The Ultimate Watchlist for VIFF 2025 - Get Excited and Enjoy The Ride

Another year, another festival of VIFF and this time around, they did it (!!), The Vancouver International Film Festival is getting more recognition for young and upcoming filmmakers who wants to showcase their talent into the film world, and as well, some special and gala presentations that many of us didn‘t actually expect it.

Buckle up, get ready, and tell me… are you ready for the ride?

1. CHRISTY

Directed by: David Michôd 

Starring: Sydney Sweeney 

Christy is one of those movies you just can’t miss. Sydney Sweeney goes full transformation mode here, finally stepping away from the rom-com/sex comedy world. Feels like she’s heading in the right direction… unless this all turns out to be another American Eagle ad…haha

The film follows the story of the boxing star's rise to becoming America's most well known female boxer in the 1990s, and later the attempted murder of her by her husband in 2010.

2. Father Mother Sister Brother

Directed by: Jim Jarmusch 

Starring: Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver 

Honestly, Father, Mother, Sister, Brother is one of those films I'm already looking forward to. Jim Jarmusch returns with three family stories that feel kind of strange, kind of nostalgic, and with his signature humor that always surprises everyone. The cast is incredible: Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, Tom Waits… pure top notch talent. We haven't seen anything new from him since The Dead Don't Die, so obviously we're curious about what he brings next to the table. 

3. The Mastermind

Directed by: Kelly Reichardt 

Starring: Josh O'Connor and Alana Haim 

The Mastermind is one of those films that grabs your attention because, although it sounds like a big-budget thriller film, it's actually quite the opposite. Josh O'Connor plays a carpenter in mid 1970s, who suddenly decides to break in and steal some Arthur Dove paintings, but far from being a "mastermind," everything goes wrong. It's directed by Kelly Reichardt, so forget anything about action with slow-mo: what matters here are the silence, the emptiness, the internal conflict, and how a normal guy gets into a huge mess. It already premiered at Cannes, and it‘s getting some Oscar buzz. O'Connor offers a multi layered performance, sometimes vulnerable and he is bringing his A-Game. 

4. No Other Choice

Directed by: Park Chan-wook  

Starring: Lee Byung-hun 

Imagine losing your job after 25 years and saying, “Well, no way, now I'll eliminate the competition with fake job ads.“  That's No Other Choice, the new film from Park Chan-wook. It starts out as a dark comedy, one that makes you laugh uncomfortably, and suddenly turns into a brutal portrait of masculinity, family, and what happens when the power of technology overtakes you. Lee Byung-hun performance has lauded as incredible as an ordinary man who's falling apart, and the best part is that the director had been wanting to make this film for almost 20 years. It premiered at Venice 2025 to a standing ovation and now arrives at VIFF as one of the great movies you can‘t miss. I mean, yes, Park Chan-wook is back at it again, but this time with less drama and more existential crisis with a little touch of dark humor.

5. Sentimental Value

Directed by: Joachim Trier 

Starring: Stellan Skarsgård, Renate Reinsve and Elle Fanning 

Sentimental Value is like when you reunite with your dad after years away apart, and instead of asking how you're doing, he offers you a role in his film. Joachim Trier returns with his dream team (Renate Reinsve again, now with Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsgård) in a family drama that combines grief, emotions, and those awkward conversations we all avoid at supper time. The film premiered at Cannes, received 19 minutes of applause (yes, people there seem to have energy of a bulldog), and even won the Grand Prix. Now it arrives at VIFF with the promise of being the most emotional movie of the festival: a movie about the clash between art, family, and wounds that are still open, although it sounds heavy, Trier makes light of it, with humor and that touch that leaves you in awe by the end of it. 

6. Rental Family

Directed by: Hikari 

Starring: Brendan Fraser 

What's Brendan Fraser doing in Tokyo? Well, it turns out he's now renting himself out as a dad, uncle, or brother to Japanese people who need fake family at events. That's how crazy Rental Family is, the new film from HIKARI, where Fraser goes from "winning the Oscar for The Whale" to pretending to be part of other people's birthdays, funerals, or weddings. At first, it sounds like a really weird comedy, but, it turns into a very emotional drama about loneliness and the need to connect with someone, even if it's just a fake one. It will have his first debut at TIFF, is coming to VIFF, and looks like it could be one of those films that makes you laugh, cry, and then try to google it if they‘re real or not. 

7. The Secret Agent

Directed by: Kleber Mendonça Filho 

Starring: Wagner Moura 

Imagine that Wagner Moura (yes, Pablo Escobar himself) transformed into a tech master fleeing from São Paulo in the midst of the Brazilian dictatorship, only to end up in Recife during Carnival, where even the city seems like hell disguised as a party. The man arrives in search of his son and find some peace, but the city welcomes him with corruption and blood, corpses at gas stations. No joke. All this set in the 70s, paying homage to the 1970‘s spy movies.

The brilliant thing about this is that this madness has a heart: the character seeks to recover his mother's legacy while moving between cinema, historical memory, and resistance. The director who knows Recife and brought all that memory to the film and took home major awards at Cannes: Best Director and Best Actor. Between the chaos and political drama, the film looks set to be one of the most brutal, emotional, and memorable thrillers of the year. It already triumph at Cannes and will soon arrive at VIFF.

8. Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Men

Directed by: Rian Johnson 

Starring: Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Josh Brolin and Mila Kunis 

Wake Up Dead Man is the third Knives Out film, and this time it sends Benoit Blanc to solve a murder in a church with a gothic vibe. Critics who've already seen it say it's darker, more personal, and with that dark humor that makes you laugh even when you're watching a crime mystery movie. The cast is quite diverse this time around and I hope it's the most daring Knives Out yet and that it'll leave us doing theories on X for weeks. It premieres at TIFF, and then at VIFF, and on December 12th it's coming to Netflix so we can all put on our detective hats and enjoy the ride.

9. Jay Kelly

Directed by: Noah Baumbach 

Starring: George Clooney and Adam Sandler 

George Clooney portrays a superstar who doesn't even know who he is anymore, and his manager played by Adam Sandler takes him on a European tour as if it were VIP therapy. It's a somewhat mature comedy, but with great touch and without falling into clichés: Baumbach gets deep about fame, legacy, and second chances. Critics already are saying that Clooney gives a elegant performance, one of those that quietly wins you over. But who steals the show is Sandler and they even are talking about some Oscar buzz in the acting categories. It premiered at Venice competing for the Golden Lion, got a 10-minute standing ovation and despite the mixed reviews, is already generating Oscar buzz. It will arrive at VIFF, and then premieres in theaters on November 14 and on Netflix on December 5. Prepare those Clooney memes.

10. Train Dreams 

Directed by: Clint Bentley 

Starring: Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones 

Train Dreams is like that story about a grandfather who never tells you anything until he suddenly spills the beans and leaves you in tears (but in a beautiful way). Joel Edgerton plays Robert Grainier, a lumberjack and railroad worker in the American Northwest at the beginning of the 20th century; a seemingly simple life, but one filled with endless landscapes, loss, and resilience. The critics who saw it at Sundance called it “a visual ode to love, loneliness, and what life leaves us” (with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes).

What I hope for is this: that it makes me think about the beauty in the normal and rundimental of our lives, that the scenes put me in a depressing but beautiful state, and that Edgerton wins me over with his silent but restrained performance. It's released first in limited theaters on November 7th and then on Netflix on the 21, but VIFF will screen the movie during his run. 

11. DRACULA

Directed by: Radu Jude 

Starring: Adonis Tanta 

Well, stop my beer: the Romanian filmmaker will deliver an episode of horror, comedy, cursed AI, and social satire all at once. The main character is Adonis, the master of ceremonies of a decadent little theater that reworks the Dracula legend in his own way, sometimes lucid, always following the book. There are zombies, vampire, gore montages, and even fake spots.

Why does this Dracula deserve your attention?

It‘s a brutal satire. Jude explodes the Dracula myth and reinterprets it with irony about vampire tourism, cultural exploitation, and the consequences of the AI that we reject but inevitably consume. Imagine: Dracula and his Vampire chased by tourists with stakes.

Critics were already saying, "It's crazy... and it's badass." Some see it as an over-the-top satire that knocks you off the ground with its imagery (and yes, there are humor), while others were not into much of this crazy acid trip.

It premiered at Locarno in August, was nominated for a Golden Lion, and arrives at VIFF in October.

12. Foreigner

Directed by: Ava Maria Safai 

Starring: Chloe Mcleod and Rose Deghan 

In 2005, Yasamin Karimi, a 15-year-old Iranian girl, has just immigrated to a small town in British Columbia. Eager to belong, she follows the lead of the school’s queen bee Rachel Stanford, changing her hair, her voice, and her behaviour in an effort to become the perfect Canadian teen. But each step she takes away from her roots awakens something ancient and sinister.

Foreigner is a movie that I had the opportunity to watch at Fantasia Film Festival, and it was a quite solid film, and Ava directed the hell out of that movie and show how much love and passion she put into making this film. Don‘t miss it.

13. OBEX

Directed by: Albert Birney 

Starring: Albert Birney 

OBEX is like if Eraserhead were created by a nostalgic 80s gamer and it sucked you in with more scares than actual scares. Albert Birney stars and directs this black-and-white journey that seems like something out of a fever dream: a lonely guy lives with his dog, Sandy, and one day he starts playing OBEX, a super-strange retro video game. When Sandy disappears, the line between reality and the screen blurs, and the nod to the digital becomes an analog nightmare.

The critics from Sundance have called it a kick-ass surreal fantasy that plays with nostalgia, loneliness, and incredibly slow screens as a metaphor for our online era. It premiered at Sundance 2025, was acquired by Oscilloscope, and has now just arrived in Canada with its premiere at the Fantasia Festival and now at VIFF. 

14. A USEFUL GHOST

Directed by: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke 

Starring: Davika Hoorne 

Imagine that a little ghost is cleaning up and reawakening the family drama with dry humor? Yes, that's A Useful Ghost. The protagonist's wife, who died from pollution, yes, how odd, returns as a spirit inside a vacuum cleaner. The crazy thing: her husband does listen to her, but the family sees her as a strange "ghost exorcist" and sends her to clean up the factory of dead ghosts to prove she's useful.

Critics who saw it at Cannes, where it won the Critics' Week Grand Prix (the first Thai film to do so), say it works because it blends dark fantasy, dry humor, queer heart, and political metaphors like no one else. 

15. HONEY BUNCH

Directed by: Madeleine Sims-Fewer 

Starring: Grace Glowicki and Jason Isaacs 

Honey Bunch puts the kitten in your memory, until you realize everything is really weird. The film opens with Diana waking up from a coma without even remembering her name, and her husband Homer takes her to an experimental center in the middle of the woods, all aesthetically pleasing, but with a sinister air. What appears to be recovery turns into a hallucination where memories return with chilling truths about their marriage. There's clones, secrets, and scenes that make you wonder if Homer is a loyal boyfriend or a manipulator hidding a dark secret.

The most interesting things that the reviews and the festivals are already saying:

“It's a psychological thriller with an '80s aesthetic and soft horror, a toxic love drama that twists with every recovered memory.“ It premiered at the Berlinale as part of the Berlinale Special program and has already left critics sobbing with its combination of dark tenderness and disturbing mystery. It's already being compared to A Cure for Wellness meets twisted romance: the production design, color palette, and dreamlike visions are the kind that will stay with you.

It's being shown at TIFF (Center of Attention) and will be at VIFF in October in the Altered States section.

16. Our Hero, Balthazar

Directed by: Oscar Boyson 

Starring: Jaeden Martell and Asa Butterfield 

Our Hero, Balthazar isn't exactly your typical hero story, but rather a dark satire film about privilege, guns, and digital life. Balthazar is a rich kid from New York who becomes obsessed with impressing his fellow friend. He first starts by recording dramatic anti-gun videos, but when an online troll attacks him, he decides to travel to Texas to confront him in person, believing he can save the world from his privileged bubble. The result is uncomfortable, awkward, and very current: a mix of dark comedy and social commentary where no one comes out clean. The critics are saying that Jaeden Martell shines as Balthy, and Asa Butterfield as Solomon, the supposed villain who actually reflects another side of the same crisis. The Tribeca review described it as "a dark and disturbing comedy, with no easy answers but a lot of heart," and it already sounds like one of those films that will divide but also start a conversation. It had its world premiere at Tribeca this June and now arrives at VIFF.

17. Wind, Talk To Me

Directed and starring by: Stefan Djordjevic 

Wind, Talk to Me isn't your typical sentimental film: it's an intimate, weird, and beautiful journey about loss, told with honesty. Stefan Djordjević character returns to his native Serbia to finish his mother's summer house while celebrating his grandmother's birthday. He brings an injured dog with him (yes, he accidentally hit it himself), and with that act begins a journey that blends family memories, home footage, and a grief that seems whispered to the wind.

Critics who saw it in Rotterdam Film Festival hailed it as a docu-fiction that dances between the poetic and the real, without overdoing the drama. Variety called it original and groundbreaking, ScreenDaily called it a creative meditation on grief, and Cineuropa praised it as captivating as it explores how one copes with the absence of one's mother.

Since its premiere at IFFR in February, Wind, Talk to Me has won awards: Best Film in Bolzano and the coveted Heart of Sarajevo in Sarajevo. And the best part: it's coming to VIFF in the Vanguard section this October.

18. Late Shift

Directed by: Petra Biondina Volpe 

Starring: Leonie Benesch 

Late Shift (or Heldin, which means "heroine") is one of those hospital dramas that grips you as if you were right there in the middle of the emergency. Like the series The Pitt. The film, directed and written by Petra Volpe, follows Floria, a nurse who arrives at her night shift feeling good, only to discover they're short-staffed. Suddenly, she becomes a superhero without a cape, running between patients, administering medication, and even caring for a student intern while the hospital seems close to collapse.

The critics have already called it "a tense film like The Bear, but in an operating room," and highlighted how it puts you in Floria's shoes from the first second, with long shots in the corridors that squeeze you in. Also, critics said that Leonie Benesch shines, portraying that mix of strength and vulnerability that makes you believe every second of her suffering.

The film has already made the rounds at heavy festivals: world premiere at Berlinale, nominated by Switzerland for the Oscar for Best International Film, and now it's headed straight to VIFF in the Panorama section on October 2.

19. THE SCOUT

Directed by: Paula Gonzalez Nausser

Starring: Mimi Davila 

The Scout strikes me as this minimal story that touches you deeply without you expecting it. Sofia is a "location scout" in New York, this group of film people that finds houses for a TV pilot, but what she's really looking for among apartments, houses, and locations is something deeper. Over the course of a day, she enters the lives of strangers for two seconds, collecting curious, uncomfortable, sincere moment, until suddenly her work becomes personal.

The movie premiered in Tribeca and the critics are saying it's an intimate look at invisible jobs, a light comedy with a desire for substance about how we use each other, and what happens when your job starts to eat away at your identity. Mimi Davila is Sofia: polite, lethal in dealing with strange people, tired and present all at the same time. The tone is slow but hypnotic, like a guy showing off his day without a filter; it draws you in without the need for a dramatic twist, with the soul of the city as its chill co-star.

Paula González-Nasser, who was a real-life scout on the sets of High Maintenance draws on that experience in her debut feature.

It premiered at Tribeca in June 2025, and now makes its debut at VIFF in October.

20. Kontinental '25

Directed by: Radu Jude 

Starring: Eszter Tompa 

Kontinental '25 is one of those films that moves you from its very concept: Radu Jude takes on the story of a former teacher turned landlord who, after a tragic eviction, falls into crisis and begins to apologize to everyone. Critics in Berlin hailed it as a dark, funny, and painful satire about guilt, inequality, and the absurdity of life in modern-day Romania. It won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay and has since been lauder as one of the strongest titles of the year. I haven't seen it yet, but it's moving precisely for that reason: Jude always knows how to blend politics, humor, and human chaos in a way that resonates and leaves you thinking. And now that it's coming to VIFF, it looks set to be one of the festival's must-sees.

21. The Ice Tower 

Directed by: Lucile Hadzihalilovic 

Starring: Marion Cotillard and Gaspar Noé 

The Ice Tower (La Tour de Glace) is one of those films that moves you just thinking about it: Marion Cotillard as a cold and fascinating diva, playing the Snow Queen in a 1970s film. An orphaned teenager, Jeanne, sneaks onto the set and becomes obsessed with her. This fascination changes their lives.

Lucile Hadžihalilović (the director, who previously worked with Marion on Innocence) gives the story a surreal and poetic vibe, blending dream, desire, and that kind of cinema that leaves you thinking. Critics who saw it at the Berlin Film Festival considered it a fairy tale for adults, icy and captivating, with art direction that won the Silver Bear for Best Artistic Contribution, in other words, the production design is brutal.

It had its world premiere at the Berlinale on February 16, 2025, and also won awards at festivals such as Neuchâtel for Best Production Design and Best Film. It hits theaters in France on September 17, 2025, and it‘s going to be on VIFF.

22. If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Directed by: Mary Bronstein 

Starring: Rose Byrne, A$AP Rocky and Conan O'Brien 

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is already moving just thinking about it: Rose Byrne plays Linda, a mother on the verge of collapse who deals with everything, a sick daughter, an absent husband, a collapsing house, and a ceiling that’s literally falling in and takes refuge in a motel where even her therapist (yes, Conan O’Brien giving his best serious drama acting chops) ends up unraveling her sanity. Critics at Sundance described it as a brutal, claustrophobic black comedy so intense it leaves you feeling every emotional fall. And that Rose Byrne could earn a nomination at the Oscars.

23. TUNER

Directed by: Daniel Roher 

Starring: Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman 

Tuner already sounds cool just thinking about it: imagine a piano tuner, meticulous, calm, who discovers that his hearing can open safes as if it were music. This is a jazzy, indie-thriller film directed by Daniel Roher. Leo Woodall (One Day) stars in the film, surrounded by intense figures like Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu, and Jean Reno, in other words, a real movie with a real cast.

What's exciting is that Roher goes all in with his first fiction film, and the documentary filmmaker elegantly enters the genre. The Telluride reviews already points out that it's a clever thriller with a natural flow, not forced at all, that slowly builds and hooks you in without you even realizing it.

If I haven't seen it yet, I'm excited because it seems like something that blends the precision of sound, the risk of crime, and compelling human drama. It's coming to VIFF as part of the Showcase section. 

23. PILLON

Directed by: Harry Lighton 

Starring: Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård 

Pillion is Harry Lighton's new feature, his debut feature based on the novel Box Hill, and just knowing that Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling are exploring a queer BDSM relationship has me hyped: he as an unpracticed dom, the other as a submissive finding his voice. It had its world premiere at Cannes as part of Un Certain Regard, where it won Best Screenplay and even the Palm Dog Award. Critics have called it funny, emotional, subversive, and emotionally charged, and his performances are the kind you'll never forget. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm already excited because it looks like one of those weird, sensitive, and downright awkward romances that will stick with you. VIFF will screen the movie in October.

24. Left-Handed Girl

Directed by: Shih-Ching Yang 

Starring: Janel Tsai 

Left-Handed Girl has me hooked from the title: a mother and her two daughters move back to Taipei and open a noodle stand in a night market. Director Shih-Ching Tsou, co-writer and editor with Sean Baker tells this intimate story about putting ourselves together without the foundation of a rich family. Critics said about it at Cannes Critics' Week: it won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution, and described it as a sparkling blend of Take Out with the tenderness of The Florida Project, but shot on an iPhone with its own pulse.

Critics called it a "story of family love, resentment, and shame that exudes Taipei in every shot," and praised the production design, the chaos of the city, and the elegant editing that combines humor and emotional impact. And if that weren't enough, it's already been selected as Taiwan's entry for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.

It opens in limited theaters in the US on November 14th, and on the 28th it arrives on Netflix. And it premieres in VIFF in October.

25. LA GRAZIA

Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino 

Starring: Toni Servillo 

La Grazia hypnotizes me just thinking about it: Paolo Sorrentino releases a new film, but this time in a minimalist style, without his usual visual style. An intimate tale about a fictional Italian president, Mariano De Santis, played by Toni Servillo, who is in his final months in office. He struggles between signing a euthanasia law, granting two complicated pardons, and, in the process, dealing with the grief of his dead wife and a past filled with uncertainty. Critics described it in Venice as a melancholic, elegant, and brutally emotionally precise reflection, with Sorrentino's signature visual style, only more restrained and profound. It premiered as the opening film in Venice (and received a 4-minute standing ovation!)

Although I haven't seen it yet, it excites me precisely for that reason: it looks like a meditation on the loneliness of power, regret, and what it means to decide without certainties, perfect for when it arrives at VIFF.

26. FATHER

Directed by: Tereza Nvotová 

Starring: Milan Ondrík 

Otec (Father) has me hooked from the mere thought of it: a real-life family tragedy that hits hard. Directed by Tereza Nvotová, it follows Michal, a father who makes the unthinkable mistake of forgetting his baby in the car, that "Forgotten Baby" syndrome that, on a hot day, can devastate everything. From then on, his life, his marriage, and his identity falls apart. Venice critics describe it as an immersive experience, filmed in one single take that trap you in the pain and guilt, as if you share the weight he carries.

I'm excited because since its premiere in Venice, everything about it sounds brutal: empathy without judgment, an intimate portrayal of grief, and direction that turns pain into something you feel right down to your skin. It won applause at the premiere and is shaping up to be one of those emotional, yet artistic and sincere dramas that VIFF is missing. 

27. Calle Málaga

Directed by: Maryam Touzani 

Starring: Carmen Maura 

Calle Málaga arrives at VIFF with Carmen Maura in a heartwarming role: a 79-year-old widow in Tangier who refuses to sell the apartment where she has lived all her life. Directed by Maryam Touzani, critics describe it as a light yet profound drama, full of humor and emotional weight. It already delighted audiences in Venice and looks set to be one of those little gems to enjoy at VIFF.

28. BLUE MOON

Directed by: Richard Linklater 

Starring: Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qualley 

Blue Moon is Richard Linklater's latest film, starring Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart, the brilliant lyricist who, on the night of Oklahoma!'s premiere, loses himself in alcohol, memories, and melancholy. Critics in Berlin raved it as an intimate and delicate work about human fragility, with Hawke in one of his finest performances. After its run at festivals, it now arrives at VIFF as one of the year's must-see films.

Which movie are you most excited to see?