In 'Judas Icarus Twists His Wrist,' Director Kerr Holden (she/her) follows BC-based wrestler, Judas Icarus, following his arduous road to recovery after an injury. On the choreography of wrestling, the power of score, and how to emphasize athleticism and physicality on screen, Holden joins VIFF Shorts programmer Casey Wei on the VIFF Podcast talking her filmmaking journey, how to identify a subject, and how metal music simply, rocks. 

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.

Hot air ballooning has been illegal in São Paulo, Brazil since the 1990's. Intrigued by this underworld of guerilla artists, who risk their lives, and freedom in order to craft and release huge, lavishly decorated paper balloons up to 70 metres in height, Director Sissel Morell Dargis began creating 'Balomania' when she was 19, spending a decade earning the trust of these baloeiros to tell this story. Today, she joins the VIFF Podcast to talk starting from nothing as a filmmaker, how to finance your film, and most importantly, how to earn the trust of your subjects as a documentarian (especially when what they're doing is technically, outlawed). 

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.

Filmmaker Emilija Gašić joins VIFF’s Vanguard series programmer Sonja Baksa to discuss 78 Days, a found-footage film that won the Vanguard Award at VIFF 2024. Shot on hi-8 tapes in her native Serbia, the film follows three sisters documenting their lives during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. Inspired by her own childhood memories, Gašić’s decision to use analog tape lent to the "docufiction" quality of the film.

In this conversation, Sonja and Emilija unpack the film’s unconventional process and the Vanguard series’ focus on "films that are pushing the boundaries of cinema", and how Gašić’s journey from Lord of the Rings fan to NYU Tisch grad shaped her voice as a director.

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 episode of the VIFF Podcast, program manager and senior programmer PoChu AuYeung sits down with acclaimed Canadian animator and filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming to discuss her latest film, Can I Get a Witness?, which screened at VIFF 2024. Set in a near future where citizens are required to exit life at 50 to combat climate change and inequality, the live-action film stars veteran Vancouver actor Sandra Oh, along with newcomers Keira Jang and Joel Oulette. Ann Marie reflects on the emotional and ethical questions at the heart of the story, as well as the film’s themes of sustainability, technology reduction, and community care. 

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 episode of the VIFF Podcast, programmer Alan Franey interviews American filmmaker Connie Field about her documentary feature Democracy Noir, which explores the rise of Viktor Orbán in Hungary and its global implications. The film follows three women—a journalist, a nurse, and a politician—who fight against Orbán's regime, highlighting Orbán's manipulation of democracy to maintain power, including changing the constitution to require a two-thirds parliamentary majority for amendments. Field discusses the parallels between Orbán's tactics and those of other authoritarian leaders (such as Trump) and the broader impact on global democracy. Despite its relevance, distribution challenges persist, particularly in the U.S.

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.

Musqueam filmmaker Faith Sparrow-Crawford joins VIFF short programmer Casey Wei to talk about Uncommon Ground, her haunting sci-fi short set in 2171. They dig into themes of ancestral connection, mental health, and the deep bond between main character Tawny and her aunt. Faith shares how storytelling runs in her family, why the short film format speaks to her, and how she's collaborating with her father on a larger TV series. Plus: a glimpse into her next project exploring Musqueam traditions around grief.

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 episode of the VIFF Podcast, Curtis Woloschuk sits down with Canadian filmmaker Josephine Anderson to talk about her latest documentary Curl Power. Having premiered at VIFF 2024, Curl Power follows five teenage girls chasing curling glory while navigating the emotional terrain of adolescence. Anderson reflects on the challenges of long-term observational filmmaking, the power of trust between subject and filmmaker, and the unexpected mentorship of Olympic champion mothers. Plus, Josephine and Curtis discuss how experimenting with virtual reality can expand creativity and deepen the approach to storytelling.

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.

On this episode of the VIFF podcast, programmer Alan Franey sits down with Mark Levinson to talk about his film, The Universe in a Grain of Sand. Levinson, who is a former theoretical particle physicist as well as a producer on films such as Mystic Pizza and Teen Wolf, details why he transitioned from physicist to filmmaker—influenced by his findings at Berkeley's Pacific Film Archive.

The Universe in a Grain of Sand premiered at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival and explores the potential of quantum computing to solve complex problems, honing in on Levinson's view of AI as an extension of human creativity that could also bridge the gap between technology and our understanding of the universe.

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.

On this episode of the VIFF podcast, director Liz Cairns joins VIFF programmer Curtis Woloschuck to talk about her feature film debut, Inedia. The film, which premiered at VIFF 2024, follows a young woman with mysterious food allergies who joins a remote island community practicing alternative healing methods. 

Curtis and Liz discuss the director's deep attachment to the writing of Inedia, casting and directing, and how to maintain intuition on a larger production.

This episode was recorded during the 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 episode of the VIFF Podcast, Year Round Programmer Tom Charity sits down with iconic Canadian filmmaker and (sometimes) opera director Atom Egoyan to discuss his latest film, Seven Veils, starring Amanda Seyfried. The film premiered during VIFF 2023 and was inspired by his remount of the opera Salome. Touching on trauma, abuse, and the artistic interpretation thereof, Adam talks about his experience directing opera and the controversies surrounding the original production.

This episode was recorded during the 2023 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.