VIFF24 line-up
Narrative Features
BANG BANG
Sunday 11th (2:15pm)
Director Vincent Grashaw
Cast Tim Blake Nelson, Glenn Plummer, Kevin Corrigan, Andrew Liner, Nina Arianda
Narrative Feature 103 mins | USA | 2024
Retired pugilist Bernard “Bang Bang” Rozyski is inspired to try his hand at training once he reconnects with his estranged grandson. While their training brings him out of the hole he’s been living in, everyone questions Bang Bang’s motivations. Is he merely passing down inherited rage, or is there true altruism behind his tutelage?
Hailed as “the most satisfying movie at the Tribeca Film Festival” this season and “a career highlight from Tim Blake Nelson.” (Awards Radar)
BLACK DOG
[North American Premiere]
Saturday 10th (1:15pm)
Director Guan Hu
Cast Eddie Peng, Jia Zhang-Ke, and Xiaoxin
Narrative Feature 100 mins | China | 2024
On the edge of the Gobi Desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Beijing Olympics, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog; two lonely outcasts finding purpose in each other.
From legendary Chinese director Guan Hu (The Eight Hundred), this remarkable film was the recipient of the top Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
FLUXX
Thursday 8th (8pm)
Director Brendan Gabriel Murphy
Cast Shelley Hennig, Shiloh Fernandez, Henry Ian Cusick, Charlotte McKinney, and Tyrese Gibson
Narrative Feature 100 mins | USA | 2024
Famed actress Vada Pierce inexplicably awakens in her bathtub with no memory of the events prior, only to discover that her home has been ransacked and her husband is missing. But every time Vada tries to leave the house, she finds herself back in the bathtub. Desperate for answers, she must race against time to discover the truth of her circumstances.
Debuting with a hat trick at the Egypt International Film Festival in 2023 with awards for Best International Film, Best International Director, and Best Actress, this mind-bending multi-genre film has only gained steam since, netting another three awards at the Mammoth Film Festival (Best Genre Film, Best Actress, and Best Cinematography) and taking home a Grand Jury Prize at the Malibu Film Festival and Best Director in Nice.
GRIFFIN IN SUMMER
Saturday 10th (6pm)
Director Nicholas Colia
Cast Everett Blunck, Melanie Lynskey, Owen Teague, Abby Ryder Forston, and Kathryn Newton
Narrative Feature 93 mins | USA | 2024
Fourteen-year-old Griffin Nafly is the most ambitious playwright of his generation. But once he meets handsome twenty-five-year-old handyman Brad, his life (and play) will never be the same.
Sweeping the Tribeca Film Festival in June with top awards for Best U.S. Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, and Best New Narrative Director, “Griffin in Summer is a brilliant movie about first crushes” (Screen Rant) that “will have you rolling in laughter with its sublime portrayal of a disaffected youth.” (MovieWeb).
I SAW THE TV GLOW
Friday 9th (6pm)
Cast Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, with Fred Durst and Danielle Deadwyler
Director Jane Schoenbrun
Narrative Feature 100 mins | USA | 2024
Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show: a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.
Programmed at both Sundance and SXSW in 2024, I Saw the TV Glow is a once-in-a-generation horror from Jane Schoenbrun with critics pronouncing it “the best film of 2024, if not the decade.” (Movie Marker)
SUJO
Sunday 11th (4:30pm)
Directors Astrid Rondero & Ferndanda Valadez
Cast Juan Jesús Varela, Yadira Pérez, Alexis Varela, Sandra Lorenzano, Jairo Hernández
Narrative Feature 127 mins | Mexico | 2024
When a cartel gunman is killed, he leaves behind Sujo, his 4-year-old son. The shadow of violence surrounds Sujo during each stage of his life. As he grows into a man, Sujo finds that fulfilling his father’s destiny may be inescapable.
A circuit juggernaut (8 wins/21 nominations/19 festivals) and the Grand Jury Prize Winner for World Cinema (Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival, Forbes film critic Scott Phillips urges: “Put this one on your personal Watch List.”
SWARM
Friday 9th (3:45pm)
Director Bartek Bala
Cast Roma Gasiorowska, Eryk Lubos, Adam Wojciechowski, Antonina Litwiniak
Narrative Feature 105 mins | Poland | 2023
Isolated from society for over a decade, a family has self-exiled on a remote island at the command of its patriarch. But when his wife expresses a desire to return to the world from which they are hiding, the family’s foundation will be put to the test.
Requiring over 9 months of pre-production to plan a brutal 33-day shoot on a remote section of the coast of Poland that has since been lost to erosion, the soundtrack for this gut-wrenching thriller features over 60 highly-specialized musicians and atavistic vocalists.
Documentary Features
BASTARDS OF SOUL
Friday 9th (1:30pm)
Director Paul Levatino
Documentary Feature 81 mins | USA | 2024
Bastards of Soul dives into a Texas band’s journey toward stardom, only to be marred by the pandemic and a sudden tragedy. Capturing their final sessions and live shows, this intimate film celebrates music’s power to heal and unite.
Premiering at the Sun Valley Film Festival earlier this year and Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary at both the Dallas International Film Festival and Hill County Film Festival, “Bastards of Soul find joy in the sadness.” (People)
A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS
Thursday 8th (6pm)
Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen
Documentary Feature 84 mins | Norway | 2024
On a small farm in the Norwegian forest, a family seeks a wild free existence. However, after a tragic event changes everything, they are forced from their idyllic farm and into the expectations of modern society.
Recipient of the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema (Documentary) at the Sundance Film Festival in January, A New Kind of Wilderness is “an honest and tender film, beautifully shot, and empathetic in its delivery.” (Film Inquiry)
PORCELAIN WAR
Sunday 11th (12:15pm)
Directors Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev
Documentary Feature 97 mins | Ukraine | 2024
A stunning tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, embodying the passion and fight that only artists can put back into the world when it’s crumbling around them. With extraordinary footage filmed by ordinary citizens in a war-torn Ukraine, Porcelain War is a story much bigger than a single country: it’s about all of us.
Boasting 11 wins and 10 nominations across 15 film festivals this season, including the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance, “[the] intensity with which Porcelain War presents its horrors will knock you down.” (The Wrap)
RESYNATOR
Saturday 10th (3:30pm)
Director Alison Tavel
Documentary Feature 96 mins | USA | 2024
In unearthing the revolutionary synthesizer her late father invented in the 1970s, Alison Tavel not only revives his mission to share it with the world, she unexpectedly forges a deep bond with the father she never got the chance to know.
The Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary at the SXSW Film Festival this year, Resynator is “bursting with heart, and genuinely moving in its improbable journey to close the distance between the dead and the living.” (Austin Chronicle)
SONGS FROM THE HOLE
Sunday 11th (10am)
Director Contessa Gayles
Documentary Feature 106 mins | USA | 2024
At 15, he took a life. Three days later, his brother’s life was taken. Now, an incarcerated musician struggles for healing and peace as he comes of age in this documentary visual album composed behind bars.
“A fresh and lyrical take on the genre,” (Hollywood Reporter) “Songs from the Hole simultaneously teaches the lesson of how music not only entertains, but literally can save lives” (The Curvy Film Critic). Audience Award Winner for Visions at SXSW 2024.
Short Films
BOB’S FUNERAL
Thursday 8th (3:45pm)
Director Jack Dunphy
Documentary Short 18 mins | USA | 2024
Exploring the roots of generational trauma, director Jack Dunphy brings videographs his estranged grandfather’s funeral, highlighting the complexities of a dysfunctional family and the significance of celebrating a loved one’s life.
Launching its festival run this year with a Grand Jury Prize for Best Non-Fiction Short at Sundance this year, it has only contiued its success with an Audience Award for Best American Short film at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival and Special Recognition at Aspen Shortsfest.
CROWS
Thursday 8th (3:45pm)
Director Andrew Saunderson
Cast Bryar Freed Golden
Narrative Short 15 mins | USA | 2024
An empty nester is haunted by oversized crows practicing rituals at her decorative fountain.
Debuting at the Montclair Film Festival, Crows counts Vashon-raised Zach Mann as one of its producers.
DISSOLUTION
Friday 9th (10am)
Director Anthony Saxe
Cast Linda DiVirgilio, Eddie Saxe
Narrative Short 14 mins | USA/Australia | 2023
Based on a true story, a woman is forced to confront her elderly husband’s physical deterioration when they meet to sign their divorce papers. Starring Saxe’s actual parents as themselves, this hybrid doc-narrative short combines archival home video footage with new footage based on the events surrounding their separation and Saxe’s father’s battle with alcoholism.
Grandy Jury Prize Winner for Narrative Short at SXSW 2024.
GOODBYE FIRST LOVE
Friday 9th (10am)
Director Shuli Huang
Documentary Short 13 mins | USA | 2024
From Shuli Huang, director of Cannes’ 2022 Queer Palm Winner Will You Look At Me?, Goodbye First Love expands upon his journey as he visits an ex-lover in Frankfurt, finding nostalgic joy in the past and weariness in the present.
Nominated for Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival, this intimate piece is brimming with sincere emotions.
THE MASTERPIECE
Friday 9th (10am)
Director Àlex Lora
Cast Daniel Grao, Babou Cham, Melina Matthews, Adam Norou, Guido Grao
Narrative Short 20 mins | Spain | 2024
The Masterpiece is a riveting drama set in a recycling center, depicting the unexpected encounter between Leo and Diana, an affluent couple, and Salif and Yousef, two scrap collectors
Winner of the prestigious Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the Sundance Film Festival 2024, along with 6 other wins and 8 nominations across festivals worldwide.
REMEMBER, BROKEN CRAYONS COLOUR TOO
Friday 9th (10am)
Directors Shannet Clemmings & Urša Kastelic
Documentary Short 13 mins | Switzerland | 2023
Shannet, a Black Transgender woman from Jamaica, shares her journey of healing as she wanders the empty streets of a European city.
Grand Jury Award Winner for Documentary Short at SXSW 2024, Special Jury Prize Winner for Documentary Short at Slamdance 2024, and Winner for Best Student Docuementary Short at Palm Springs International Shortfest.
RIPE!
Thursday 8th (3:45pm)
Director Tusk
Cast Raina Landolfi, Rita Roca
Narrative Short 18 mins | Spain | 2024
Nothing says “it’s complicated” like breaking your crush’s arm.
A coming-of-age romance told through a refreshingly authentic LGBTQ+ female perspective, Ripe! is hot off its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival 2024, where it won for Best Short Film. Fun fact: U.S. Olympic and World Cup champion soccer player Kelley O’Hara made her EP debut on this gem with partner Kameryn Stanhouse.
TRAPPED
Friday 9th (10am)
Directors Sam Cutler-Kreutz & David Cutler-Kreutz
Cast Javier Molina, Keith William Richards, Kamroon Ali Toosi, Matthew Woodward
Narrative Short 15 mins | USA | 2024
Investigating voices echoing through the empty halls, a high school janitor is drawn to the gymnasium, where he stumbles into a group of boys in the middle of a senior prank. Tensions arise when his attempts to intervene take an unexpected direction and he is caught between the boys, his boss, and his own moral compass.
Recipient of the Special Jury Award for Narrative Short at SXSW 2024.
WANDER TO WONDER
Friday 9th (3:45pm)
Director Nina Gantz
Animated Short 13 mins | Netherlands | 2023
Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton are three tiny humans who star in a kids’ TV series called “Wander to Wonder”. After the creator dies, they are left alone in the studio. Struggling to find enough to eat, they continue to make increasingly strange episodes for their fans.
Grand Jury Award Winner for Best Animated Short at SXSW 2024.
THE YEAR OF STARING AT NOSES
Thursday 8th (3:45pm)
Director Karen Knox & Matt Eastman
Cast Karen Knox, Taylor Whittaker, Gwenlyn Cumyn
Narrative Short 21 mins | USA | 2024
In 2020, Karen Knox got a nose job and saw an opportunity for comedy… dark comedy. Filmed over the course of 3 years, this hybrid short film chronicles Karen’s surgery and her alter ego Samantha’s quest to find love on a reality television show. A lot of it is real. Some of it isn’t.
A favorite during its World Premiere at Slamdance 2024, The Year of Staring at Noses also took home the Audience Award for Best Canadian Short at the Calgary Underground Film Festival.
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
MARE [World Premiere]
Thursday 8th (2pm)
Director Thomas Scott Stanton
Narrative Short 24 mins | USA | 2024
A single mother discovers that to protect her daughter’s inner child she must reconnect with her own.
Shot entirely on Vashon and featuring several local islanders in its supporting cast, Mare is a touching saga that showcases how loss and grief is where we often find our strength.World Premiere at VIFF24!
INHERITANCE
Saturday 10th (10:30am)
Director Emily Moss Wilson
Cast Austin Highsmith Garces, Rachel Noll James, Wes Brown, Brian McNamara, Dana Sparks, Cynthia Gearey, Chris Mulkey, Michelle Hurd
Narrative Feature 102 mins | USA | 2024
When Lucy’s father dies, she discovers that her older sister Paige is the sole beneficiary, a reckless alcoholic who has lived off of their father’s charity all of her adult life. Tasked with the management of her father’s affairs, Lucy is responsible for the distribution of Paige’s inheritance. Forced to reunite after years of estrangement, the two sisters confront a whirlwind of surfacing resentments, past traumas, well-kept secrets, and devastating losses as they come to terms with their inner demons and work to mend their broken relationships.
Written, produced, and starring Seattle-based filmmaker Rachel Noll James, “Inheritance is an authentic indie drama that tackles the messy realities of family, betrayal, and redemption.” (Film Threat)
shortCUTZ
Thursday 8th (2 pm)
Various Directors
Various Short Films USA
A local short film competition presented by C’Mon Barber, shortCUTZ highlights local short films produced on Vashon or by island residents.
THE SOUND [World Premiere]
Friday 9th (11:45am)
Director Jordan Riber
Cast Ta’Kaiya Blaney, Stormee Kipp, Benairen Kane, Ali’Lawet Red Elk, Paul Nutarariaq
Narrative Pilot 36 mins | USA | 2024
A rebel without a cause, Tiss has felt felt lost, wounded, and out of place since her dad left. Angry at her mother, a recovering addict, Tiss joins likeminded youth on a canoe journey across the Salish Sound in search of answers. Navigating hurt and trauma, these misfits uncover the secrets of the Salish Sea, a sacred realm, and connections with one another.
Produced by a local team out of Bellingham, WA, VIFF hosts the World Premiere of this special pilot episode.