Newly renovated VIFF Centre reopens for in-person screenings on July 30
Opening lineup boasts bold new Ema musical, the surreal Mandibles, and France’s La Piscine
Filmgoers will be greeted by a sleek new atrium and food-and-beverage counter.
Among the much-anticipated new films on offer for live screenings is the fiery new musical Ema.
Audiences will finally get a chance to see the VIFF Centre’s shiny new renovation when it reopens for in-person screenings at the Vancity Theatre starting July 30.
The design features a sleek new lobby with white floors and grey accents, a wood-slat feature along the rounded second story, and a mod new food-and-beverage counter, complete with mixed drinks.
The VIFF team has assembled an exciting lineup of international movies that befits the return of its luxe cinema after a long pandemic closure. There will even be a few chances to check out the facility’s brand new, intimate Studio Theatre—a 41-seat space off the lobby—where some of the screenings will take place.
Amid the most anticipated films celebrating a return to live movies is Ema, Pablo Lorrain’s bold and blazingly passionate song-and-dance musical drama, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Mariana Di Girolamo as a couple torn apart by their failed adoption of a child.
Meanwhile, Mandibles is Quentin Dupieux’s surreal and Farrelly Brothers-esque tale of two simple-minded friends who try to train a giant fly in the hope of making a ton of cash.
Elsewhere, French-film fans will want to check out La Piscine, a sexually charged story of Jean-Paul (Alain Delon) and Marianne (Romy Schneider), whose passionate get-away at a friend’s luxurious villa in the south of France is interrupted, and complicated, when friends arrive.
On the other end of the spectrum, don’t miss Gunda—Viktor Kossakovski’s astonishing and empathetic documentary about a pig, described by Paul Thomas Anderson as "pure cinema".
Starting August 6, watch for character actor Udo Kier to show his chops in Swan Song, a touching, quirky portrait of a small town Liberace. The same week, the Sparks brother’s much-anticipated rock opera Annette hits the screen.
Limited tickets for in-cinema screenings are on sale now at viff.org. VIFF advises you to book in advance to ensure you get a ticket; watch Stir’s social media for a contest to win tickets. And if you still feel safer viewing films from home, there is still a range of other new movies on the year-round VIFF Connect to view.
Post sponsored by Vancouver International Film Festival