#viff

Flow (Straume, dir. Gints Zilbalodis) x VIFF 2024.

Latvia's wordless animated fantasy follows a black cat escaping destruction alongside other animals on a raft after a flood and the unseen disappearance of all human life. Rendered through what resembles PlayStation 2-era visual graphics technology, the intentionally less detailed or complex animation style only enhances the naturalistic journey of animal survival at sea. It's a deceptively simple film full of splendour and majesty.

Screening at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival as part of the Showcase series at SFU Woodward's on Oct. 5 and the Vancouver Playhouse on Oct. 6.

Finnish hermit Hannu and his fascination with the endangered Eurasian lynx is the subject of the documentary Lynx Man. The documentary Lynx Man showcases a man who you’d first think to be an eccentric. Over time, you’ll see his work is less of a hobby and more of a mission. The film begins with an old Finnish man finding a dead Eurasian lynx near the street. He picks it up and takes it with…