Mon. Oct 6, 6:00 pm, SFU-GCA
Wed. Oct 8, 2:15 pm, Vancity

UK

DIR: Phil Grabsky

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It’s always a pleasure to present VIFF favourite Phil Grabsky’s (In Search of Mozart, In Search of Beethoven) latest beautifully made, exquisite-sounding inquiry into the life and music of one of classical music’s great composers. Now it is the Polish maestro’s turn... "Grabsky has astutely woven together an indelible portrait, offering us a rich and personal insight into Chopin the man and his music."—Urban Cinefile

Sat. Sep 27, 3:30 pm, Intl Village 9
Wed. Oct 1, 6:30 pm, Playhouse

USA

DIR: James Keach | Website & Trailer

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Singer and legendary guitarist Glen Campbell is so much more than just the purveyor of great tunes like "Wichita Lineman." When Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, director James Keach was given unfettered access to the singer during his farewell tour; the result is a remarkably musical testament to courage and determination that serves as the lead-in to VIFF's "Gentle on My Mind" sidebar.

Winner, Grand Jury Prize, Nashville 2014.

Sat. Oct 4, 6:45 pm, Rio
Mon. Oct 6, 4:45 pm, Rio
Thu. Oct 9, 2:15 pm, Rio

USA

DIR: Mike Fleiss | Article

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Having spent most of his career in Jerry Garcia's shadow, Bob Weir assumes the spotlight in this affectionate tribute to The Grateful Dead's influential rhythm guitarist and resident heartthrob. Mike Fleiss' rollicking documentary reveals a man every bit as unique and complex as his inimitable playing style. "A well-deserved tribute to a musician whose stature belies the film’s title."—Hollywood Reporter.

THE PAST IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL

Thu. Sep 25, 4:45 pm, Vancity
Fri. Oct 3, 9:00 pm, Intl Village 8

USA

DIR: Jason Miller | Trailer | Website | Article

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As Of Montreal's madcap leader, Kevin Barnes' creativity stems from chaos, be it outlandish stage shows, revolving bandmates or hairpin turns of musical direction. Recognizing that a definitive portrait of an artist so mercurial simply isn't possible, Jason Miller instead "evokes the frantic consciousness of Barnes, his compulsion to create and move on to the next thing... It’s a spiraling kaleidoscope..." —Boston Globe.

Thu. Sep 25, 7:00 pm, Vancity
Tue. Sep 30, 4:45 pm, Cinematheque
Wed. Oct 1, 4:00 pm, Intl Village 8

UK

DIR: James Hall, Edward Lovelace

Trailer | Review | Review

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As both Orange Juice frontman and a solo artist, Edwyn Collins had a way with words. Then, two debilitating strokes reduced his vocabulary to his wife's name and the phrase "the possibilities are endless." Documentarians James Hall and Edward Lovelace "immerse us in the experience... Their take on accident and recovery is romantic and terrifying, lush but insular. They dig beauty out of tragedy..."—Guardian.

PULP

Thu. Sep 25, 9:15 pm, Rio
Tue. Sep 30, 2:00 pm, Intl Village 10
Sun. Oct 5, 4:00 pm, Rio

UK

DIR: Florian Habicht

Website & Trailer | Article

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Almost two decades after "Common People" dominated the UK charts, beloved Britpop stars Pulp return to their unlikely industrial hometown of Sheffield to play one last gig. Florian Habicht commemorates the occasion by sharing Jarvis Cocker's musings (he equates fame to a nut allergy), high-concept vignettes (a seniors' choir sings "Help the Aged") and footage of the epochal concert."“The live performances are electrifying..."—Observer.

Sun. Sep 28, 2:00 pm, Rio
Wed. Oct 1, 1:00 pm, Intl Village 9
Fri. Oct 3, 9:30 pm, Rio

USA

DIR: One9 | Website & Trailer | Article

Classification: 14A (coarse language; drug use)

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Twenty years ago, Nas released Illmatic and redefined the sound of hip-hop with the album's intricate jazz-infused rhythms and blunt-force rhymes. In his directorial debut, graffiti artist One9 looks back at the seminal record's creation, as well as the environment and experiences that contributed to it. "It's impossible not to get swept up in the energy of the era."—Indiewire.

WHIPLASH

Fri. Oct 10, 6:30 pm, Centre for Arts
Fri. Oct 10, 9:00 pm, Playhouse

USA

DIR: Damien Chazelle | Trailer | Review

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Fierce rhythms and ferocious humour drive Damien Chazelle’s riveting film about an ambitious jazz drummer (Miles Teller, overdue for stardom) pushed beyond his breaking point by an instructor who takes tough-love to extremes (J.K. Simmons, elemental). "Unique, personal, transfixing and transforming... A pedagogical thriller and an emotional S&M two-hander."—Film Comment.

Winner, US Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic; Audience Award: US Dramatic, Sundance 2014.

Fri. Sep 26, 2:30 pm, Vancity
Wed. Oct 1, 4:30 pm, Rio
Thu. Oct 9, 7:15 pm, Vancity

Brazil

DIR: Joaquim Castro, Eduardo Nazarian, Mariana Aydar | Facebook | Article

Canadian Premiere

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Legendary accordionist, composer and singer José Domingos de Morais—better known as Dominguinhos—died last year, but not before participating in Joaquim Castro, Eduardo Nazarian and Mariana Aydar's celebration of his life and music. With his wide smile and prodigious talent, Dominguinhos and his unique mix of bossa nova, jazz and pop, all anchored by his baião rhythms, will leave you delighted.

FINDING FELA

Thu. Sep 25, 10:45 am, SFU-GCA
Sun. Oct 5, 6:15 pm, Rio
Wed. Oct 8, 1:15 pm, SFU-GCA

USA / UK / Nigeria / France

DIR: Alex Gibney

Website & Trailer | Review | Article

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Legendary Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer and political dissident Fela Kuti is brought to life in Oscar-winner Alex Gibney’s (Taxi to the Dark Side) stirring evocation of the man and his music. Mixing archival concert footage from the 70s and 80s, present-day interviews and behind-the-scenes documentation of the 2009 Broadway musical Fela!, Gibney’s kaleidoscopic film is as protean and rousing as Kuti himself was.

Sun. Sep 28, 2:00 pm, Vancity
Mon. Sep 29, 7:00 pm, Rio

Argentina

DIR: Rodrigo H. Vila

Trailer | Review | Article

Canadian Premiere

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Argentina’s Mercedes Sosa (1935-2009) was one of the most talented and politically engaged singers of the 20th century. Known as "the voice of the voiceless ones," she was a mainstay of the nueva canción folk movement, dazzled audiences worldwide and won numerous Grammy awards. Rodgrigo H. Vila’s loving portrait melds archival concert footage and contemporary interviews to breathtaking effect.

Winner, Audience Award, Panama 2013.

Sat. Sep 27, 4:15 pm, Rio
Mon. Oct 6, 9:30 pm, Vancity
Wed. Oct 8, 10:00 am, Vancity

Germany

DIR: Doris Dörrie

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VIFF favourite Doris Dörrie (Cherry Blossoms) immerses us in the mayhem of Mexico City's bustling Plaza Garibaldi and introduces us to the female Mariachis—still a rare breed—who perform there. While their passionate voices suggest indomitable spirits, moving confessional interviews reveal the discrimination and personal doubts they must contend with on a daily basis. "The female performers are dynamite... Inspiring."—NOW Toronto.

Tue. Sep 30, 5:45 pm, Intl Village 9 (3D)
Sat. Oct 4, 11:00 am, Centre for Arts (2D)

Germany / Denmark / Austria / Norway

DIR: Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Michael Madsen, Robert Redford, Margreth Olin, Karim Aïnouz | Clip

North American Premiere

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Six stunning buildings and six auteurs come together in this hymn to the art of architecture. The Berliner Philharmonie concert hall (Wim Wenders), California's Salk Institute (Robert Redford), the National Library in St. Petersburg (Michael Glawogger), Denmark's Halden prison (Michael Madsen), the Oslo Opera House (Margreth Olin) and the Pompidou in Paris (Karim Ainouz) are brought to life like never before.

LA SAPIENZA

Sat. Sep 27, 3:45 pm, Cinematheque
Mon. Sep 29, 9:30 pm, Vancity
Wed. Oct 1, 11:00 am, Intl Village 8

France / Italy

DIR: Eugène Green

Behind the Scenes | Facebook

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A celebrated Swiss architect and his wife embark on a trip to Ticinio and Rome in hopes that it will reinvigorate them (and kickstart his book about baroque architect Francesco Borromini). An encounter with teenage siblings dramatically changes the course and purpose of their journey. "A work that's both weighted with scholarly inquiry and an undercurrent of poignancy unlike anything else."—Indiewire.

THE GREAT MUSEUM

(Das große Museum)

Wed. Oct 1, 5:45 pm, Centre for Arts
Fri. Oct 10, 11:00 am, SFU-GCA

Austria

DIR: Johannes Holzhausen | Website & Trailer

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Secreting us inside the storied Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Johannes Holzhausen's unobtrusive documentary not only offers glimpses of works by Raphael, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Bruegel but also shares fascinating insights into the people and processes that ensure their preservation and continued cultural relevance. Thanks to Holzhausen, masterpieces are suddenly seen in a whole new light. "As all-enveloping and elegant as the establishment itself."—Variety.

NATIONAL GALLERY

Thu. Sep 25, 8:30 pm, SFU-GCA
Sun. Sep 28, 10:30 am, Vancity

USA / France

DIR: Frederick Wiseman

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Master documentarian Frederick Wiseman continues his supremely intelligent examinations of institutions with this probing, beautifully made look at one of the west's great bastions of culture—Britain's National Gallery. Key staff and ongoing problems and controversies are all quietly examined, and the result is "a truly inspiring piece of filmmaking [that is] universally recognisable as a great, great film."—Telegraph.

Sun. Sep 28, 11:00 am, SFU-GCA
Tue. Oct 7, 9:15 pm, Vancity
Thu. Oct 9, 10:00 am, Vancity

USA / Austria / France / Germany / Russia

DIR: Amei Wallach | Trailer

Canadian Premiere

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Generally considered the most important living Russian artists, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov cooperated fully on this documentary by Amei Wallach (Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine). More than 20 years after fleeing Russia, the Kabakovs return to install six walk-through installations in venues throughout Moscow. "Dynamically shot... conveying the emotional urgency of the Kabakovs’ work."—The New York Times.

ART AND CRAFT

Mon. Oct 6, 4:00 pm, SFU-GCA
Fri. Oct 10, 7:15 pm, Vancity

USA

DIR: Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman

Website & Trailer | Trailer

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This is the incredible story of art forger Mark Landis who, using coloured pencils, frames from Walmart and simple stain techniques, has replicated the works of masters and then donated them to 46 US museums—duping dozens of scrupulous curators along the way. Sam Cullman and Jennifer Grausman's fascinating film is "in the tradition of Crumb and the early films of Errol Morris..." —Variety.

Fri. Oct 10, 7:00 pm, Rio

Canada
DIR: Thomas Burstyn
World Premiere

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Acclaimed filmmaker Thomas Burstyn (This Way of Life) turns his inquisitive camera on his aunt and uncle: Yolanda Sonnabend, a London artist who resides in decaying splendor, and Joseph Sonnabend, an esteemed AIDS physician who's returned to a house he hates and sister he can't relate to. The enthralling result is a film about family relations, fractured sibling love, gender, art, science, diaspora and legacy—and the uncomfortable role of the filmmaker as voyeur, confidant, family.

FIELD OF DOGS
(Psie Pole)

Sat. Sep 27, 8:45 pm, Vancity
Tue. Sep 30, 2:00 pm, Vancity

Poland / Switzerland / Italy

DIR: Lech Majewski | Trailer | Review

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Video Artist/Filmmaker Lech Majewski's follow-up to The Mill and the Cross is another visually ravishing tale, this one about a poet coping with the car-accident deaths of his beloved and best friend. "[Like The Mill...], the visuals are again striking and the theme of death deeply examined... Again there is a strong feeling that the stakes are high—a dialogue with God, a struggle for the soul..."—Hollywood Reporter.

Thu. Oct 2, 1:30 pm, Playhouse
Tue. Oct 7, 6:45 pm, SFU-GCA
Fri. Oct 10, 10:00 am, Vancity

UK

DIR: Luke Dodd, Michael Whyte | Trailer

International Premiere

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"An excellent, intelligent, and unfussily traditional documentary about a gifted artist who photographed many key 20th-century figures, including Mick Jagger, John Betjeman, Queen Elizabeth and Samuel Beckett. Now 89, a frail and lucid Bown reflects on her life... Others pay homage... and speak insightfully about aesthetics, technique, and the context of Bown’s work. Directors Luke Dodd and Michael Whyte’s austere filmmaking eminently suits the material..."—Guardian

THE SALT OF THE EARTH
(Le Sel de la Terre)

Mon. Oct 6, 12:30 pm, Centre for Arts
Thu. Oct 9, 8:45 pm, Centre for Arts

France / Italy / Brazil

DIR: Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Review | Trailer

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Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado's magnetic portrait of photographer Sebastião Salgado, is "illuminating and uplifting... [It moves] from his early years growing up on a Brazilian farm... through to his increasingly large-scale photographic projects that took him to many of the world's most hostile and dangerous conflict zones... A moving tribute to a peerless talent."—Guardian.

Winner, Special Jury Prize, Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2014.

Mon. Sep 29, 11:00 am, SFU-GCA
Sat. Oct 4, 9:00 pm, SFU-GCA

USA

DIR: Jody Lee Lipes | Clip

Canadian Premiere

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Cinematographer/director Jody Lee Lipes slips us inside The New York City Ballet's storied confines and observes Justin Peck's creation of the company's 422nd original piece. Punctuated by instances of divine inspiration and profound frustration, the film celebrates movement while illustrating how arduous creativity can sometimes be. "A delight for balletophiles, the film [represents] a beautifully crafted entree into the intricacies of collective endeavor." —Variety.

MISS HILL: MAKING DANCE MATTER

Wed. Oct 1, 9:30 pm, Vancity
Fri. Oct 3, 1:30 pm, SFU-GCA
Fri. Oct 10, 10:00 am, Cinematheque

USA

DIR: Greg Vander Veer | Trailer

Canadian Premiere

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Legendary teacher Martha Hill made a colossal impact on the North American dance scene that few others can lay claim to. A colleague of Martha Graham, Hill became Juilliard's first Director of Dance, where she pioneered a mix of classical ballet and modern dance forms. Sprinkled with archival footage and anecdotes from dance luminaries, Greg Vander Veer's lively and inspiring biography celebrates this singular heroine.