The Nook invites festival audiences to deepen their engagement with Indigenous artists, creative work and calls to action beyond the land acknowledgement. Through a combination of physical and digital experiences, visitors can encounter Indigenous film, music, poetry, food recommendations, books, resources and more throughout the festival.

We will premiere this space with a multidisciplinary evening featuring:

• A live poetry reading by Selina Boan
• A screening of Our Grandmother the Inlet, directed by Kayah George and Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos
• Food offerings by Cedar Feast House Catering
• An opportunity to explore the Nook

Register for Free Here

Language carries memory, humour, family, migration and countless ways of understanding the world. At VLAFF, we believe that having access to the languages of our communities and ancestors allows us to remain connected to culture, and to one another.

Join us for ¡Así Cantan!, a free Multilingual Open Mic presented in collaboration with our friends from El Mashup Collective. Take the mic or simply come listen as community members share poetry, stories, songs, spoken word and other short performances in the languages that matter to them.

You don’t need to be an experienced performer or prepare something polished. Come share your voice, experiment across languages or celebrate the many ways our communities speak and create. Participants are welcome to offer translations or additional context if they wish, but this is not required.

Register for free here

FUEGO / FOGO Cuir Party

SATURDAY | SEP 19 | 10:30PM-2:00AM | THE BIRDHOUSE

¡La tercera es la vencida! Third time’s the charm! 

You know you love it, you know you don’t want to miss it. Fuego Fogo comes back for the third year in a row, the steamiest collaboration between the Vancouver Queer Film Festival and VLAFF. See you at The Birdhouse on September 19 at 10:30 pm as always, Latine Cuir/Queer vibes. Drag, a Ballroom Showcase, and an incredible DJ lineup.

10:30 PM Doors Open

10:30 PM Host Intro (M.A.L.A.N.D.R.O)
10:35 – 11:05 PM Drag Showcase (M.A.L.A.N.D.R.O + Mya)
11:05 PM Host Intro for Ballroom
11:05 – 11:25 PM Ballroom Showcase led by Princess Kachonda Jeremy Scott
11:25 PM Host Intro for DJs
11:30 – 12:45 AM First DJ Set: Semillitra
12:45 – 2:00 AM Second DJ Set: Binky  

Entry to this event is included with tickets to Shorts: Amor(es) Ciego or either screening of Our Body is An Expanding Star. VQFF & VLAFF Passholders and ticket holders for these programs will have free access to this event dependent on venue capacity – come early to guarantee your spot. Show your physical pass/ticket or digital ticket at the door for entry.

PARTY TICKETS ONLY – Buy Here

Led by Ximena Baeza, Marcela Echevarría, Dana Elizondo, and Soléne Pango.

The group features drums, accordion, bass, and guitar, creating a sound full of power, emotion, and Mexican flavor. Their repertoire aims to connect with audiences through music that represents their culture, their stories, and traditions.

With their distinctive style and onstage energy, Los Grandes strive to bring their music to every performance and continue leaving a lasting mark on the hearts of their audience.

Drawing from styles ranging from cumbia to Andean music, the group creates a contemporary sound through the use of traditional instruments such as the Venezuelan cuatro, charango, jaranas, and quena.

Influenced by the Nueva Canción movement, Collective SUR’s work is guided by social awareness, collective storytelling, and cultural exchange, opening a space to honor Latin American music characters and movements while engaging with present-day Latin American realities.

Brendocha brings fast-paced and energetic sets that traverse through Latin bass, baile funk, merengue, techno- captivating audiences with her cutting- edge style. She has played in Toronto, Edmonton, Montreal, Lima, Seattle, as well as Basscoast Musical Festival and Boiler Room in 2024. She has shared stages with artists such as BCLIP, Toccororo, Sukubratz, Rosa Pistola, Ms Nina, DJ G2G, Isa Gt.

They aim to build connection and joy through Afro-Latinx dance and community. They offer welcoming, culturally-rooted, economically-accessible spaces where everyone can dance freely, without judgment or financial barriers.

In Brazil, he had an opportunity to study and work with renowned musicians and artists such as Alberto Luccas, Victor Alcantara, Julio Cesar Figueiredo, and Bob Wyatt. In 2018 was selected to intensive composition classes with Celso Mojola after his arrangements and compositions were analysed by the internationally noted composer.

Amid recordings and shows across Canada, he also had performed at TD Canada Jazz Festival, Tofi no Jazz Festival, Tallinn Music Week, CBC Road to the Junos beyond many other festivals. He has collaborations with several touring artists across Canada and America, and with local artists such as Sadé Awele, Coco Jafro, Lussilia, Myles Bigelow, and Serengeti.

Owner of an authentic versatility and approach, he has brought in his performances the flavour of Brazilian music with a mix of jazz, soul and funk, showing a few of his musical influences.