The Vancouver International Film Festival has just started, and already some great films have hit the screen in this celebration of fantastic cinema from around the world.
Aside from being one of the best ways to explore truly great film from around the world, VIFF is the biggest showcase of Canadian films, bar none. There are 86 films in the festival this year, here are my picks of the maple-tinged flicks:
Mammalian
Mammalian Film Trailer from Frank Wolf on Vimeo.
A film by Frank Wolf, it should prove to be an illuminating experience. Frank and his expedition partner Taku Hokoyama travel 2,000 km across northern Canada, the largest wilderness in North America. A portrait of both the last great wilderness of Canada, and the people and cultures clashing over exploration and protection of that space.
Guido Superstar: The Rise of Guido
A ballsy charicature of an Italian going undercover against Canada’s drug underworld. I don’t know much about this film other that the trailers look awesome. Plus, it’s a good break from being all serious about artistic merit and the like.
Breaking the Silence: Burma’s Resistance
A challenging undertaking, it took the team months at the Thai border to convince a humanitarian agency to take them to meet displaced people hiding inside Burma.
When the Devil Knocks
An exploration of a life-long battle with Dissociative Identity Disorder, this film is a rare look into a “fragmented life” and, a mix of home-video and taped therapy sessions, deeply personal and startlingly challenging.
There you have it, from a portrait of a uniquely Canadian landscape to the jungles and refugee camps in Burma, and from a caricature of a Canadian immigrant to a deeply personal portrait of a Canadian fighting DID. Get thee to the silver screen.