The Vancouver International Film Festival runs from September 24 to October 9, 2015.
Absence (Ausência)
BRAZIL/CHILE/FRANCE | DIR: CHICO TEIXEIRA
THU. OCT 1, 6:15 PM, CINEMATHEQUE
SAT. OCT 3, 3:30 PM, INTL VILLAGE 9
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Confusion is often synonymous with adolescence, but Serginho (Matheus Fagundes) bears more of it than any person should have to. Chico Teixeira (Alice’s House) returns with a drama about the search for meaning and connection that enthralls with its haunting intimacy. Skin, sweat, water and heat become symbols. The performances are superb, with Fagundes the very image of vulnerability in the lead role. Sad but hopeful, quiet but intense, this is a film you can really feel.
Embrace of the Serpent (El abrazo de la serpiente)
COLOMBIA/VENEZUELA/ARGENTINA | DIR: CIRO GUERRA
THU. OCT 1, 9:00 PM, SFU-GCA
FRI. OCT 2, 1:45 PM, INTL VILLAGE 10
TUE. OCT 6, 1:30 PM, PLAYHOUSE
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In Ciro Guerra’s vibrant and wildly original feature, two explorers embark on parallel journeys—albeit 40 years apart—down the Colombian Amazon. Both are in search of a sacred flower with mythical healing powers. Both encounter a native shaman and his tales of colonialism’s devastating toll. As unlikely friendships take root, Ciro Guerra’s drama enwraps viewers in seductive visuals and alluring ethnographic details. “A soulful, strange and stunning discovery.” — Indiewire
Winner, Art Cinema Award, Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes.
The Second Mother (Que horas ela volta?)
BRAZIL | DIR: ANNA MUYLAERT
THU. OCT 1, 6:00 PM, CENTRE FOR ARTS
TUE. OCT 6, 4:15 PM, INTL VILLAGE 10
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Anna Muylaert has crafted one of the year’s biggest crowd pleasers! A cheerful São Paulo housekeeper (the wonderful Regina Case) finds her life—and the lives of the high class family she cares for—comically turned upside down when her estranged daughter (Camila Mardila) shows up and unleashes a welter of issues relating to class difference, infatuation, motherhood and privilege. “Beautifully written and acted with precision, this film’s a winner.” — Hollywood Reporter
Paulina (La Patota)
ARGENTINA/BRAZIL/FRANCE | DIR: SANTIAGO MITRE
THU. OCT 1, 8:30 PM, RIO
SUN. OCT 4, 1:15 PM, SFU-GCA
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Altruistically abandoning her promising law career in order to teach the impoverished, socially conscious Paulina (Dolores Fonzi) finds herself horribly out of her depth in an Argentinean backwater. In the wake of a sexual assault, her convictions are tested and Santiago Mitre’s provocative drama is elevated into a complex examination of the emotional ramifications for victim, perpetrators and those who stood idly by. “Fonzi is riveting in a demanding role…” — Hollywood Reporter