Now in its 14th year, the 2024 Vancouver Short Film Festival continues to keep it concise, with three days of short and sweet big-screen entertainment, from Friday, May 31st through Sunday, June 2nd.

Vying for your attention at this year’s festival are 46 short films of varying genres, divided among six categorized screenings, each amounting to the general running time of a single feature length film: The Past is Now; Life is but a Film; Crazy World, Crazier People; Love is Short; and Growing Pains. Here are a handful that are jumping out at us:

Old Dragon Man – A brief but intense glimpse into the interior life and thoughts of an elderly artist, while he works on a new painting, depicted in a two-and-a-half-minute animation. | Program One: Friday, May 31st @ 6:30pm.

Everlasting – A slice of local architectural-inspired history, documenting Vancouver’s oldest brick building – the Wing Sang Building – and the people who have inhabited it, featuring accounts from founder/merchant Yip Sang’s descendants. | Program Two: Saturday, June 1st @ 2pm.

100 Days – A contemporary “family dramedy” centred around the traditional Asian celebration marking a child’s 100-day milestone, where family and friends join to feast, and an ominous bowl of red bean dessert soup. | Program Two: Saturday, June 1st @ 2pm.

Cream – A music video and short comedy hybrid about an aspiring rap star who suffers from lactose intolerance. | After Dark Program: Saturday, June 1st @7pm.

Until Then – For twenty minutes, indulge your romantic fantasy of wandering the streets of Manila after dark, with strangers-turned-companions, Poy and Shirley. | Program Four: Sunday, June 2nd @ 1pm.

Tiny – A stopmotion animation depicting Nakwaxda’xw Elder Colleen Hemphill’s childhood, growing up on a float-house in the waters of the Pacific Northwest, as she remembers it. | Program Five: Sunday, June 2nd @ 3:30pm.

You can scope out the full film schedule here. If your weekend calendar is clear, you can easily watch them all and still have time to hit the beach/patio (weather permitting) since most screenings are matinees. A general pass to see the whole shebang in-person at the VIFF Centre will set you back $100 (before fee) – divided by the total number of films, that’s a lot of cinematic bang-for-buck! However, if you’d rather hedge your bets on good weather and outdoors activities, then it’s also good to know that single tickets to each of the half-dozen screenings are $25. Whichever route you take, you can take care of the business of locking in your ticket selection here.

Also of note: VSFF films get the small-screen virtual treatment for the length of the in-person festival plus one week (until Sunday, June 9th), if that’s better suited to your schedule and/or watching style (no judgment – we know that as daylight hours get longer, attention spans for indoors activities tend to decrease in proportion). Virtual festival passes ring in at $80 to watch ’em all, or $20 per program. Find out more about the Virtual edition here.

VIFF Centre

Neighbourhood: Yaletown

1181 Seymour St.

Box Office Helpline: 604-683-3456 (Mon-Fri, 12-5pm)

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