The Vancouver International Film Festival has dropped its full slate for its 44th edition, running October 2 to 12, with a stacked lineup that signals one of its biggest years yet. The VIFF 2025 program features 269 films from 70 countries in 69 languages, including 172 features and 97 shorts. A total of 128 premieres are on the schedule, with 26 world premieres and 51 Canadian premieres among them.

The spotlight this year is firmly on Galas and Special Presentations, the largest in VIFF history. The section boasts the Canadian premieres of new work from Jim Jarmusch and Noah Baumbach, along with a Palme d’Or winner from Jafar Panahi and Oliver Laxe’s tense desert-set odyssey. Rising names Chandler Levack and Hikari join the mix, and the lineup also includes the latest “Knives Out” installment and a sweeping historical epic about Palestine’s Great Arab Revolt.

Showcase is equally stacked with marquee talent including Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Paolo Sorrentino, and Hong Sangsoo. The program also shines a light on breakout performances from young international actors under the guidance of directors Shih-Ching Tsou, Chie Hayakawa and Mascha Schilinski.

Around the World

Panorama covers the globe with dozens of titles, including a rare feature from Iraq and several Latin American entries already submitted for Oscar consideration. The Spotlight program doubles down on VIFF’s long-standing commitment to Korean cinema with Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice,” Hong Sangsoo’s “What Does That Nature Say to You,” and seven new features from emerging directors.

For audiences looking to push boundaries, VIFF’s 2025 Vanguard offers fresh international storytellers while Altered States embraces pulp and genre, featuring Canadian indie favorites Grace Glowicki and Ben Petrie in two tales of strange love and science run amok.

Homegrown filmmaking is at the fore in Northern Lights, which includes seven world premieres and a strong showing from Indigenous and BC-based directors. Leading Lights hands the curatorial reins to Matthew Rankin, who has selected films that influenced his own artistic journey.

On the nonfiction side, Insights takes on global issues, Spectrum experiments with new documentary forms, and Portraits celebrates music, art and design with profiles ranging from Sun Ra to Caravaggio. Short Forum and Modes offer audiences a window into the latest in short-form and experimental cinema. India receives a dedicated showcase with Focus: Edges of Belonging, exploring themes of migration and identity.

VIFF 2025 brings the world to Vancouver across 10 venues and 13 screens. Check out the full lineup and ticket information here.