Growing up, Ahmed felt at odds with her Afghan identity. She describes herself as a rebellious child, not understanding the need for a head scarf, often finding herself "irked" by assumptions about her, before she even knew herself. Perceptions about Afghanistan perpetuated by "breaking news" from CNN certainly didn't help. In her latest work, In The Room, Ahmed sets out to change the conversation.

Today, Ahmed is proud of her identity. But the journey to this place of embrace was not linear. In In The Room, Ahmed interviews five women who in their own right, have taught her something about herself, and the many complexities, beauties, and struggles Afghan women face on their own unique paths.

In this episode of the VIFF Podcast, Ahmed reminds us that in a time where women's rights are under siege, you, with your story in hand, can be an agent of hope.

This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

This isn't Ryan Sidhoo's first time exploring the relationship between sports and space. Also having directed Truth North (2017) and produced Handle with Care (2021), two titles that rounded the festival circuit time and time again, Sidhoo's next feature introduces us to three friends growing up in Bosnia, all of whom have Olympic aspirations. 

What could be seen as a trio chasing a fairytale, The Track (2025) follows three young men coming of age as they train in luge on an abandoned track from the 1984 Olympics. A hopeful look at the next generation striving to clear out the rubble from the past, Sidhoo is keen to remind us that this isn't a sports movie, but a coming-of-age story about following a dream in a post-war society.In this episode of the VIFF Podcast, we speak with the filmmaker about how to make an audience root for your subjects, the logistical hoops of taking your film to market, and the power of seeing life through cinema.

This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

Ava Maria Safai describes Foreigner as “bubblegum horror”—a genre that layers a glossy, fun aesthetic over a dark underbelly of pain. Following an Iranian teenager who moves to Canada, dyes her hair blonde, and becomes a demon, Foreigner explores the ache of wanting to belong and how far you're willing to go to be accepted.

In this episode of the VIFF Podcast, Safai shares how filmmaking can be brutal in what it teaches you about yourself—much like our formative teenage years. Reminiscent of Mean Girls but with a little more guts and gore, this conversation dives into Safai’s process in shaping this 2025 festival favourite.

This episode was recorded during the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival.

This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

Mayumi Yoshida is THE multi-hyphenate filmmaker you need to watch. As writer, director, producer, and actor for her debut feature, Akashi, Yoshida's world premiere at VIFF 2025 was met with sold out audiences, celebrating her story tackling themes of identity, class struggle, and artistic aspiration.

In this episode of the VIFF Podcast, we sit down with Yoshida to discuss her Japanese heritage, identity as an immigrant, and why existing in the in between can give you the greatest superpower of all. Plus, we dive into what made the celebrated filmmaker fall in love with cinema to begin with, starting with a formative screening of Titanic at the age of 8 in Brussels, Belgium.

This episode was recorded during the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival.

This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

Ari Kinarthy’s existence is marked by worry and vigilance around his health, as he struggles with spinal muscular atrophy. Yet he was born with the soul of an artist, becoming a celebrated composer eager to share his story through the power of music. Making him the subject of Jeff Petry and Nathan Drillot's 'Ari's Theme,' Director of Programming at VIFF, Curtis Woloschuk, sits down with Petry to discuss what it takes to build trust with your documentary subject, the importance of centering their story, and how to ensure their art will be remembered. 

This episode was recorded during the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival. 

This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

In this special edition of the VIFF Podcast, get a glimpse of what goes on behind-the-scenes when it comes to VIFF programming, and how certain shorts make it to screen at our annual festival. VIFF Shorts Forum programmer Casey Wei and her coordinator, Jaewoo Kang discuss how to find the balance between telling the story, and film as a an art form. The pair also dive into the importance of choosing titles with urgent themes, providing an opportunity for audiences to stay engaged with the topic in order to increase education, and invoke change. 

This episode was recorded during the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival. 

This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

In Santiago Lozano's 'I Saw Three Black Lights,' a wise old shaman embarks on a final journey into the Colombian jungle to settle a spiritual debt and reconnect with his late son. We sit down with the filmmaker to discuss how an immersive, lush setting can almost act as a character itself, the importance of connecting with cast in mind, body, and spirit, and more on this story of honouring the dead, and tradition.

This episode was recorded during the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival. 

This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

'Cat's Cry' filmmaker Sanja Zivkovic sits down with VIFF Festival Programmer & Program Lead, Sonja Baksa, to talk about her global career spanning all the way from SFU's Burnaby campus to Serbia. 'Cat's Cry' first fell into Zivkovic's lap when the son of famous Serbian filmmaker Goran Paskaljević, Vlad Paskaljević, approached her with the possibility of reviving this moving screenplay following Goran Paskaljević's passing in September 2020. 

The work, 'Cat's Cry', is the true story of a couple fighting for custody of their granddaughter, who has been diagnosed with a unique condition called cat's cry syndrome. Zivkovic walks us through her approach to balancing male and female perspectives in features, her journey directing for a work she hasn't written herself (a first for the filmmaker), and how experiencing motherhood at the time of the film's conception influenced her approach to character work. Plus, a few words on her guilty pleasure, HBO's 'Sex and the City.'

This episode was recorded during the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival. 

This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

When a mute young man seeks to escape into the wilderness, he quickly realizes he's not suited to survive on his own. To adapt, the young man begins to embody a feline, finding solace in a blind man's home, someone also seeking connection and comfort. Together, the pair forge an unconventional path towards tenderness and intimacy, where the mute young man begins to forget his human identity altogether. 

Kam Fai Leung's 'Save My Soul' is a unique commentary on the war of loneliness and the feeling that one must change to receive love. Leung joins the VIFF Podcast to talk plot, production, and the Hong Kong indie film scene. 

This episode was recorded during the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival. 

This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

Harvey is a lonely, overweight man who discovers new self-esteem when he submits a photo to Cherub, a gay magazine “For big men and their admirers.” Director Devin Shears talks from his move from shorts to features in this gentle, ambient character study, revealing the healing power of being admired.

This episode was recorded during the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival.

This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.