Making the cut, buzz titles include ‘The Auschwitz Volunteer,’ ‘Los Vivos y los Patos,’ ‘Monkeplay’ and ‘The Auschwitz Volunteer’ Expanding its industry ambitions this year, the Vancouver International Film Festival, as part of its newly established Institute for the Moving Image, has announced its slate of eight first-ever Works in Progress (WIP), alongside eight international co-productions. These initiatives are designed to connect filmmakers with domestic, U.S. and international financing, distribution opportunities and production partners needed to bring their projects to audiences. The lineup spans genres and communities, including India’s Don Palathara with psychological drama “Monkeyplay,” Jeissy Tromplz Venezuelan documentary “Three Houses,” and Mexico’s José Luis Isoard Arrubarrena with magical-realist tale “Los Vivos y los Patos.” The lineup also includes Canadian filmmaker Janessa St.
Pierre’s “Hair or No Hair,” a feature adaptation of her short about alopecia, and Jason Lapere’s “The Auschwitz Volunteer,” the true story of a Polish soldier who decided to enter Auschwitz to start a resistance movement within. The selections highlight VIFF’s efforts to make its industry programming more international and project-driven. While the festival has supported artist development and international co-production in various forms throughout its more than four-decade history, the new initiatives represent a more focused approach to connecting filmmakers with financing, distribution and production partners.
Kyle Fostner, VIFF’s executive director, describes the model as intentionally small and hands-on, rather than a sprawling conference or traditional festival lab. The goal, he says, is to create meaningful face-to-face opportunities for filmmakers and industry decision-makers, with meetings structured around the specific needs of each project, with the goal of fostering strong local and international IP and helping filmmakers get their projects completed. Fostner emphasizes that the world is moving toward international co-production, calling it “the new standard for international cinema,” particularly as it allows filmmakers to scale their projects.
With WIP, says Institute for the Moving Image program lead Rame Ibrahim, “We wanted to diversify the type of types of projects and the people that are coming to the festival,” citing selections spanning multiple regions, including Mexico and Spain, as well as a range of genres. Under Institute director Ana Belén Asfura’s vision, projects were also evaluated for uniqueness of vision, subject-matter merit, market readiness, viability and support to date. Ibrahim says the team focused on matching each project’s specific needs with the industry expertise available at the festival.
The Works in Progress comprise projects at various stages of post-production, he says, with some filmmakers seeking additional completion funding, while others are looking to connect with distributors or broadcasters. For decades, he says, filmmakers had voiced that the festival didn’t offer enough opportunities to get work made. The new initiatives are intended to address that gap, with the festival planning to build on the programs in coming years to “help foster a vehicle for project completion.” The programs are also part of a broader strategy for VIFF’s Institute for the Moving Image, which aims to eventually extend the festival’s support for filmmakers seeking funding and industry connections to year-round.
It’s about what happens when someone refuses to carry silence any longer. Ga folklore, especially the story of Anansi and Turtle, gives the film its emotional architecture, and Ghana itself is one of its central characters,” said Nortley. Huasteca Casa Cinematográfica, Sopa de Piedra, Mexico) In a small town, several dead people are brought back to life through a strange ritual involving burning duck manure.
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