The GTA city of Vaughan continues to assert its presence on the global stage with the upcoming 13th edition of the Vaughan International Film Festival (VFF). Running from June 16 to 19, the festival will highlight a diverse slate of films from both emerging and established Canadian and international voices. Catch the program of daring short films made by Ontario high school students on the festival's opening day, or revel in the incredible international works on the 17th and 18th. The festival will close out its final day with the VFF Awards, an event complete with a red carpet, four-course meal and afterparty.
Tickets can be found on VFF's website. Find Exclaim!'s five must-see films from the festival below.
Edge of Space
Writer-director Jean de Meuron takes a trip back to 1961 with this enthralling snapshot of the US–Soviet space race, inspired by real events. When a USAF test pilot is recruited by NASA for an X-15 mission, his ensuing journey to the edge of space becomes a pivotal moment in the quest to put humankind on the moon. This impressive short earned a spot on the shortlist for the 97th Academy Awards.
Inkwo for When the Starving Return
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Amanda Strong, this adaptation of Richard Van Camp's graphic novel Wheetago War: ROTH follows an Indigenous gender-shifting child who uses medicinal powers (Inkwo) to defend their community against an onslaught of vicious monsters. Strong's stunning blend of stop motion and digital effects won the film a spot on TIFF's Canada's Top Ten List in 2024.
Maybe Elephants
Another can't-miss Canadian animation at VFF this year, and fellow member of TIFF's 2024 Canada's Top Ten list, is from 2007 Academy-Award winner Torill Kove (The Danish Poet). Inspired by Kove's own experiences, Maybe Elephants tells the story of three Norwegian sisters who relocate to Nairobi, Kenya, with their parents, eventually returning to Norway to find themselves transformed. The film will take you on a delightfully colourful, gentle and charming journey.
3.400KG
This heart-wrenching film takes an empathetic approach to one woman's struggle to undergo gastric bypass surgery after suffering a stroke. From Iranian filmmakers Atefeh Nafari and Samira Mokhtari, the protagonist is stuck between a rock and a hard place when she must diet to offset complications from her stroke, while also needing to gain weight to qualify for insurance coverage for her surgery.
Tito
Directed by Javier Celay, this Spanish film portrays the bubbling feud between a retired woman named Filo and her tenant, Tito, who stops paying rent as his struggle with mental illness heightens. The film is produced by Dani Feixas, who is also attached to VFF's 2024 Best Film Award winner, Paris 70.