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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250908T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250908T213000
DTSTAMP:20260722T181529Z
CREATED:20250613T185625Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260722T181529Z
UID:29845-1757361600-1757367000@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:I’M STILL HERE
DESCRIPTION:Ainda Estou Aqui \nDirector: Walter Salles\nBrazil | 2023 | Portuguese with English subtitles | 137 min | Narrative \nThe latest from The Motorcycle Diaries director Walter Salles focuses on the real-life story of Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres)\, whose terrifying experience of sequestration and loss during Brazil’s military dictatorship transformed her into an activist\, lawyer\, and hero. \nIn 1971\, Brazil faces the tightening grip of a military dictatorship. Eunice Paiva\, a mother of five children\, is forced to reinvent herself after her family suffers a violent and arbitrary act by the government. Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s biographical book\, the film tells the true story that helped reconstruct an important part of Brazil’s hidden history. \nEm 1971\, o Brasil enfrenta o aperto de uma ditadura militar. Eunice Paiva\, mãe de cinco filhos\, é forçada a se reinventar após sua família sofrer um ato violento e arbitrário do governo. Baseado no livro biográfico de Marcelo Rubens Paiva\, o filme conta a história real que ajudou a reconstruir uma parte importante da história oculta do Brasil. \nBest International Film\, Oscar Academy\, 2025 \nWinner of the Best Screenplay Award\, Venice Film Festival 2024 \n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/im-still-here/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:International Hits
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Iamstillhere2.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250908T194500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250908T220000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174909Z
CREATED:20250808T144558Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174909Z
UID:31954-1757360700-1757368800@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:Apreciación literaria
DESCRIPTION:Apreciación literaria is a special literary appreciation event inviting audiences to gather\, listen\, and reflect on short stories by celebrated Latin American writers. Selected texts will resonate with themes from this year’s film program\, offering new layers of meaning and connection. Join us for a relaxed and thoughtful session where cinema and literature meet over a shared love of storytelling.
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/apreciacion-literaria/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Asi Suena
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250908T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250908T191500
DTSTAMP:20260623T174910Z
CREATED:20250612T055209Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174910Z
UID:29758-1757354400-1757358900@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:Lázaro at Night
DESCRIPTION:Dir. Nicolás Pereda | Canada/Mexico\, 2024 | Spanish with English subtitles | 76 min \nThis is Nicolas Pereda´s nine feature. Pereda is a Mexican- Canadian film director\,  who has built a peculiar career having always worked with the same group of actors (the Mexican theater collective Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol) is known for his narrative\, with a sober and enjoyable film language. \nNicolas Pereda’s latest feature\, Lázaro at Night\, follows three forty-something friends and actors in Mexico City – Lázaro\, Luisa\, and Francisco – who are entangled in a love triangle. The trio navigate auditions for a coveted role in the same film as the film director’s unorthodox casting methods lead the friends and lovers to question their aspirations and the roles they inhabit in their daily lives. In this hypnotic cinematic endeavour\, Pereda’s signature minimalist style elevates the mundane to the mythical\, weaving in elements of enchantment and absurdist humour\, culminating in a surprising\, fantastical twist on the story of Aladdin. \nSince its world premiere in 2024\, Lázaro de Noche has been selected in more than ten Film Festivals\, including Toronto\, New York\, Munich and Marseille. 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/lazaro-at-night/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Canada Looks South,Vanguardias
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Lazaro-at-Night_still_01-scaled-e1749707377340.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250908T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250908T173000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174910Z
CREATED:20250721T174351Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174910Z
UID:31373-1757347200-1757352600@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:LOVE\, WOMEN AND FLOWERS
DESCRIPTION:Directors: Marta Rodríguez and Jorge Silva\nColombia | 1984 | Spanish with English subtitles | 52 min + 20 mins Interview | Documentary \nWhat is the cost of beauty? In the 80’s\, the floriculture industry was booming in Colombia and was internationally acclaimed. However\, behind the idyllic image of abundance\, the reality is different. The documentary film denounces the use of pesticides in the flower fields of the Colombian savannah as well as the working conditions of the mostly female workforce. Starting from an anthropological approach\, the film collects during five years the testimonies of the workers and follows them in their daily life. A pioneering film about emancipation\, dignity and the fight for the environment. \nIn 2023 LOVE\, WOMEN AND FLOWERS was the first Colombian film to be presented at the Classics section\, at the Cannes Film Festival. \nThis restored copy includes an interview with director Marta Rodríguez at the end of the film\, who is still thriving at 92.
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/love-women-and-flowers/
LOCATION:Cineworks\, 1131 Howe St\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Classics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/love-women-1.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250908T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250908T153000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174910Z
CREATED:20250704T174647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174910Z
UID:30427-1757340000-1757345400@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:AKIN´S DESERT
DESCRIPTION:Dir. Bernard Lessa | Brazil\, 2024\nPortuguese & Spanish with English subtitles | 78 min | Narrative \nAkin is one of the Cuban doctors working in Brazil in 2018. With the election\, the cooperation between Brazil and Cuba ends. Doctors are asked to return to their country of origin. Akin is at a crossroads. Return to Cuba or settle in Brazil? \nAkin’s Desert tells the story of Akin\, one of the many Cuban doctors in the Mais Médicos Program\, which was in effect in Brazil until mid-2018. The film begins a few months before the election. \n  
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/akins-desert/
LOCATION:Cineworks\, 1131 Howe St\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Migraciones
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/AKIN´S-DESERT-2.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250907T201500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250907T220000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174910Z
CREATED:20250804T190052Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174910Z
UID:31530-1757276100-1757282400@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:BELOVED TROPICO
DESCRIPTION:Dir. Ana Endara Lozano | Panana\, 2024\nSpanish with English subtitles | 108 min | Narrative\nVenue: The Cinematheque \n**There is 2nd screening of this film on Sept 12 \nSet in Panama City\, this delicate and atmospheric drama explores the evolving relationship between two dissimilar lonely souls who develop a touching and unexpected bond. Ana María\, a Colombian immigrant\, employed as a home caregiver and harboring a secret\, crosses paths with Mercedes\, a high-class woman (played by acclaimed Chilean actress Paulina García\, known for her role in Gloria)\, who is grappling with encroaching dementia that is slowly erasing her identity and past. \nAs their lives intertwine\, they embark on a journey of mutual discovery and support\, delving into the fraught complexities of mother-daughter relationships. Together\, they navigate the challenges of caregiving and the profound need for connection\, learning to survive and care for one another amid their personal struggles. \nFestivals: San Sebastian (World Premiere) \, Biarritz (Winner Audience Prize)\, San Francisco (Prize\, Best Latinx Film). \nPanamanian cinema remains relatively obscure; this exquisite film gracefully introduces us to two immigrants facing vastly different situations (featuring the talented Chilean actress Paulina García) and allows us to explore the astonishing debut work by film director Ana Endara. \n  \n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/beloved-tropico-2/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:International Hits
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/QUERIDO-TROPICO-2.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250907T194500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250907T220000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174910Z
CREATED:20250818T232512Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174910Z
UID:31949-1757274300-1757282400@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:Gaia Lacandona
DESCRIPTION:Gaia Lacandona (it/that) is a nonbinary Mestizx drag educator from Mexico and a UBC Public Scholar whose doctoral research supports educators recognizing the relationships between sexuality\, gender\, racialization\, and settler colonialism. For the past fifteen years\, they have worked in educational leadership and curriculum with a passion and commitment to decolonization\, social justice and Indigenous resurgence. Gaia Lacandona is a drag mutant looking to end the monarchy of queens and kings and embrace a pod of monsters\, creatures and things. Through the art of drag\, Gaia cultivates a place where Two-Spirit\, trans and queer youth can imagine otherwise.
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/gaia-lacandona/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Asi Suena
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250907T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250907T193000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174910Z
CREATED:20250704T201221Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174910Z
UID:30459-1757269800-1757273400@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:My Chest is Full of Sparks
DESCRIPTION:Director: Gal S. Castellanos\nMexico | 2024 | Spanish with English subtitles | 75 min | Documentary \nMy dad dies. Days later\, my mom escapes to Turkey to meet her secret Facebook lover. I propose to my mother that we communicate through video letters. These video correspondences reveal our attempts to see each other through a shaky journey of self-discovery. My mom\, who gave up singing to embrace motherhood\, finds freedom for the first time far from home. I\, in solitude\, while making this film\, discover that I need to transition and change my name. \nAwards \n\nMejor documental mexicano 2024 Festival internacional de cine de Monterrey.\nMejor documental mexicano 2024 Festival de cine documental Zanate.\nMención Especial del Jurado Festival de Málaga 2025\n\n \n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/my-chest-is-full-of-sparks/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:New Directors Competition
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/MPELDC_01.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250907T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250907T180000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174910Z
CREATED:20250804T184152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174910Z
UID:31526-1757261700-1757268000@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD
DESCRIPTION:Director: Anna Muylaert   \nBrazil | 2025 | Portuguese with English subtitles | 105 min | \nThe Festival is pleased to announce\, as its Opening Night Film on September 5\, the North American premiere of the latest film by the incredible Brazilian director\, Anna Muylaert\, (to whom VLAFF dedicated a retrospective in 2016) with a repeat matinee screening on September 7. \nTo escape her abusive husband\, garbage collector Gal packs her two young children\, Rihanna and Benin\, onto the top of her cart and heads across São Paulo to her cousin’s house. As she struggles to avoid the dangers of the streets along the way\, she convinces the children that they are on a big and exciting adventure. When they arrive at her cousin’s house\, they are warmly welcomed and fed. However\, what initially seems like a safe haven soon turns out to be a trap. Gal realizes that not only her own safety is at risk\, but also the future of her children. \nWorld Premiere\, Berlin Film Festival\, 2025 \n \n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/the-best-mother-in-the-world-2/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:International Hits
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/The-best-mother-in-the-world-STILL.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250907T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250907T160000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174911Z
CREATED:20250707T200947Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174911Z
UID:30494-1757253600-1757260800@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:RED BIRD (Puka Urpi)
DESCRIPTION:Dir. Segundo Carlos Fuérez | Ecuador\, 2024 | Rated PG\nChimborazo Highland Quichua with English subtitles | 72 min | Narrative\, animation\, experimental \nFilm inspired by an Ecuadorian oral story. Puka Urpi is about the adventure of Killa\, a 5-year-old girl who\, after the death of her mother\, moves from the city to the countryside to live with her grandmother. At first\, she does not understand the language or the environment\, but little by little over time the girl learns from her grandmother to work the land and connects with the countryside and nature. One day the grandmother gets sick and Killa goes into the forest in search of the medicine\, here she finds some red feathers that guide her to an old house where she finds something that will change her destiny. \nPreceded by Moon Belly \n \n\n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/red-bird/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Films from Turtle Island & Beyond
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/RED-BIRD-2.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250906T203000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250906T221500
DTSTAMP:20260623T174911Z
CREATED:20250804T191952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174911Z
UID:31540-1757190600-1757196900@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:REINAS
DESCRIPTION:Dir. Klaudia Reynicke | Peru\, 2024\nSpanish with English subtitles | 104 min | Narrative\nThere is a second screening of REINAS on Sept 12th \nREINAS is an intense\, choral and moving tale of initiation in the spirit of the 90s. Everything happens very fast in Lima in the summer of 1992. Lucia\, Aurora and their mother are about to leave Peru. They are apprehensive about saying goodbye to family\, friends\, and their country\, but above all\, to Carlos\, a father and ex-husband who has all but disappeared from their lives. Amid Peru’s social and political chaos\, the trio face the uncertainty of their future head-on. Their frustrations and fears mix with excitement and expectation as they embrace the brutal truth about the losses this departure implies.’ \n  \n“This masterfully directed third feature by Swiss-Peruvian filmmaker Klaudia Reynicke catapults us back to Lima in the early Nineties…an intimate and dazzling film which depicts the memories of the director back when she was a child” – Cineuropa \n\nWinner\, Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury Best Film\, Berlin International Film Festival 2024\nSelected at Berlin Film Festival\, Locarno Film Festival\, Sundance Festival\n\n  \n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/reinas-2/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:International Hits
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/REINAS-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250906T194500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250906T220000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174911Z
CREATED:20250818T232145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174911Z
UID:31947-1757187900-1757196000@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:Los Loches
DESCRIPTION:Los Loches is a new musical project from long-time friends Trevor Stewart and Nadim Woolgar. Trevor is a local troubadour hailing from Burns Lake\, BC\, known for his soulful voice. Nadim\, originally from Santa Cruz\, Bolivia\, blends rich Bolivian musical traditions with a dynamic\, experimental edge. Together\, they create a sound that’s intimate\, unexpected\, and years in the making.
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/los-loches/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Asi Suena
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250906T181500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250906T194500
DTSTAMP:20260623T174911Z
CREATED:20250624T181315Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174911Z
UID:30003-1757182500-1757187900@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:MEMORIES OF A BURNING BODY
DESCRIPTION:*There is a second screening on Wednesday\, Sept 10th at Cineworks \nDir. Antonella Sudasassi | Costa Rica\, 2024\nSpanish with English subtitles | 90 min | Narrative \nThis is the second feature film by Antonella Sudasassi\, an up and coming Costa Rican filmmaker.  \nGrowing up in a repressive era when sexuality was a taboo subject\, 68-year-old Ana\, 69-year-old Patricia and 71-year-old Mayela developed their understanding of what it means to be a woman based on unspoken rules and implicit expectations. Now they dare to talk about it openly. The memories\, secrets and longings of the three are interwoven in a poetic way: while the women tell their stories off-screen\, they fill the body of another woman of their generation who incarnates their lives. \nWorld Premiere\, Berlin Film Festival\, 2024. \n \n\n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/memories-of-a-burning-body/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Vanguardias
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/MEMORIES-OF-A-BURNING-BODY-2.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250906T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250906T174500
DTSTAMP:20260623T174911Z
CREATED:20250612T044937Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174911Z
UID:29722-1757175300-1757180700@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:A Song For My Land
DESCRIPTION:Dir. Mauricio Albornoz | Argentina\, 2024\nSpanish with English subtitles | 90 mins | Documentary | Rated PG \nIn a rural town in Argentina\, Ramiro Lezcano\, a charismatic music teacher\, discovers a disturbing reality affecting the region: airplanes and ground fertilizing machines spray near rural schools\, endangering the health of his students. Determined to take action\, Ramiro joins his students to write songs that denounce this silent tragedy and raise awareness. However\, his initiative faces fierce resistance: the local community\, dependent on the prevailing agricultural model\, rejects the project\, and the media ignores his cause. Faced with this censorship\, Ramiro decides to take his protest further and attempts to organize an “Environmental Woodstock” in the countryside\, where his music and fight can resonate powerfully and reach everyone. \n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/a-song-for-my-land/
LOCATION:BC
CATEGORIES:¡Así Suena! Music Films,Children
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/A-SONG-FOR-MY-LAND-2-e1749703688323.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250906T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250906T160000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174912Z
CREATED:20250704T172627Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174912Z
UID:30409-1757167200-1757174400@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:CICADAS
DESCRIPTION:Dir. Luna Marán | Mexico\, 2024\nSpanish with English subtitles | 97 mins | Narrative \nYuli is the topila (auxiliary police) of San Pablo Begu´\, a mountain community in the north of Oaxaca where the inhabitants on a rotating basis assume the responsibilities of self-government on a rotating and honorary basis (communality) along with their work and personal activities. Guarding the entrance to the town\, she stops a group of machinery that is trying to enter the community to begin construction of a highway. When she notifies the town\, no authority is aware of the project and the community goes on alert; they will have to decide whether or not to accept the highway project and its consequences. \nWorld Premiere\, Morelia Film Festival\, 2024. \nPreceded by: THE GUARDIANS OF THE LAKE (Director José Morales Ferulli and the Tz’utujil’ community of San Pedro la Laguna\, Guatemala\, Tz’utujil’ and Spanish with English subtitles\, 2023\, 20 min)\n \nReserve a FREE ticket HERE.\n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/cicadas/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Films from Turtle Island & Beyond,Mexico Today
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/CICADAS-2.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250905T203000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250905T230000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174912Z
CREATED:20250603T192933Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174912Z
UID:3513-1757104200-1757113200@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:LA COCINA
DESCRIPTION:Director: Alonso Ruizpalacios\nMexico | 2024 | Spanish with English subtitles | 139 min | Fiction \nBased on the acclaimed stage play by Arnold Wesker\, La Cocina is a tragic and comic tribute to the invisible people who prepare our food. \nIt is the lunchtime rush at The Grill\, a New York tourist trap that serves thousands of customers on a regular Friday like today. Money has gone missing from the till and all the workers are being questioned. Most of them are illegal immigrants and they struggle to defend their job\, their only rightful place in the world\, as they prepare an endless array of dishes\, trying to keep up with the constant stream of orders coming in from the dining room. One of the cooks is Pedro\, a young Mexican who is seeking more from life than this job has to offer. He is a dreamer and a troublemaker\, and he is in love with Julia\, an American waitress who cannot commit to a relationship with an undocumented alien. Rashid\, The Grill’s owner\, has promised to help Pedro with his papers. But when Pedro is accused of stealing the money\, and then discovers that Julia has had an abortion\, he sees red and spirals towards an act that will halt the production line at the kitchen once and for all. \n-Since its World Premiere at the Berlin Film Festival\, LA COCINA has gained over 10 prizes in different festivals around the world.\n-Thirteen nominations to the 2025 Mexican Academy Film Awards -Premio ARIEL-. \nA chaotic symphony of nearly two dozen characters\, this black-and-white indie confection (garnished with sparing touches of color) mixes biting social critique with stylistic bravura. Peter Debruge\, Variety.  \n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/la-cocina/
LOCATION:BC
CATEGORIES:International Hits,Migraciones
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/la-cocina-1-e1748979252152.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250905T194500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250905T220000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174912Z
CREATED:20250818T232024Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174912Z
UID:31945-1757101500-1757109600@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:Blue Rivera
DESCRIPTION:Blue Rivera is an alternative rock band from Vancouver formed by three Mexican-Canadian brothers. With various musical backgrounds\, they blend their sound with influences of garage\, alt rock\, and Latin-inspired harmonies and vocals to create a unique fusion of hard indie rock.\nOn this special occasion\, we will be playing a mix of our own catalogue and undeniable classics\, from Mexico\, Cuba and Brazil\, genres of the likes being Bolero\, Son Cubano\, Samba / MPB classics.
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/blue-rivera/
LOCATION:BC
CATEGORIES:Asi Suena
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250905T181500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250905T194500
DTSTAMP:20260623T174912Z
CREATED:20250704T200327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174912Z
UID:30452-1757096100-1757101500@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:LOST CHAPTERS
DESCRIPTION:Director: Lorena Alvarado\nVenezuela | 2024 | Spanish with English subtitles | 67 min | Docu-fiction \nWhen Ena discovers a mysterious postcard inside a book\, she embarks on a search across Caracas to uncover a forgotten writer. Her search gradually interweaves with her grandmother’s memory loss and her father’s quixotic dreams.After years living abroad\, Ena returns to Venezuela with a fragmented sense of self. At home\, she finds her grandmother losing her grasp of reality. Meanwhile\, her father spends his days looking for rare books in an attempt to safeguard the country’s literary past. \nBest Latin American Feature\, Monterrey International Film Festival\, 2024. \nCharacters and auteur alike are in the process of a kind of spiritual attempt at reclamation\, the confrontation of a distance they seek to close through retrospection and excavation. It is a foregone time and space they yearn to inhabit\, immemorial and suffused with personal and national meaning alike -Robert Wickers\, The Knockturnal. \nA master class in composition and sound design that leaves no detail to chance\, Lorena Alvarado’s feature debut recalls the intellectual obsessiveness of Roberto Bolaño while achieving a remarkable sense of equanimity and emotional warmth from her real-life sister\, father\, and grandmother\, whose on-screen naturalism never once lapses into mannerism -MoMA. \nPreceded by Fiat Lux 5000 (dir. Daniel Eduvijes Carrera\, 13 min) \n\n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/lost-chapters/
LOCATION:The Cinematheque\, 1131 Howe Street Vancouver\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 2L7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:New Directors Competition
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250905T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250905T174500
DTSTAMP:20260623T174912Z
CREATED:20250624T001347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174912Z
UID:29972-1757088900-1757094300@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:I SAW THREE BLACK LIGHTS
DESCRIPTION:Dir. Santiago Lozano | Colombia\, 2024\nSpanish with English subtitles | 87 min | Narrative \nSeventy-year-old José de los Santos lives in a village on Colombia’s Pacific coast. He learned the art of ritual burial as a child. Like his ancestors who were brought to Colombia as African slaves\, he accompanies the dying and the dead on their way to eternal rest. One day\, the ghost of his son Pium Pium\, who was brutally murdered years ago\, appears to José and tells him of his own impending death. Pium Pium warns his father that he must not die near his home; above all\, he must be sure to cross over to the other side in peace. José embarks on his final journey\, entering the jungle to find a place to die. But the area is controlled by armed groups. He must dodge their bullets and violence to save his soul from purgatory. \nWorld Premiere\, Berlin Film Festival\, 2024\nSeven Nominations to the Macondo Prize -Colombian Film Academy Awards-. \n“The film excels most potently in its visual style\, with cinematographer Juan Velásquez bringing an emotive warmth to each scene“. Olivia Popp\, Cine Europa. \n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/i-saw-three-black-lights/
LOCATION:BC
CATEGORIES:Vanguardias
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vlaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/I-saw-three-1.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250904T213000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250904T213000
DTSTAMP:20260623T174913Z
CREATED:20250815T190150Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T174913Z
UID:31810-1757021400-1757021400@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:VLAFF Opening Night Party
DESCRIPTION:Batucada Abrace + Sara Magal Band\, and DJ The Black Jesus at The Pearl\nWe’re kicking off the 2025 Vancouver Latin American Film Festival with a party you won’t forget!\nThe night starts with an explosive collaboration between the Sara Magal Band and Batucada Abrace—a fusion of soulful Brazilian vocals and irresistible percussion that will have you moving from the very first beat. \nThen\, straight from San José del Cabo\, DJ The Black Jesus returns to light up the dance floor with deep cuts\, global beats\, and an unstoppable groove\, keeping the energy high until the early hours. \nJoin us for an unforgettable night of music\, dancing\, and community as we celebrate the start of this year’s festival in true VLAFF style. \n🎬 Don’t miss the Opening Night film THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD by Anna Muylaert at 7:00 PM at SFU Woodward’s Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema. Details here. \nFilm & Party Tickets\, Buy HERE. \nParty Only Tickets\, Buy HERE.
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/opening-night-party/
LOCATION:The Pearl\, 881 Granville St\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6Z 1L1\, Canada
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250904T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250904T204500
DTSTAMP:20260722T181419Z
CREATED:20250623T235859Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260722T181419Z
UID:29967-1757012400-1757018700@vlaff.org
SUMMARY:THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD
DESCRIPTION:Director: Anna Muylaert\nBrazil | 2025 | Portuguese with English subtitles | 105 min |\n**There is a 2nd screening of this film on Sept 7th \nThe Festival is pleased to announce\, as its Opening Night Film\, the North American premiere of the latest film by the incredible Brazilian director\, Anna Muylaert\, (to whom VLAFF dedicated a retrospective in 2016). \nTo escape her abusive husband\, garbage collector Gal packs her two young children\, Rihanna and Benin\, onto the top of her cart and heads across São Paulo to her cousin’s house. As she struggles to avoid the dangers of the streets along the way\, she convinces the children that they are on a big and exciting adventure. When they arrive at her cousin’s house\, they are warmly welcomed and fed. However\, what initially seems like a safe haven soon turns out to be a trap. Gal realizes that not only her own safety is at risk\, but also the future of her children. \nWorld Premiere\, Berlin Film Festival\, 2o25 \n 
URL:https://vlaff.org/event/the-best-mother-in-the-world/
LOCATION:BC
CATEGORIES:Opening
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