Canada's insider blog

Moviegoers have just had time to readjust to daylight again after the cinematic fun and games of Ontario’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in early September. But it’s back to the theatres again, this time in British Columbia for the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) Sept. 30 to Oct. 15.

Although Toronto’s bright lights might draw more glitz and glamour, VIFF still packs a heavyweight celluloid punch. Its rep is built on savvy programming with a real international flavour, genuine clout in documentaries, plus Asian and Canadian cinema.

This year’s iteration is no exception. Movies on the top tier include Cannes Palme d’Or shock winner “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” “Certified Copy” starring the ever-delightful Juliette Binoche and “Kinshasa Symphony,” a doc detailing life and music in Africa’s Congo.

If you’re still in Vancouver at the end of October and have some movie buttons left to press, try the Vancouver Short Film Festival (Oct. 28 to 29) for work by up-and-coming filmmakers and social-media artists. Or the Vancouver Asian Film Festival (Nov. 4 to 7) and Vancouver Jewish Film Festival (Nov. 9 to 18) for slices of the city’s cultural pie.

Read more on film in Canada.