Events

Click on the boxes below to read more about our past and upcoming events!

COMING SOON

VIFF 2024 Screenings

SECRET MALL APARTMENT at VIFF

PEPE screening at VIFF

TRANSFORM PROJECT

June 2025, Team Gathering, Montreal Participatory Cultures Lab

Jan 2025 Youth Summit, Durban South Africa

Behind-the-Scenes

Screening of I am Sirat at the Vancouver International Film Festival

Behind-the-scenes photographs of the screening of I am Sirat at VIFF, and the post-screening discussion between directors Deepa Mehta and Shannon Walsh.

Previous - Events & Screenings

Screening of "I am Sirat" at the Vancouver International Film Festival

Friday Sept. 29th at 6:15 pm at Vancity Theatre - 1181 Seymour St.

Saturday Oct. 7th at 9:00PM at Vancity Theatre - 1181 Seymour St.

A collaboration between Sirat Taneja and filmmaker Deepa Mehta

I Am Sirat is a personal, vulnerable autobiographic documentary by Sirat Taneja about her experience as a transwoman in India, where she lives a dual life. Collaborating with acclaimed filmmaker Deepa Mehta, Sirat shot the film with her smartphone (taking advantage of her own experience building a platform on Instagram), capturing the real portrait of herself literally and metaphorically. While supported by a queer network of friends in Delhi and on Instagram, Sirat reverts to the closet at home. Living with and caring for her widowed mother, Sirat is forced to maintain the familial and cultural duties and responsibilities a son would traditionally provide, since her mother doesn’t understand or accept Sirat’s true self. As Sirat seeks to reshape her life and be true to herself while fulfilling her mother’s obligations, the film explores the larger social implications of queer identity and acceptance in India. An empowering portrait of a transwoman wrestling with cultural limitations while sharing her story with the world.

Tickets now on sale: https://viff.org/whats-on/viff23-i-am-sirat/#book

World Premiere of "Physician, Heal Thyself" at Vancouver International Film Festival

Thursday Oct 5th at 6pm at SFU Woodwards

Friday Oct 6th at 3:30 at the Rio

Directed by Asher Penn and starring Dr. Gabor Maté

In Asher Penn’s Physician, Heal Thyself Dr Maté shares not only his theories, but also his personal story: his difficult early childhood in Hungary, immigrating to Canada, his experience as a journalist for the Ubyssey, and his early reputation as a contrarian. Maté candidly discusses his own struggles with pain, his complicated behaviours and fractured relationships. Physician, Heal Thyself offers hope and comfort, encouraging us to own our failings, share our struggles, and accept our imperfections.

Tickets now on sale: https://viff.org/whats-on/viff23-physician-heal-thyself/

Vancouver Release of CONCRETE VALLEY (2023) at VIFF, by Antoine Bourges

August 25th - September 1st

with Antoine Bourges in attendance for Q&A on August 31st

Among the massive concrete block towers of Toronto’s Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood, a Syrian doctor struggles to hold on to his

cultural identity as his family begins to grow roots in their new community. Working as an unlicensed physician for his neighbours in an attempt to cling to his old identity, tensions rise and begin to threaten his fragile marriage.

Understated cinematography and a patient camera disguise the fraught drama at the heart of Antoine Bourges’ (Fail to Appear) sophomore feature. Bressonian in its approach, employing minimalism, non-professional actors, and a deceptively simple plot, the film blends fact and fiction into a quietly gripping drama with an unshakeable sense of realism. Anchored by the lead performances and a pair of unforgettable scenes in an English as a Second Language class, Bourges crafts a tender portrait that asks if adjusting to a new culture always costs one a piece of their identity.

For the schedule and to buy tickets, visit: https://viff.org/whats-on/concrete-valley/

"How Are You?" Moments of Connection and Isolation

September 29^th- October 12^th

Photo Exhibition at Barclay Manor

Guided Tours – October 7^th 12:30-2:00, and October 12^th 2:00-3:30

Free Tickets

West End Seniors’ Network, Barclay Heritage Square, 1447 Barclay

In March 2020, the world was halted by COVID-19. All of our lives and social relationships were disrupted. At the onset of the pandemic, we knew little about how physical distancing would impact the social connectedness and loneliness experiences of older adults. UBC and SFU researchers have partnered with the West End Seniors’ Network to learn about older adults’ experiences during the pandemic and beyond. In April 2020, UBC PhD Candidate Callista Ottoni asked participants to take photographs of moments where they felt connected or isolated in their homes and neighbourhoods. Two and a half years later, many people still face challenges to regain or maintain social connections, which are critical to better health in later life.

This event will proceed in accordance with Provincial Health, COVID-19 guidelines. Co-curated by Callista Ottoni, PhD Candidate, University of British Columbia, in partnership with Jennifer Conroy, Manager of Programs and Events, West End Seniors’ Network.

Read more about Callista Ottoni's research: How do neighbourhoods matter for older adults’ social connectedness during the pandemic?

October 3rd & 5th

Vancouver Premiere of CONCRETE VALLEY (2022) at VIFF, by Antoine Bourges

Among the massive concrete block towers of Toronto’s Thorncliffe Park neighborhood, a Syrian doctor struggles to hold on to his cultural identity as his family begins to grow roots in their new community. Working as an unlicensed physician for his neighbors in an attempt to cling to his old identity, tensions rise and begin to threaten his fragile marriage.