Organizers have announced the details for the sprawling lineup of screenings, live performances and more scheduled to take place as part of Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF)'s unforgettable 43rd edition.
The fest will showcase 150 features (including over 70 premieres) and 81 shorts, including numerous extraordinary experiences fusing music and cinema. Leading this year's VIFF Live programming — a series of unique, cinema-infused live shows curated by Jarrett Martineau — is Elisapie's Uvattini multimedia show, William Basinski's Arcadia Archive immersive performance, and Jeremy Dutcher, who will perform with his trio ahead of filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin doing a rare performance of her only musical recording, Bush Lady.
VIFF Live 2024 also includes the Vancouver premiere of Eno, the world's first generative documentary which celebrates the visionary Brian Eno, and Eiko Ishibashi performing the live soundtrack to Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's silent film GIFT, making its Canadian premiere.
Other musical highlights of the vast expanse of this year's VIFF programming include portraits of Iranian pop icon Googoosh (Googoosh - Made of Fire, dir. Niloufar Taghizadeh) and late soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross (Luther: Never Too Much, dir. Dawn Porter), as well as a special presentation of two episodes from the Tragically Hip docuseries No Dress Rehearsal with director Mike Downie and members of the band.
Pacific Northwest wrestlers and musicians enter the ring in Judas Icarus Twists His Wrist (dir. Kerr Holden), while a young academic discovers a personal connection to famed Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow in the docu-fiction Measures for a Funeral (dir. Sofia Bohdanowicz), and animated feature rock opera Rock Bottom (dir. Maria Trénor) — loosely based on the life and music of Robert Wyatt and his 1974 album of the same title, recorded after a four-storey fall left him paralyzed — follows young lovers caught in the self-destructive cycle of addiction.
Finally, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will return to VIFF, joined by legendary Oscar-winning composer and songwriter A.R. Rahman for a keynote and performance of work spanning his legendary career, scoring some of Hollywood and Bollywood's biggest hits. Tickets are on sale now, and you can get the full 2024 programming details here.