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.

In the summer of 1949, Nobel laureate Thomas Mann makes his uneasy return to a shattered Germany after 16 years in exile. Escorting him across a landscape divided into American and Soviet zones is his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller in another formidable performance), who serves as driver, gatekeeper, and conscience to a literary giant unwilling to confront his own political compromises. As they navigate ruined cities and hostile crowds, the journey lays bare the unresolved fractures between a famous father and the fiercely loyal daughter who refuses to let him off the hook.

Following Ida and Cold War, Paweł Pawlikowski returns to exquisite black-and-white cinematography (again by the talented DOP Łukasz Żal) to tackle the moral wreckage of postwar Europe. The drama thrives on the prickly, unvarnished realities of the father-daughter dynamic, including Erika’s biting honesty against Thomas’s towering self-importance. Pawlikowski, who was awarded Best Director at Cannes, operates at the height of his visual precision to deliver a piercing study of complicity, vanity, and the impossibility of true homecoming.

 Best Director Prize (ex-æquo), Cannes 2026

Tuesday, October 6
Doors 6:00 pm | Film 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Tickets HERE

For detailed Vancouver International Film Fest information, including current showtimes and advance ticketing, please re-direct to www.viff.org.

All ticketing for VIFF events are managed by VIFF. If you have any questions about ticketing and availability, please connect with them directly. The Park Theatre will be unable to provide any ticketing info or purchasing assistance.

Unless otherwise noted, all VIFF screenings and events at the Park Theatre are 19+ only. Please have valid ID with you upon arrival.

VIFF screenings at the Park Theatre will be busy! All seating is General Admission. We encourage all patrons to purchase tickets in advance to ensure entry, and to please come early (20-30 mins at least) to ensure time to locate great seats and purchase drinks and snacks at concession. The Park Theatre has a small lobby, and coming early helps prevent long lines and bottle-necking.

Please note: Park Theatre Groupons and passes are n/a for any VIFF events.

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.