VIFF Podcast
Bringing you exclusive in-depth conversations with industry-leading filmmakers, creators and cultural luminaries, recorded live at the Vancouver International Film Festival and year round at VIFF Centre.
~ About VIFF ~
Beyond film exhibitions, VIFF strives to engage and empower communities, encourage dialogue and champion local artists. With decades of experience and an unwavering commitment to creating exceptional programs, VIFF has transformed into a highly esteemed annual festival and a premier arthouse cinema.
Founded in 1982, the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society is a not-for-profit cultural society and federally registered charitable organization that operates the internationally acclaimed Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and the year-round programming at VIFF Centre. All year, VIFF produces screenings, talks, conferences and events that act as a catalyst for the community to discover the creativity and craft of storytelling on screen.
Episodes
72 episodes
Sara Wylie on why capitalism is the worst
Sara Wylie got her filmmaking start in her late twenties, dipping her toe into documentary through her work as a political organizer after making anti-Stephen Harper comedy videos. Soon, her passion for storytelling developed into a heightened ...
Durian and Decision-making with Solara Thanh Bình Đặng
Solara Thanh Bình Đặng's ripe follows lead character Lệ, on the cusp of a life-altering decision. At this crossroads, she must consider an arranged marriage that is sure to support her family, but yields a profound uncertainty. Represe...
Nicole Bazuin on the Modern Whore
Nicole Bazuin first encountered Andrea Werhun on the set of a music video she was directing, in search of Go Go Dancers who'd be willing to participate. At first meet, the two developed what Bazuin calls "a creative crush," compelled to work to...
Alison Reid wants you to put down your phone—and go on an adventure
The urge to escape the mundanities of everyday life is hard to ignore. And yet, so many of us remain tethered to our routines, our homes, our comforts.In 1957, Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster resisted that pull. Instead, they packed t...
Brian Daniel Johnson and Dide Su Bilgin on community and Vancouver's avoidance culture
In a city plagued by social isolation, Brian Daniel Johnson and Dide Su Bilgin found a story to tell. In their film, A Welcome Distraction, lead character, Ernest, looks for answers amidst grief and heartbreak in this unapologetic port...
How film can reconnect you with your roots with Kent Donguines
Kent Donguines' journey creating Treasure of the Rice Terraces began in 2019. From idea to development, Donguines' slow and steady process was grounded with one intention: to be in community with his subjects.Treasure of the Rice Terrac...
Why documentaries are the door to understanding with Elöise King (The Shadow Scholars)
From travel bans to the risk of criminalization for her film's subjects, Elöise King had to persevere through many hurdles to get her documentary, The Shadow Scholars, to screen.In The Shadow Scholars, cameras follow P...
How painting provides a portal with Jenn Strom (The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes)
In the 20th Century, painter E.J. Hughes quietly helped reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia. Each canvas was a place of worship for the artist who was famously too shy to attend his own art exhibitions. Hughes' legacy has left us...
Brishkay Ahmed on embracing identity, and what we can learn from Afghan women
Growing up, Ahmed felt at odds with her Afghan identity. She describes herself as a rebellious child, not understanding the need for a head scarf, often finding herself "irked" by assumptions about her, before she even knew herself. Perceptions...
'The Track' Director Ryan Sidhoo on the stories that haven't been told, and getting those movies made
This isn't Ryan Sidhoo's first time exploring the relationship between sports and space. Also having directed Truth North (2017) and produced Handle with Care (2021), two titles that rounded the festival circuit time and time ...
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'Foreigner' Director Ava Maria Safai talks the horrors of growing up, and what filmmaking teaches you about yourself
Ava Maria Safai describes Foreigner as “bubblegum horror”—a genre that layers a glossy, fun aesthetic over a dark underbelly of pain. Following an Iranian teenager who moves to Canada, dyes her hair blonde, and becomes a demon, For...
Mayumi Yoshida on her debut feature, 'Akashi,' and the power that comes from existing in the in between
Mayumi Yoshida is THE multi-hyphenate filmmaker you need to watch. As writer, director, producer, and actor for her debut feature, Akashi, Yoshida's world premiere at VIFF 2025 was met with sold out audiences, celebrating her story tac...
Ari's Theme" documentary filmmaker, Jeff Petry, on how to capture a legacy
Ari Kinarthy’s existence is marked by worry and vigilance around his health, as he struggles with spinal muscular atrophy. Yet he was born with the soul of an artist, becoming a celebrated composer eager to share his story through the power of ...
VIFF Shorts team Casey Wei and Jaewoo Kang talk programming for your audience
In this special edition of the VIFF Podcast, get a glimpse of what goes on behind-the-scenes when it comes to VIFF programming, and how certain shorts make it to screen at our annual festival. VIFF Shorts Forum programmer Casey Wei and her coor...
'I Saw Three Black Lights' filmmaker Santiago Lozano on ritual as resistance in Colombia
In Santiago Lozano's 'I Saw Three Black Lights,' a wise old shaman embarks on a final journey into the Colombian jungle to settle a spiritual debt and reconnect with his late son. We sit down with the filmmaker to discuss how an immersive, lush...
Filmmaker Sanja Zivkovic on motherhood, the broken system of adoption, and seeing a story from all points of view in 'Cat's Cry'
'Cat's Cry' filmmaker Sanja Zivkovic sits down with VIFF Festival Programmer & Program Lead, Sonja Baksa, to talk about her global career spanning all the way from SFU's Burnaby campus to Serbia. 'Cat's Cry' first fell into Zivkovic'...
'Save My Soul' filmmaker Kam Fai Leung on loneliness and our primal desire to be loved
When a mute young man seeks to escape into the wilderness, he quickly realizes he's not suited to survive on his own. To adapt, the young man begins to embody a feline, finding solace in a blind man's home, someone also seeking connection and c...
Director Devin Shears on his first feature, and the fascination with fatness in "Cherub"
Harvey is a lonely, overweight man who discovers new self-esteem when he submits a photo to Cherub, a gay magazine “For big men and their admirers.” Director Devin Shears talks from his move from shorts to features in this gentle, ambient chara...
Kerr Holden wrestles with athleticism, performance, and metal in 'Judas Icarus Twists His Wrist'
In 'Judas Icarus Twists His Wrist,' Director Kerr Holden (she/her) follows BC-based wrestler, Judas Icarus, following his arduous road to recovery after an injury. On the choreography of wrestling, the power of score, and how to emphasize athle...
'Balomania' filmmaker Sissel Morell Dargis on the beauty behind Brazil's baloeiros, and getting your start in documentary filmmaking
Hot air ballooning has been illegal in São Paulo, Brazil since the 1990's. Intrigued by this underworld of guerilla artists, who risk their lives, and freedom in order to craft and release huge, lavishly decorated paper balloons up to 70 metres...
'78 Days' filmmaker Emilija Gašić on docufiction and telling personal history through found footage
Filmmaker Emilija Gašić joins VIFF’s Vanguard series programmer Sonja Baksa to discuss 78 Days, a found-footage film that won the Vanguard Award at VIFF 2024. Shot on hi-8 tapes in her native Serbia, the film follows three sisters docu...
Vancouver filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming explores mortality and imagines a future without waste with 'Can I Get a Witness?'
In this episode of the VIFF Podcast, program manager and senior programmer PoChu AuYeung sits down with acclaimed Canadian animator and filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming to discuss her latest film, Can I Get a Witness?, which screened at VIF...
Veteran Documentarian Connie Field Exposes Democracy’s Fragility in 'Democracy Noir'
In this episode of the VIFF Podcast, programmer Alan Franey interviews American filmmaker Connie Field about her documentary feature Democracy Noir, which explores the rise of Viktor Orbán in Hungary and its global implications. The fi...
'Uncommon Ground' filmmaker Faith Sparrow-Crawford on ancestral connections and Musqueam Storytelling
Musqueam filmmaker Faith Sparrow-Crawford joins VIFF short programmer Casey Wei to talk about Uncommon Ground, her haunting sci-fi short set in 2171. They dig into themes of ancestral connection, mental health, and the deep bond betwee...
'Curl Power' director Josephine Anderson on girlhood and the long-game of filmmaking
In this episode of the VIFF Podcast, Curtis Woloschuk sits down with Canadian filmmaker Josephine Anderson to talk about her latest documentary Curl Power. Having premiered at VIFF 2024, Curl Power follows five teenage girls c...
