22nd Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, Sept 5-15, 2024
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Opening Night: La Suprema
Opening Night: La Suprema
September 5, 2024Director Felipe Holguín Caro in attendance!
A feisty teenage girl dreams of being a boxer, but life is not making it easy for her. She lives in the remote community of La Suprema, so remote, in fact, that it's not even on the map. When she learns that her estranged uncle is going to be boxing for the World Championship, she becomes obsessed with watching the match... There's just one hitch: no one in the village has a TV and there's no electricity for miles.
Winner of the Audience Award at FICCI - Cartagena Film Festival, 2024SFU Woodward'sOpening Night PartyOpening Night Party
September 5, 2024Join us for the Opening Party at a new venue this year... THE PEARL at 881 Granville Street!! Featuring music by Ypsilone, followed by the irresistible salsa beats of the Wasakaka All Stars!!
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Skin in Spring
Skin in Spring
September 6, 2024Sandra, the new security guard at a shopping centre, crosses paths with a bus driver during her daily commute through Medellín. Through various experiences of desire, she begins a journey towards self-discovery and reclaiming her sexuality.
Nominated for Best First Feature Award at Berlinale, 2024.
The CinemathequeTomorrow Before After/Mañana antes despuésTomorrow Before After/Mañana antes después
September 6, 2024Director Alfonso Quijada in attendance!
In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman, with the help of an abandoned dog, searches for other survivors while trying to cope with an unborn child growing inside of her.6:15 pm: English narration
8:30 pm: Spanish narration with English subtitlesThe CinemathequeMañana antes después/Tomorrow Before AfterMañana antes después/Tomorrow Before After
September 6, 2024Director Alfonso Quijada in attendance!
In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman, with the help of an abandoned dog, searches for other survivors while trying to cope with an unborn child growing inside of her.6:15 pm: English narration
8:30 pm: Spanish narration with English subtitlesThe Cinematheque -
La Suprema (with Kuayé)
La Suprema (with Kuayé)
September 7, 2024Repeat screening of LA SUPREMA. Preceded by the short film KUAYÉ (13 min).
A short documentary film filled with the rhythm, flavour, and joy of the music of the Colombian Pacific. Fredy “Sebastián” Cuero, charismatic artist and marimba player, guides us from Guapi, Cauca, to Cali with his contagious smile and optimism, and his dream of being one of the best players in the world.The CinemathequeIgualada (with Three Rooms)Igualada (with Three Rooms)
September 7, 2024In Colombia, a nation marred by profound racial and socio-economic disparities, a Black woman from a rural background challenges the status quo by launching a presidential campaign. Re-appropriating the term “igualada,” Francia Márquez, catapults a movement to the upper echelons of power, by refusing to “know her place.” Fifteen years in the making, this documentary peels back the curtain on how unprecedented change can happen.
Nominee, Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival, 2024
Preceded by the short film THREE ROOMS (dir. Andrea López, 10 min)
The CinemathequeOutsider Girls (with Lupe Q and the Galactic Corn Cake)Outsider Girls (with Lupe Q and the Galactic Corn Cake)
September 7, 2024Rafa's unexpected pregnancy threatens the pink and extravagant teenage world she lounges about in with her best friend, Gabriela. Although abortion in Chile is illegal, with enough money it's not impossible, and together they must navigate the hostility of the system to find a way out of their predicament.
Winner of Best Director of Photography at BAFICI - Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, 2023.
Preceded by LUPE Q AND THE GALACTIC CORN CAKE with Javier Badillo and Magda Ochoa in attendance!
The CinemathequeSign HereSign Here
September 7, 2024Director Enrique Vázquez and actress Regina Blandón in attendance!
In the near future, the ideal love relationship only lasts 4 years. The 4EVER company adeptly pairs single people with their perfect next match. When Fran is set up with Roque, she feels something new. Will 4 years be enough, or will they defy the system?
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Offerings of Life
Offerings of Life
September 8, 2024Curated by Akira Iahtail & Masa’n Selene Galindo
A celebration of life and cinema, these short films showcase the traditions we cultivate and how we are affected by them. Through recreated memories, storytelling, rituals, resistance, and the confrontation of intergenerational cycles, they champion agency, autocriticism, and the possibility of happiness.
The CinemathequePaths of Bulla and Tambó / Al Sabor AfroPaths of Bulla and Tambó / Al Sabor Afro
September 8, 2024Producer Natalia Rodriguez Garavito in attendance!
The documentary PATHS OF BULLA AND TAMBÓ: The Moñitos Heritage is a compilation of portraits of Bullerengueros and Bullerengueras from Moñitos, Córdoba, Colombia. Through songs and drumbeats, it creates sensitive and musical journeys that encourage encounters and conversations among people of different ages, vocations, and social conditions.
AL SABOR AFRO unfolds the culinary history of Afro-descendant women in the municipality of Moñitos, Córdoba (popularly called “the paradise of the Caribbean”) through the eyes of Amalia, a young entrepreneur from the community.
The CinemathequeSign HereSign Here
September 8, 2024Director Enrique Vázquez and actress Regina Blandón in attendance!
In the near future, the ideal love relationship only lasts 4 years. The 4EVER company adeptly pairs single people with their perfect next match. When Fran is set up with Roque, she feels something new. Will 4 years be enough, or will they defy the system?
The CinemathequeMy Aunt Gilma (with Iris)My Aunt Gilma (with Iris)
September 8, 202413-year-old Isabel takes care of her aunt Gilma, who was beaten by her partner Raphael and admitted to a hospital in the turbulent city of Caracas. During the hospital stay, Isabel promises Gilma to keep a secret. Despite the chaos surrounding them, Isabel will do anything to save her aunt and accomplish her promise.
Preceded by the short film IRIS (Montreal/Brazil, 17 mins) with director Gabriela de Andrade in attendance.
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Milonga
Milonga
September 9, 2024Rosa (Paulina García) still lives under her husband’s rules, even though he died six months ago. The deteriorated relationship with her son has distanced her from her only family. When she meets Juan, a divorced man with whom she shares a passion for tango, she begins to rediscover herself and something begins to change. But before she can take a step forward, she is confronted with some uncomfortable truths.
Winner of the Audience Award at IFF Cine Las Americas, 2024
CineworksMeet Me ThereMeet Me There
September 9, 2024The fate of a pumpkin-coloured parka, a dancing bird-like figure on a beach, a woman waiting for a promise carried in a tiny vial, messages sent to a faraway friend, an amphibian’s view of solitude, we all arrive here from different places with different desires. With precision and heart, these five shorts by Latin-Canadian filmmakers invite us into distinct, poignant, and wondrous versions of affinity.
CineworksThe Soldier's LagoonThe Soldier's Lagoon
September 9, 2024Directed by Pablo Alvarez-Mesa, this riveting experimental work delves deep into the misty Páramo region, into an ecosystem rich in water, but also saturated with oral narratives that populate the territory like foggy patches. Reflecting on the construction of oral history and its relation to the land, the film traverses a living and elusive archive, suspended between Simon Bolivar’s past and Colombia’s present.
The CinemathequeFito's Havana (with Starlit)Fito's Havana (with Starlit)
September 9, 2024Fito Páez, the soul of Argentine rock, meets again with Havana, city of the heart, and many friends. In this love letter to Cuba, the artist reflects on the country: its history, people, musicians, and its contradictions.
Preceded by STARLIT by Raúl Pérez (4 min).
The CinemathequeAll The Fires (with Passiflora)All The Fires (with Passiflora)
September 9, 2024A teenager's journey of self-discovery takes him on a path of fire and destruction. In his search for answers, he must confront his past, his sexuality, and his place in the world.
Nominated for the Golden Leopard at Locarno International Film Festival, 2023
Preceded by PASSIFLORA with director Gabriel Nunes Souza in attendance.
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Skin in Spring
Skin in Spring
September 10, 2024Sandra, the new security guard at a shopping centre, crosses paths with a bus driver during her daily commute through Medellín. Through various experiences of desire, she begins a journey towards self-discovery and reclaiming her sexuality.
Nominated for Best First Feature Award at Berlinale, 2024.
CineworksShort Films in Competition: Program 1Short Films in Competition: Program 1
September 10, 2024Curated by Ana Tonso & Dani Rodríguez Chevalier
Beginning with disappearance, this shorts program delves into the various types of absence present in our lives. As we dive deeper, the exploration of grief intensifies, addressing processes of denial, internal and personal searches, and the reconstruction of losses. And then, what remains? What lingers as memories and stories we choose to tell? This showcase celebrates human resilience and the ability of cinema to capture and transform pain into something we can share and talk about, providing a meeting point for reflection and emotional connection.
CineworksRotting in the SunRotting in the Sun
September 10, 2024Sebastián Silva is detached from life, struggling to succeed in the art world and habitually taking ketamine. When he meets social media influencer Jordan Firstman at a nudist beach, the two discuss collaborating but fate has other plans.
Winner of Grand Jury Award for Screenwriting at Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, 2023
The CinemathequeCassandroCassandro
September 10, 2024Gael García Bernal stars as Saúl “Cassandro” Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, Texas, who rose to international stardom when he created the character Cassandro, the "Liberace of Lucha Libre." In doing so he not only upended the macho wrestling world, but also his own life.
Also stars Bad Bunny!
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Guián (with Three Rooms)
Guián (with Three Rooms)
September 11, 2024As a consequence of her grandma Guián passing away, Nicole starts meeting up with people who had known her. In them, Nicole finds a poetic resemblance between these members of the Chinese-Costa Rican community and her deceased grandma.
From these conversations Nicole finds the need to go to Engping, the village in Southern China that her grandma fled amidst the rise of communism. This will be the first time Nicole steps onto Chinese soil. Having never learned Chinese, she must confront the reality of a country and culture she thought she knew.
Received Special Mention as part of the Burning Lights Competition at Visions du Réel, 2023.
Preceded by the short film THREE ROOMS (dir. Andrea López, 10 mins)
CineworksIn memoriam: Narcisa HirschIn memoriam: Narcisa Hirsch
September 11, 2024Born in Germany yet Argentine by choice, Narcisa Hirsch was the pioneer of Argentine experimental cinema. This selection of six short films approaches Narcisa’s work from its beginnings in the late 1960s up to her last film Materia Oscura (2023).
Narcisa’s gaze is expansive, it cuts across forms and the reflections it creates leave us in a narcotic state in which time and space slowly transform. She described this process as follows: “Cinema is what flows and leaves, that which doesn’t stay, an image every twenty-fourth of a second; cinema is being a dark room with others sharing a ritual. Yet, above all, it is the luminosity of the images, images that in being projected make visible other images, the internal, the ones that are kept, the dark and forgotten ones, in that beam of light that travels through the terrain to uproot us from where we are sitting and leave us melting with this light in a quasi passionate encounter.”
CineworksBridges Over the Sea (with Teresa's Choice)Bridges Over the Sea (with Teresa's Choice)
September 11, 2024Director Patricia Ayala in attendance!
Alicia and Michael, her teenage son, live in a palafitic neighbourhood in Tumaco, an area in the Colombian Pacific that concentrates all the beauty and also the terror of this country. She knows that the armed group, which controls her neighbourhood, can recruit her son at any time. It is why she guards him, watches over him and protects him. But one day, Michael does not return from school and she begins a frantic search that will lead her to face her worst fears, finding the way out in the love and solidarity of her people.Preceded by the short film TERESA'S CHOICE with director Marlene Castaños in attendance.
The CinemathequeFields of PresenceFields of Presence
September 11, 2024Director Jorge Lozano in attendance.
"This poetic experimental documentary is a tribute to my daughter, Briana Sarita, and her multifaceted life, a collaborative reflection intertwining fiction film archives, acting, and photographs to evoke memories and breathe life into moments and events. Her singing serves as a connecting thread, offering parallel interpretations. The film explores events since 1978, employing a non-chronological and non-linear approach, providing a unique artistic perspective. Shot in Colombia, Spain, and Costa Rica, it culminates in Victoria, BC, where she was tragically murdered in March 2021. However, the film focuses on celebrating her life and her essence employing diverse formats, including super 8mm, VHS, Super VHS, 3/4″, 4K HD, Drone 5K video, GoPro, and Instant 360."
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Open Sky (with The Vampires of Poverty)
Open Sky (with The Vampires of Poverty)
September 12, 2024A Peruvian father labours patiently, chipping at the white volcanic stone that forms an extraordinary landscape. His son is part of the modern world: he uses cameras and drones in order to create the digital model of a church on a computer. Separated by the mysterious death of the wife/mother figure in the family, these men do not connect, and yet their paths cross in a ghostly manner.
Preceded by THE VAMPIRES OF POVERTY (1977, 28 min)
A classic film of Colombian cinema by directors Carlos Mayolo & Luis Opsina that simulates being a documentary about filmmakers who exploit misery with mercantilist purposes. It is a scathing criticism of “porno-misery” and the opportunism of the dishonest documentary making “socio-political documentaries” in the third world to sell them in Europe and win prizes.CineworksShort Films in Competition: Program 2Short Films in Competition: Program 2
September 12, 2024Curated by Ana Tonso and Dani Rodríguez Chevalier
Water, access, being on the map, the first love, pleasure, history, and community are themes addressed in this collection of short films that illuminate various facets of the infinite and multiple realities that make up the experience of Latin American people. Through these narratives, the complexities and nuances of daily life are explored, highlighting the struggles and joys that define and recreate the region’s communities and individuals.
CineworksElis and Tom (with Spell)Elis and Tom (with Spell)
September 12, 2024Los Angeles, February 1974. Tom Jobim, the incarnation of Bossa Nova, and Elis Regina, then Brazil’s most popular singer, met to record what would become one of the most iconic albums in the history of Brazilian music. Through a collection of rare images, never seen before, “Elis & Tom” reveals the conflict and the joy of this unique moment, travelling in time and exposing the intimacy of the creative process as well as the extraordinary personalities of these fantastic artists.
Preceded by the short film SPELL (dir. Khalil Charif, 6 min)
The CinemathequeWild Woman (with Convivial Rebelion)Wild Woman (with Convivial Rebelion)
September 12, 2024One minute Yolanda is dancing her heart out at a house party in Cuba and the next she is running against the clock to find her son and disappear, as an incriminating video begins to circulate.
Winner of Best Actress (Lola Amores) at Málaga Film Festival, 2024.
Preceded by the short film CONVIVIAL REBELLION with director Sidartha Murjani in attendance.
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Bridges Over the Sea
Bridges Over the Sea
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September 13, 2024Director Patricia Ayala in attendance!
Alicia and Michael, her teenage son, live in a palafitic neighbourhood in Tumaco, an area in the Colombian Pacific that concentrates all the beauty and also the terror of this country. She knows that the armed group, which controls her neighbourhood, can recruit her son at any time. It is why she guards him, watches over him and protects him. But one day, Michael does not return from school and she begins a frantic search that will lead her to face her worst fears, finding the way out in the love and solidarity of her people.
CineworksFour Seasons of YouthFour Seasons of Youth
September 13, 2024A wannabe movie director films his experience at one of the most important universities in Brazil. As the years go by, we follow the hopes and fears of students facing an unprecedented educational crisis.
CineworksEmerging Filmmakers: Reconfiguring the RealEmerging Filmmakers: Reconfiguring the Real
September 13, 2024Sara Galvis, Maria Sarem, Kai Lium-Hall & Adrian Hoz in attendance!
This shorts program presents the work of local filmmakers whose creative narratives shed light on the ups and downs of relationships. Featuring: COSMIC LOVE (Maria Clara Saram), THE PERFORMANCE (Kai Lium-Hall), AZAI (Sara Galvis) & DOG SOUP (Patricio Cartas).
The CinemathequeThe CountThe Count
September 13, 2024After living 250 years in this world, Augusto Pinochet, who is not dead but an aged vampire, decides to die once and for all.
Nominated for Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards, 2024
Winner of Best Script at Venice International Film Festival, 2023The CinemathequeWhen Evil LurksWhen Evil Lurks
September 13, 2024When the residents of a small rural town discover that a demon is about to be born among them, they desperately try to escape, but it may be too late.
Winner of Best Feature Film at Sitges Film Festival, 2023.
Winner of Best Feature Film at Gérardmer Film Festival, 2024.The Cinematheque -
Children of the Coast
Children of the Coast
September 14, 2024Following Afro-Mexican musicians from Costa Chica, this documentary immerses us in the region’s popular culture. Its music reveals the history of a community that pays tribute to its people, the sea, and its land.
The CinemathequeCo-Presented with VQFF: Queer Pix: QuerideCo-Presented with VQFF: Queer Pix: Queride
September 14, 2024Directors Daniel E. Carrera and Ana Gutiérrez Salgado in attendance!
Queride—Darling in English— brings together five fierce filmmakers from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico to celebrate queer, trans, and non-binary stories. With fresh insights, these heartwarming films explore complex and intimate relationships, sharing insights into LGBTQIA+ Latine ways of loving, letting go, and finding joy with friends, lovers, and family.
International VillageOpen SkyOpen Sky
September 14, 2024Director Felipe Esparza Pérez in attendance!
A Peruvian father labours patiently, chipping at the white volcanic stone that forms an extraordinary landscape. His son is part of the modern world: he uses cameras and drones in order to create the digital model of a church on a computer. Separated by the mysterious death of the wife/mother figure in the family, these men do not connect, and yet their paths cross in a ghostly manner.
The CinemathequePlaceada: The Intimate Story of an Ex-AssassinPlaceada: The Intimate Story of an Ex-Assassin
September 14, 2024Director Alejandra Sanchéz in attendance!
PLACEADA reveals the riveting and disturbing story of Gabriela López, a woman who entered the ranks of organized crime in Juarez, Mexico at the age of 13, and at 16 dedicated herself to planning and executing murders. After 20 years in prison, she is now trying to find a new meaning to her existence. She doesn't want to go back to prison or return to her previous life...or end up dead by saying too much. This is an intimate testimony that offers a platform for discussion around what are the possible origins and causes of a violence that has kept the entire country on edge.
The CinemathequeVera and the Pleasure of OthersVera and the Pleasure of Others
September 14, 2024¡Calientico!, a sizzling collaboration between VLAFF and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival
In this erotic coming-of-age comedy, 17-year-old Vera runs a secret business renting out an apartment to her classmates who need a place to get intimate. Bored by the banal routine of high school and volleyball practice, she discovers her own sexual desires as she covertly eavesdrops on her classmate’s most private moments.
Join us afterwards for the FUEGO/FOGO Cuir Party at THE BIRDHOUSE!
International VillageOutsider Girls (with Lupe Q and the Galactic Corn Cake)Outsider Girls (with Lupe Q and the Galactic Corn Cake)
September 14, 2024Rafa's unexpected pregnancy threatens the pink and extravagant teenage world she lounges about in with her best friend, Gabriela. Although abortion in Chile is illegal, with enough money it's not impossible, and together they must navigate the hostility of the system to find a way out of their predicament.
Winner of Best Director of Photography at BAFICI - Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, 2023.
Preceded by LUPE Q AND THE GALACTIC CORN CAKE with Javier Badillo and Magda Ochoa in attendance!
The CinemathequeThis Is BallroomThis Is Ballroom
September 14, 2024¡Calientico!, a sizzling collaboration between VLAFF and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival!
On the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, the city’s top ballroom houses convene in a sweaty, euphoric competition, in this electrifying portrait of contemporary queer Brazil.
Join us afterwards for the FUEGO/FOGO Cuir Party at THE BIRDHOUSE!
International Village🔥FUEGO / FOGO Cuir Party 🔥🔥FUEGO / FOGO Cuir Party 🔥
September 14, 2024Voguing. DJs. Gogo Dancers. Brazilian Batucada. Come party Latine Queer/Cuir style with VLAFF and VQFF! This night promises a fiery lineup of Latine excellence. Come hungry, Boteco Brazil will be waiting for you with delicious bites to fuel your tank so that the flame of perreo burns all night long. Somebody call 911, there’ll be fire burning on the dancefloor.
VQFF Passholders, VLAFF Passholders, and ticket holders from the following screenings get free entry: Queer Pix: QUERIDE, THIS IS BALLROOM, and VERA AND THE PLEASURE OF OTHERS. Show your physical pass/ticket or digital ticket at the door for entry.
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CHILEMONOS: Animated Shorts Program
CHILEMONOS: Animated Shorts Program
September 15, 2024A collaboration between CHILEMONOS, one of Latin America’s leading animation festivals, and VLAFF, this one-hour program is suitable for all audiences and brings together short films and video clips from recent years, showing the diverse themes, visions, colours, and styles that constitute Latin America.
Join us for a free FLIPBOOK ANIMATION WORKSHOP after the screening with Margarita Cid Lizondo, director of the CHILEMONOS Festival.
The CinemathequeNudo Mixteco (w/ The Doldrums or How to Cure Sadness)Nudo Mixteco (w/ The Doldrums or How to Cure Sadness)
September 15, 2024Director Ángeles Cruz in attendance!
In a compelling and carefully crafted narrative, three women’s stories intertwine during the celebration of San Mateo, the patron saint, in a Mixtec village in Oaxaca. María returns home to bury her mother and face her father’s rejection. An unpleasant reunion awaits Chabela when her husband, Esteban, returns from the US, after not having heard from him in three years; Toña relives her own childhood pain when she suspects her daughter is facing the same fate as her. Self-reliant and defiant, all three women face a confrontation that leads to a powerful turning point in their lives.
Preceded by the short film THE DOLDRUMS OR HOW TO CURE SADNESS
The CinemathequeValentina or the SerenityValentina or the Serenity
September 15, 2024Director Ángeles Cruz in attendance!
After Valentina's father disappears in an accident, she puts all her efforts into believing that he is still alive. With the help of her friend Pedro, she searches for him everywhere, trying to conjure his existence. An intimate and moving look into the depths of loss and the curative power of love.
Winner of the Golden Colón for Best Film at Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival, 2023
The Cinematheque