Missed a VIFF screening of a film you really wanted to see? Don’t you worry because from October 10th to October 15th 2015 you can catch popular VIFF films at Vancity Theatre. Being outside of VIFF’s dates, these are not official festival screenings, and as in past years, festival passes, ticket packs and complimentary vouchers will not be accepted for VIFF Repeats. Attendees will need to purchase an individual ticket for each show. Check out the final few days of programming below.
Tuesday, October 13
Hannah: Buddhism’s Untold Journey – 4:00 pm
In the late 60s, India experienced a Western invasion as outsiders flooded over the border in hopes of finding enlightenment. The Beatles may’ve been the highest profile pilgrims, but Hannah Nydahl, a young Danish woman, was ultimately the most influential. She and her husband were the first westerners to study under His Holiness the 16th Karmapa and then spread his teachings abroad. Part biography, part adventure film, Adam Penny and Marta György-Kessler’s documentary celebrates a true pioneer.
The Devout – 6:15pm
After his terminally ill daughter (Olivia Martin) claims to have had a past life as an astronaut, a Christian teacher (Charlie Carrick) experiences a profound crisis of faith. Obsessively seeking answers, he risks his marriage and his remaining days with his child to determine whether she’s lived before… and might live again. Reflective and provocative, Connor Gaston’s debut is one of the year’s most unique Canadian features.
Wednesday, October 14
Jumbo Wild – 2:30 pm
Nick Waggoner’s gorgeous, gripping documentary captures a decades-long struggle over the future of Jumbo Valley, deep within the raw, rugged Purcell range of B.C.’s Columbia Mountains. Exploring a tug-of-war between a proposed (and long-delayed) $450-million ski resort near Invermere versus community members, conservationists and the Ktunaxa Nation and Shuswap Indian Band who are determined to see Jumbo kept wild, Waggoner’s film documents the fierce ideological battle surrounding how we value land.
Palio – 4:00 pm
Siena is one of the world’s most picturesque cities and the Palio is its crowning glory. Held twice a summer, this often ruthless bareback horse race brings pageantry and unparalleled intensity to the tight turns of the medieval town’s Piazza del Campo. Cosima Spender’s breathtaking documentary centres on a young upstart intent on making his mark in this cutthroat competition.
Racing Extinction – 6:15 pm
Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) returns with another enviro-doc that doubles as a top-flight thriller. Racing against the clock to stave off a mass extinction, Psihoyos’ undercover activists infiltrate underground marketplaces trafficking in endangered marine life and immerse us in oceans turning toxic from our energy consumption. The stakes couldn’t be higher, resulting in a film that unfolds with uncommon urgency.
No Men Beyond This Point – 8:30 pm
In a world where women procreate asexually, male babies have become passé and an entire gender faces extinction… What’s a guy to do? Well, the youngest man alive (Patrick Gilmore), who toils as a housekeeper for a West Vancouver all-female family, is unaware that he’s about to become a key player in a battle for survival. Camera Shy’s Mark Sawers is at the height of his satirical powers with this wry speculative mockumentary.
Thursday, October 15
Marshland – 6:30 pm
In an absorbing mystery that recalls True Detective, disparate homicide investigators must solve a series of grisly murders in a remote, rotten-to-the-core community. Employing southern Spain’s harsh landscapes to sublime atmospheric effect, Alberto Rodríguez plunges us into a world in which menace takes myriad forms. Winner of 10 Goyas, including Best Film, Best Screenplay & Best Actor.
Magallanes – 8:45 pm
William Faulkner’s adage, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past” is again proved true in actor-turned-director Salvador del Solar’s tense drama. A former soldier in the Peruvian army who now drives a taxi in Lima, Magallanes (Mexican star Damián Alcázar) has his world turned upside down when Celina (The Milk of Sorrow’s Magaly Solier), a woman from his violent past, gets into his cab and asks for his help. Can Magallanes find redemption and help Celina in the bargain?
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