Fast Times at Ridgemont High

“All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.” Based on 22-year-old Cameron Crowe‘s undercover exposé on life in a Southern California public high school, director Amy Heckerling’s groundbreaking ensemble comedy drama is a cinematic pop-culture juggernaut, notable for being alternately poignant and funny as it chronicles various episodes from the … Read more

All Aboard (Vancouver Premiere! Cast & Crew in Attendance)

In this compelling new documentary from filmmaker Dale Bailey, four first time train-hoppers parallel the extreme highs and lows of hopping freight trains with filming street skateboarding on an epic, 3000 mile journey across the Southern States. With minimal supplies in modest backpacks, skateboarders; Ryan, Jordan and Samji began in Florida with filmmaker Dale, and … Read more

The Hills Have Eyes (Remaster!)

New 4K restoration! From the mind of Wes Craven, THE HILLS HAVE EYES stands alongside the likes of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD as one of the defining moments in American indie horror. Taking a detour whilst en route to L.A., the Carter family (featuring Dee Wallace of E.T. and THE … Read more

Pineapple Express

Stoner Dale Denton’s enjoyment of a rare strain of marijuana may prove fatal when he drops his roach in a panic after witnessing a murder. Upon learning that the fancy weed can be traced back to them, Dale and his dealer go on the lam, with a dangerous drug lord and crooked cop  hot on … Read more

Vancouver International Film Festival 2018

In 2017, VIFF screened more than 340 films from 69 countries. Audiences were treated to fiction, documentary and genre-defying films that entertained, informed and inspired, leaving viewers in awe of creators from around the world and the filmmaking talent that exists here in Canada.  VIFF continued to expand the frame by presenting an expansive Films+ program … Read more

Luis Buñuel’s Belle de Jour (Remaster!)

Catherine Deneuve’s porcelain perfection hides a cracked interior in one of the actress’s most iconic roles: Séverine, a Paris housewife who begins secretly spending her after­noon hours working in a bordello. This surreal and erotic late-sixties daydream from provocateur for the ages Luis Buñuel is an examination of desire and fetishistic pleasure (its characters’ and … Read more

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

Though only 15, Maquia knows she will live for centuries without aging past adolescence. She belongs to the Iorph, a clan of ageless beings just like her. Maquia’s elders warn her not to fall in love with anyone outside their realm, lest she wish to encounter true loneliness in the end. But fate pushes Maquia … Read more

Nico, 1988

NICO, 1988 follows the singer-songwriter, approaching 50, leading a solitary existence in Manchester, far from her 60s glam days as a Warhol superstar and celebrated vocalist for cult band The Velvet Underground. Her life and career on the fringes, Nico’s new manager Richard convinces her to hit the road again and tour Europe to promote … Read more

Do the Right Thing

“Waaaaaaake up!” The Rio Theatre is waking up – by returning to its darkened state – with a film that speaks to our current social and political zeitgeist as no other: Spike Lee‘s DO THE RIGHT THING. Is it possible that Lee‘s triumphant 1989 masterpiece – a prescient yet timeless study of interracial tensions, conflict, … Read more