Death Has No Master (La Muerte no Tiene Dueño): VIFF 2026
The Vancouver International Film Festival returns for their 45th year this October 1-11 for another curated season celebrating the best in independent, Canadian, documentary, and international shorts and features.
Canadian Premiere
Though born in Venezuela, Caro has lived in Europe for most of her life. When her estranged father dies, she returns to her childhood home to sell his cacao plantation and claim her inheritance — only to find the family mansion occupied by its former staff, who have no intention of leaving. When legal action proves ineffectual, Caro decides to dispense justice herself, unearthing histories of violence in the process.
Blending the gonzo stylization of a giallo with the unrelenting intensity of a slasher, Death Has No Master is both a hallucinatory revenge thriller and an unsparing meditation on neo-colonial violence. Led by a fearless performance from Asia Argento, the film boldly challenges expectations by anchoring our perspective in a colonizer’s gaze. With its eerie soundscapes, nerve-jangling score, and atmosphere of constant dread, this third feature from Venezuelan writer-director Jorge Thielen Armand is an unforgettable genre mashup with a political edge.
Friday, October 9
Doors 5:30 pm | Film 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE
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VIFF thanks the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations for their continued stewardship of the unceded and occupied land on which our work takes place. As an organization founded and predominantly directed by settlers and immigrants, we understand our responsibility to seek out and build authentic relationships with Indigenous communities, and to allow this ongoing dialogue to influence our practices. As part of this process, we remain committed to collaborating with and supporting Indigenous artists, filmmakers, curators, and audiences.
Caro travels to Venezuela to sell her late father’s cacao plantation, only to find the family mansion occupied by its former staff, who are determined to remain at all costs. As Caro takes justice into her own hands to claim the inheritance she believes is hers, she sets off a struggle that unearths the violence buried in the land and its memory.
- Budget$1,200,000
- Website
- IMDB
