-- Sept 2020

Once Upon a Time in Venezuela A film by Anabel Rodríguez Ríos - Venezuela/UK/Austria/Brazil In this bittersweet doc, Anabel Rodríguez Ríos captures the final years of a most unusual village. At the film's beginning, Congo Mirador is already on its last legs - quite literally, as most of its buildings are built on stilts above Lake Maracaibo. Ríos is clearly in love with the place and its inhabitants; she depicts both with lyricism and humour, saving her sharper critique for Venezuelan politics writ large. "Powerful... Ríos [has] a keen eye for natural beauty." - Hollywood Reporter

VIFF 2020 is excited to announce its 39^th season

The 39th edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival, running September 24 - October 7, will be presented as an online festival available to all British Columbians. To ensure the best possible user experience, VIFF is developing VIFF Connect, a new online streaming platform.

VIFF 2020 will showcase a robust program of 100 feature films including the vibrant blend of international selections from every corner of the globe, boundary-pushing Canadian work, adventurous East Asian cinema, provocative and inspiring documentaries, elevated genre cinema and festival favourites that see audiences flock to VIFF every year. Accompanying the features will be a large complement of short films, the next generation of storytellers. Beyond the typical video-on-demand experience, VIFF aims to celebrate many of the films through engaging and interactive conversations with the filmmakers, providing the viewer insight into the inspiration and creative process behind each work of art.

Through VIFF Connect, the festival’s celebrated experiential and educational programming will be accessible to audiences across the country. Creator Talks will take viewers behind the camera, exploring today’s most talked about films and series. VIFF will continue to support British Columbia’s creative communities through the Totally Indie Day and VIFF AMP conferences, as well as the VIFF Immersed marketplace and exhibition. Meanwhile, the more intimate VIFF Labs, VIFF AMP Talent Accelerator and VIFF Catalyst, a mentorship program for filmmakers from under- or misrepresented backgrounds, provide access and training to the next wave of Canadian filmmakers.

Curtis Woloschuk, VIFF’s Associate Director of Programming: “Rather than thinking about the restrictions imposed on us, we instead considered the opportunities that had been presented. We’re excited by VIFF Connect and the possibilities that exist online to celebrate new work, support emerging filmmakers and extend our programmatic offerings to more communities in the province.”

VIFF will begin announcing 2020 programming in early August, with tickets and passes available for purchase later that month. The full program will be available to viewers throughout British Columbia on the VIFF Connect platform via on-demand streaming from September 24-October 7.

Key Dates

• August 27 VIFF Connect Festival Subscriptions on sale
• September 3 Full online and in-cinema program announced
• September 3 Single tickets starting at $9 go on sale for streaming / $15 for in-cinema
• September 24 - October 7 VIFF 2020 Films available for viewing on VIFF Connect and in-cinemas. Enjoy!