All Recommendations

Spacy

"His films are like a roller-coaster. His way of throwing the act of seeing into utter confusion is an attack on the eyes in their corporeal function, and to attack the eyes is to take on tile body itself as your opponent. The film makes you break out in sweat only by shooting a safe, peaceful gymnasium in the dark." - Koharu Kisaragi

Fantasia on the Childhood of Busoni

A fantasy on the childhood of a highly gifted pianist/composer who visited Italy & Germany on a concert tour when he was 10. The film serves as a homage to mothers who tirelessly support their talented childrens endeavors.

The Ugly Swans

In the near future, writer Victor Banev gets himself on a UN commission to investigate what's going on in the remote town of Tashlinsk, where reports tell of a virus-created race of brainiac mutants. Banev's tween daughter Ira is enrolled at a school for gifted children which has been taken over by the mutants, who have grown to despise ordinary humanity.

Karaoke Girl

Following a young escort girl in Bangkok through portraits of her daily life, introducing the nuances of a vocation borne out of a simple necessity: supporting a family in rural Thailand.

The Macahans

Zeb Macahan, a pioneering westerner, helps move his brother's family to the wild west. They run into several obstacles including the breakout of the Civil War. This sends the father back to fight in the war and leaves the family to move on ahead.

Same/Different/Both/Neither

In a period of isolation, far away from each other, 2 friends reconnect through video-letters, inspired by the poetic gaze of women experimental filmmakers: Marie Menken, Joyce Wieland, Gunvor Nelson, Yvonne Rainer. Fernanda is a Brazilian living in São Paulo, Adriana is a Mexican-Brazilian living in Los Angeles. They both share their inspiration while capturing the reality of these times.

Harmony

Lalou works as a shepherd in the mountains with his friend Clara, who came to take care of the herd before her leaving for the army. Next day, Lalou goes to a remote hotel where he secretly meets up with Harmony, an android he madly loves.

House of the Haunted Hooker

House of the Haunted Hooker is a horror story set in a 1930's brothel. Kat, the hooker, annually returns to the house of her lover and madame in hopes of finding out just how she died.

The History of Nipples

'What are my nipples for?' Ron asks and falls into a personal crisis with a drastic solution.

Crush

A coming of age film about a girl's first crush. One day while waiting for the train to school Ella sees Jamie. For the days to follow she can't get her out of her head.

Hostage Flight

A plane is hijacked and bound for London. Once the terrorists begin killing hostages, the passengers take matters into their own hands.

Wagon Wheels West

In this short western, a U.S. marshal seeks vengeance against the man who killed his father.

Raíz y Miajas

VLAFF Shorts in Competition: Program 2

Short Films featured at the 2017 Vancouver Latin American Film Festival. TAILOR (Calí dos Anjos | Brazil) - GUAMÚCHIL SEEDS (Carolina Corral Paredes | Mexico) - TIMELESS (Raúl Zendejas Escandón | Mexico) - GRIEF (Cecilia Cartasegna | Argentina) - MISSING (Carlos Trujano | Mexico) - MOTHER (Simón Mesa Soto | Colombia) - THE FUTURE IS IRREVOCABLE (Silvina Estévez | Argentina) - ROSINHA (Gui Campos | Brazil)

Simpson Street

Simpson Street is a portrait of a neighborhood in New York's South Bronx shot during the 'Summer of Sam', 1977. It opens with a brief history of the neighborhood and a description of the causes of the fire storm that destroyed an area of New York the size of the city of Boston. The focus though is on the life that remains. Watch for a brief glimpse of DJ Flash (now better known as Grandmaster Flash) running the turntables at a party on the roof of a settlement house called the Casita Maria on .... Simpson Street.

One Lucky Man

Lucky, a homeless man living in the UK, faced daily struggles to survive. Each day, he would sit on the streets, relying on the kindness of strangers to get by. One day, a kind-hearted young woman named Jessica stopped and gave him 50p, along with a warm smile. Her small gesture gave Lucky a glimmer of hope, and he began to dream of a better life. The next day, as Lucky returned to the streets, a wealthy businessman named Mukesh passed by with his security guard, Mark. Feeling sorry for Lucky, Mukesh decided to help in an unexpected way. Since he had no cash on hand, he bought Lucky a lottery ticket instead. Lucky accepted it with gratitude, never expecting what was to come. The following day, Lucky visited the shop to check his ticket. To his shock, the shopkeeper announced that he had won the jackpot. Overwhelmed with emotion, Lucky realized his life had just changed forever. As he celebrated, Mukesh and Mark walked into the shop for coffee,

The Everything Pot

When married 50-something Rachel RSVPs and sends a gift way too quickly to an acquaintance's wedding, this seemingly insignificant faux pas snowballs into a series of misunderstandings that threaten to destroy two marriages at once.

Scratch

JM is a young DJ with an intellectual disability, which makes him live unaware of the marginal world surrounding him. One night he will witness a brutal beating.

With Woman

'With Woman' follows Star, a Black, direct-entry midwife who has taken up the cause of providing Black women with home-births.