The 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival, the 44th event in the history of the Vancouver International Film Festival, was held from October 2 to 12, 2025.Janet Smith, "More screenings and venues, as Vancouver International Film Festival offers first peek at programming". Stir, August 6, 2025.
The first batch of film announcements were released on August 6, alongside the announcement of the Arts Club Theatre Company's Granville Island Stage and the Alliance Française as new screening venues. The full program was announced on August 27.Emma Crawford, "VIFF returning with 260 films, featuring a spotlight on Korean cinema". CityNews, August 27, 2025.
Awards Winners of the juried awards were announced on October 8,Andrew Tracy, "The Things You Kill, Blue Heron take trophies at VIFF awards". Playback, October 10, 2025. with winners of the audience awards announced on October 17.Andrew Tracy, "Three Canadian films claim audience awards at VIFF". Playback, September 20, 2025.
Award Film Filmmaker Audience Award, Galas & Special Presentations Kokuho Lee Sang-il Audience Award, Showcase In the Room Brishkay Ahmed Audience Award, Panorama Meadowlarks Tasha Hubbard Audience Award, Vanguard Gazelle Nadir Saribacak, Samy Pioneer Audience Award, Northern Lights Akashi Mayumi Yoshida Audience Award, Insights Free Leonard Peltier Jesse Short Bull, David France Audience Award, Spectrum Khartoum Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Philip Cox Audience Award, Portraits The Essence of Eva Malcolm Willis, Alex Fegan Audience Award, Altered States Fucktoys Annapurna Sriram Audience Award, Spotlight on Korea 3670 Park Joon-ho Audience Award, Focus Bad Girl Varsha Bharath Best Canadian Film The Things You Kill Alireza Khatami Best Canadian Documentary The Track Ryan Sidhoo Best Short Film No Skate! Guil Sela Emerging Canadian Director Blue Heron Sophy Romvari Best BC Film Vanguard Award Wind, Talk to Me Stefan Đorđević
Films
Galas and special presentations English title Original title Director(s) Production country After the Hunt Luca Guadagnino Italy, United States Christy David Michôd United States Father Mother Sister Brother Jim Jarmusch United States, Ireland, France Franz Agnieszka Holland Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, France, Turkey It Was Just an Accident یک تصادف ساده Jafar Panahi Iran, France, Luxembourg Jay Kelly Noah Baumbach United Kingdom, United States Kokuho Lee Sang-il Japan Köln 75 Ido Fluk Poland, Germany, Belgium The Mastermind Kelly Reichardt United States Mile End Kicks Chandler Levack Canada Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie Matt Johnson Canada No Other Choice Eojjeol suga eopda Park Chan-wook South Korea Nouvelle Vague Richard Linklater France Palestine 36 Annemarie Jacir Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan A Private Life Vie Privée Rebecca Zlotowski France Rental Family Hikari United States The Secret Agent O Agente Secreto Kleber Mendonça Filho Brazil, France, Netherlands, Germany Sentimental Value Affeksjonsverdi Joachim Trier Norway, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom Sirāt Oliver Laxe France, Spain Steal Away Clement Virgo Canada, Belgium Wake Up Dead Man Rian Johnson United States Young Mothers Jeunes mères Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne Belgium, France
Showcase English title Original title Director(s) Production country Arco Ugo Bienvenu France Blue Moon Richard Linklater United States, Ireland The Blue Trail O Último Azul Gabriel Mascaro Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Netherlands Calle Malaga Maryam Touzani Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium Case 137 Dossier 137 Dominik Moll France Father Otec Tereza Nvotová Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland La grazia Paolo Sorrentino Italy In the Room Brishkay Ahmed Canada Left-Handed Girl 左撇子女孩 Shih-Ching Tsou Taiwan, France, United States, United Kingdom The Little Sister La Petite Dernière Hafsia Herzi France, Germany Living the Land 生息之地 Huo Meng China The Love That Remains Ástin Sem Eftir Er Hlynur Pálmason Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France Lovely Day Mille secrets mille dangers Philippe Falardeau Canada Miroirs No. 3 Christian Petzold Germany Orphan Árva László Nemes Hungary, France, Germany, United Kingdom Orwell: 2+2=5 Raoul Peck United States, France Pillion Harry Lighton United Kingdom Renoir ルノワール Chie Hayakawa Japan, France, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar Resurrection 狂野时代 Bi Gan China, France Romería Carla Simón Spain, Belgium, Germany Silent Friend Stille Freundin Ildikó Enyedi Germany, France, Hungary Sound of Falling In Die Sonne Schauen Mascha Schilinski Germany Two Prosecutors Два прокурора Sergei Loznitsa France, Germany, Netherlands, Latvia, Romania, Lithuania Tuner Daniel Roher United States What Does That Nature Say to You Geu jayeoni nege mworago hani Hong Sang-soo South Korea Wrong Husband Uiksaringitara Zacharias Kunuk Canada Youngblood Hubert Davis Canada
Panorama English title Original title Director(s) Production country As the Water Flows Cui Hu Zhuo Bian China Bidad Soheil Beiraghi Iran Blood Lines Gail Maurice Canada Brand New Landscape Miharashi Sedai Yuiga Danzuka Japan Broken Voices Sbormistr Ondřej Provazník Czech Republic The Condor Daughter La Hija Cóndor Álvaro Olmos Torrico Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay Fantasy Kukla Slovenia, North Macedonia Human Resource Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit Thailand Hysteria Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay Germany The Ice Tower La tour de glace Lucile Hadžihalilović France, Germany, Italy Idiotka Natasya Popov United States If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Mary Bronstein United States The Ivy Hiedra Ana Cristina Barragán Ecuador, Mexico, France, Spain Kontinental '25 Radu Jude Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Luxembourg Last Night in Taipei Cheng-Chui Kuo Taiwan, France The Last One for the Road Le città di pianura Francesco Sossai Italy, Germany Late Shift Heldin Petra Volpe Switzerland, Germany Lucky Lu 幸福之路 Lloyd Lee Choi Canada, United States MA - Cry of Silence မ The Maw Naing Myanmar, South Korea, Singapore, France, Norway, Qatar Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) Joel Alfonso Vargas United States Meadowlarks Tasha Hubbard Canada The Message El mensaje Iván Fund Argentina, Spain Middle Life Pavan Moondi Canada My Father's Son Bi Ru Fu Zi Qiu Sheng China, France The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo La misteriosa mirada del flamenco Diego Céspedes Chile, France Peak Everything Amour Apocalypse Anne Émond Canada A Poet Un poeta Simón Mesa Soto Colombia The President's Cake مملكة القصب Hasan Hadi Iraq, Qatar, United States Saikai Paradise Saikai Rakuen Keiko Tsuruoka Japan The Scout Paula González-Nasser United States Skin of Youth Ồn ào tuổi trẻ Ash Mayfair Vietnam, Singapore, Japan Solomamma Janicke Askevold Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland Tape Bizhan Tong Hong Kong, United Kingdom The Things You Kill Alireza Khatami Canada, France, Poland, Turkey Train Dreams Clint Bentley United States
Spotlight on Korea English title Original title Director(s) Production country 3670 Park Joon-ho South Korea Edhi Alice: Take Kim Ilrhan South Korea No Other Choice Eojjeol suga eopda Park Chan-wook South Korea The Nonsense Lee Je-hui South Korea Savon Binu Lee Jun Sup South Korea Sua's Home Kaerieoreul kkeuneun sonyeo Yun Simkyoung South Korea What Does That Nature Say to You Geu jayeoni nege mworago hani Hong Sang-soo South Korea Winter Light Gyeourui Bit Cho Hyun-suh South Korea Wrangler Hunryeonsa Seo Eun-sun South Korea
Vanguard English title Original title Director(s) Production country The Bora Sardbad Mohammad Esmaeili Iran Dance of the Living La lucha José Alayón Spain, Colombia Eel Hé mán Chu Chun-Teng Taiwan Gazelle Nadir Saribacak, Samy Pioneer United States, Turkey God Will Not Help Bog Neće Pomoći Hana Jušić Croatia, Italy, Romania, Greece, France, Slovenia Little Trouble Girls Kaj ti je deklica Urška Djukić Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia Thus Spoke the Wind Maria Rigel Armenia Wind, Talk to Me Vetre, pričaj sa mnom Stefan Djordjevic Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia
Northern Lights English title Original title Director(s) Production country 100 Sunset Kunsang Kyirong Canada Akashi Mayumi Yoshida Canada Blue Heron Sophy Romvari Canada, Hungary Clan of the Painted Lady Jennifer Chiu Canada Finch & Midland Timothy Yeung Canada, Hong Kong Follies Folichonneries Eric K. Boulianne Canada Hemela Pirouz Nemati Canada, Iran Modern Whore Nicole Bazuin Canada Nesting Peau à peau Chloé Cinq-Mars Canada Nika and Madison Eva Thomas Canada Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants Bryce Hodgson Canada The Track Ryan Sidhoo Canada, Bosnia Treasure of the Rice Terraces Kent Donguines Canada, Philippines A Welcome Distraction Brian Daniel Johnson Canada
Insights English title Original title Director(s) Production country Cover-Up Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus United States Everest Dark Jereme Watt Canada Factory Gong Chang Hao Zhou China Free Leonard Peltier Jesse Short Bull, David France United States How to Build a Library Maia Lekow, Christopher King United States I Died Li Cham Ana Ts’uyeb Mexico Landmarks Nuestra tierra Lucrecia Martel Argentina, United States, Mexico, France, Denmark, Netherlands Life After Reid Davenport United States Marriage Cops Shashwati Talukdar, Cheryl Hess India, United States Remaining Native Paige Bethmann United States Seeds Brittany Shyne United States The Shadow Scholars Eloise King United Kingdom Shifting Baselines Julien Élie Canada Walls - Akinni Inuk Sofie Rørdam, Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg Greenland With Hasan in Gaza مع حسن في غزّة Kamal Aljafari Palestine, Germany, Switzerland, France, Qatar
Spectrum English title Original title Director(s) Production country Agatha's Almanac Amalie Atkins Canada Always Deming Chen United States, France, Taiwan, China Ancestral Visions of the Future Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese France, Lesotho, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions Kahlil Joseph United States Edhi Alice: Take Kim Ilrhan South Korea Fiume o morte! Igor Bezinović Croatia, Italy, Slovenia The Great North Jenn Nkiru United Kingdom Khartoum Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Philip Cox Sudan, United Kingdom, Germany, Qatar Memory of Princess Mumbi Daniel Hauser Kenya, Switzerland WTO/99 Ian Bell United States Your Touch Makes Others Invisible Rajee Samarasinghe Sri Lanka, United States
Portraits English title Original title Director(s) Production country Are We Good? Steven Feinartz United States The Art of Adventure Alison Reid Canada Assembly Rashaad Newsome, Johnny Symons United States Caravaggio David Bickerstaff, Phil Grabsky United Kingdom The Essence of Eva Malcolm Willis, Alex Fegan Ireland Half Moon: Kinan Azmeh Frank Scheffer Netherlands I Want It All: Hildegard Knef Ich will alles. Hildegard Knef Luzia Schmid Germany John Candy: I Like Me Colin Hanks United States The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes Jenn Strom Canada Particle Dance ryushi no dance Hiromoto Oka Japan La Salsa Vive Juan Carvajal Colombia, United States Sun Ra: Do the Impossible Christine Turner United States
Leading Lights Guest curator: Matthew Rankin.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Divine Intervention يد إلهية Elia Suleiman France, Germany, Morocco, Palestine Lights in the Dusk Laitakaupungin valot Aki Kaurismäki Finland, Germany, France A Moment of Innocence Nūn o Goldūn Mohsen Makhmalbaf Iran, France News from Home Chantal Akerman France, Belgium
Focus: Edges of Belonging
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Bad Girl Varsha Bharath India CycleMahesh Suhel Banerjee India Hidden Tremors Bhoothalam P.G. Sreekanth India I Am Revathi Njaan Revathi P. Abhijith India Secrets of a Mountain Serpent Nidhi Saxena India
Altered States