Tim Basaraba – In his second feature-length film, Yannis Veslemes seems to toss Weird Science (1985) and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) into a cinematic blender, sprinkle in an unnamed powdered substance, and top it off with an appreciation for seven-time Academy Award winner Rick Baker. The result? She Loved Blossoms More.
Tim Basaraba – ollowing the success of his short film Her Friend Adam, which was featured at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and later screened at SXSW and TIFF, Ben Petrie makes his feature-length debut with The Heirloom.
Tim Basaraba – In her feature film debut, Saulė Bliuvaitė delivers a coming-of-age story for the ages. Set in Lithuania, Toxic opens with what feels like a nod to Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976).
Tim Basaraba – We have ten films directed by the great Wong Kar-wai, but will we get another? Nothing’s for certain, but I sure hope so. In the meantime, thanks to Optimum Immersion, I’ve found my new Wong Kar-wai—or at least a worthy acolyte of the master—and I have VIFF to thank for this discovery.
Tim Basaraba – Stepping away from the found-footage horror of The Devil’s Doorway (2018), Aislinn Clarke’s second feature, Fréwaka, is a moody, beautifully shot gothic horror film with a dash of folk horror.
Tim Basaraba – The Thinking Game is the perfect crash course on AI—the kind we all need to understand what could very well be our collective future. I implore you to give it a chance, even if you find chess boring or have no idea what the 3,000-year-old game Go is.
Tim Basaraba – I think the “I” is the most important letter in VIFF. Sure, the “V” represents the beautiful city of Vancouver, and without one of the “F”s (Film), what are we even talking about? Obviously, the second “F” is crucial—we’re celebrating film, being festive, if you will.
Tim Basaraba – Before watching the well-crafted, recent-history period piece BlackBerry (2023), I had no idea who or what Matt Johnson was. He directed and starred in one of my favorite films of that year, seemingly coming out of nowhere.
Tim Basaraba – Cherub was made on a shoestring budget of just $10,000, and yet, it looks stunning. Orson Welles once said, “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations,” and this film’s limitations elevate its artistry.
Tim Basaraba – My IFF trifecta (SIFF, TIFF, and VIFF) is almost complete, and I couldn’t be more grateful that the last jewel in my IFF crown is the beautiful city of Vancouver, British Columbia,