation with personal archives in this deeply intimate, experimental animated documentary love letter to motherhood, parenting on the spectrum, and two headed monsters everywhere.

Feature Film - April 4 @ 7:30pm

Matthew Rankin (Canada) 89 minutes

Somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg. Negin and Nazgol find a sum of money frozen in the winter ice and try to get it out. Massoud leads a group of increasingly-confused tourists through the monuments and historic sites of Winnipeg. Matthew quits his job at the Québec government and embarks upon a mysterious journey to visit his mother. Time, geography and personal identities crossfade, interweave and collide into a surreal comedy of disorientation.

Connection Program 3 - April 5 @ 11:30am

Shireen Dalbey & Tina Nowarre (Mayne Island) 7:20 minutes

A young, melancholic woman is sent to the seaside by her dissatisfied husband to regulate and mend her disagreeable state. Isolated, she is forced to come to terms with her truest form.

Relationships Program 2 - April 4 @ 2:00pm

Jonah Haber (Toronto, ON) 10:58 minutes

“We Were” follows David from childhood to adulthood, tracing relationships and moments across three stages of his life.

Relationships Program 2 - April 4 @ 2:00pm

Craig Urquhart (Korea, Cananda) 19:59 minutes

Elliot decides to erase his past, but changes his mind when it's going to cost him his best friend.

Relationships Program 2 - April 4 @ 2:00pm

Jeffrey D. Simon (United States) 12:47 minutes

Herbert and Lilith are madly in love with each other but are too cripplingly shy to share their feelings—that is until they walk into a magical, musical bookstore and the books help them find the words. But what genre is best for honesty?