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VIFF 2026 Preview: Homegrown Storytellers Anchor Vancouver’s 45th Festival

Forty-five years after its founding, what has kept the Vancouver International Film Festival essential to the country’s screen culture? This year’s edition, an eleven-day gathering of narrative, documentary, and short-form cinema running from October 1 to 11, 2026, offers a compelling case. Organizers anticipate an audience of 110,000 attendees across more than 160 features, alongside an expanded VIFF Live program and the inaugural full season of programming from the newly established Institute for the Moving Image.

VIFF’s 45th edition will present 12 world premieres, 6 international premieres, 15 North American premieres, and 49 Canadian premieres. Accompanying these features in the selection are 91 short films and two episodic series. All told, 76 nations are represented in this year’s lineup.

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The Debut | Jesse Eisenberg

VIFF will open with Jesse Eisenberg’s The Debut, presented by National Bank, starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti in a comedy that examines the self-importance, and the self-actualization, found within community theatre. The festival closes with Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Buscemi as CIA agents whose partnership unravels amid conspiracy on Easter Island shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup.

Executive Director Kyle Fostner framed the edition as a turning point for the organization. “This year marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Vancouver International Film Festival,” he said, noting that with the Institute for the Moving Image launched and the largest Live program the festival has offered, VIFF is “quickly becoming the archetype of the modern film festival.”

Yet it is the festival’s deep commitment to Canadian storytelling that distinguishes this year’s program. From above-the-title names to first-time documentarians, filmmakers from across Canada, and especially here in British Columbia, appear in remarkable numbers, with women, directors of colour, and voices from Indigenous and other marginalized communities figuring prominently throughout the slate. Director of Programming Curtis Woloschuk described the selection as reflective of the moment. “Every film in this year’s lineup embodies the culturally engaged, progressively minded, and emotionally resonant storytelling that we seek to champion at VIFF,” he said, adding that the films “also reflect the tumultuous times that we’re living in.”

The Buzziest Canadian Titles

Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney: Filmmaker Matthew Rankin returns to VIFF with an unconventional documentary portrait of one of Canada’s most consequential prime ministers, described in festival materials as his latest fever dream.

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Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story: Adrian Buitenhuis presents this portrait of the remarkable athlete and accessibility advocate Rick Hansen, tracing a legacy that continues to shape how Canada understands both athletic achievement and disability rights.

Run Terry Run: Sean Menard examines Terry Fox’s legacy through archival footage, a documentary treatment of one of the country’s most enduring icons.

How We Stand and Reclaim My Skin: Métis/Dene filmmaker Marie Clements brings two works to this year’s festival, How We Stand and the world premiere of the first three episodes of Reclaim My Skin, her forthcoming three-part documentary series for Knowledge Network. Festival organizers describe her presence this year as especially significant.

Whatcha Want | Mina Shum

Whatcha Want: Veteran Vancouver filmmaker Mina Shum returns to VIFF with this British Columbia feature, screening as part of this year’s Special Presentations.

Nina Roza: Geneviève Dulude-De Celles’ latest arrives as Canada’s official submission for the international feature Oscar, placing the film among the festival’s most closely watched titles.

Freaks Part II: Genre audiences can look forward to this anticipated sequel from directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, screening as a British Columbia feature.

First Comes Love: Nakabingwit: Vancouver-based filmmaker Joella Cabalu presents this world premiere documentary, one of several British Columbia productions helping to establish VIFF as, in the festival’s own words, effectively the country’s second-largest documentary festival.

Northern Lights: The Next Wave

In the Heart of the South | Nyla Innuksuk

Presented by Telefilm Canada, the Northern Lights program showcases emerging Canadian and Indigenous storytellers across sixteen titles. Highlights include Nyla Innuksuk’s In the Heart of the South, Justin Ducharme’s Seventeen, and Alexandra Lazarowich’s Turtle Island Rap. British Columbia features abound within the section, among them Arnold Lim’s The Bryce Lee Story, Ilhan Abdullahi’s Lifeline, Gloria Mercer’s A Safe Distance, and the world premiere of Hayley Gray and Kaayla Whachell’s Send the Rain. David Ehrenreich’s Relax, Open Your Eyes rounds out a section built specifically to nurture the country’s next generation of screen talent.

Focus On New German Cinema: Extreme Tension

Dear Future Self | Nina Wesemann

Presented in cooperation with German Films, this year’s international spotlight turns to six features from rising German talents working across psychologically complex and socially engaged territory. The selection includes Christoph Otto’s The Ballad From Wednesday to Thursday, Ella Cieslinski and Nina Wesemann’s Dear Future Self, Kilian Armando Friedrich’s I Understand Your Displeasure, Faraz Shariat’s Prosecution, Daniela Magnani Hüller’s Sometimes, I Imagine Them All at a Party, and Kai Stänicke’s Trial of Hein.

Talks And Encounters

Beyond the screenings, VIFF Live and VIFF Industry programming offer a substantial roster of talks and performances:

Multiple Emmy and BAFTA winning composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, known for his work on Black Mirror and The White Lotus, hosts a masterclass and question-and-answer session at the VIFF Centre.
DEVO frontman and film composer Mark Mothersbaugh performs a one-night concert with an eleven-piece ensemble, drawing on a catalogue spanning The Royal Tenenbaums, Thor: Ragnarok, and The LEGO Movie.
Within the VIFF Amp Music in Media Summit, the panel Stages to Screen brings together Canadian musicians turned composers Meg Remy of S. Girls, Peter Peter, composer of Heated Rivalry, and Matthew Rogers of The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer to discuss the leap from stage to screen.
Ana Belén Asfura, Director of the Institute for the Moving Image, described the initiative’s purpose in expansive terms: “We create a global stage where local talent can connect with national and international communities, helping creators turn ideas into opportunities.”

Celebrity Sightings

Wild Horse Nine | Martin McDonagh (Header Image)

This year’s guest list draws an eclectic mix of international and Canadian talent. Alongside The Debut’s Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti and Wild Horse Nine’s John Malkovich, Tom Waites, and Steve Buscemi, festivalgoers can expect to see Canadian filmmakers Matthew Rankin, Marie Clements, Mina Shum, Denis Côté, and Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, alongside composers Mark Mothersbaugh, Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, and Peter Peter, and broadcaster Derrick Gee.

All images courtesy of Vancouver International Film Festival Media Centre.

Author Profile

Ritchie Po, Correspondent: Ritchie Po is a privacy consultant, cybersecurity lawyer, and AI ethics advisor passionate about the intersections of technology, creativity, and culture. Ritchie is also a cineaste who draws inspiration from his love of music and figure skating—often fuelled by the avant-garde genius of Björk.