As the 45th Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) draws closer to its October 1st opening, it has teased audiences with the reveal of a bold line up for its VIFF Live programming, featuring a lineup of 10 exclusive live experiences featuring internationally acclaimed composers, musicians, filmmakers, and multimedia artists.
This year’s lineup welcomes multiple Canadian and North American premiers spanning avant electronica, experimental performance, Indigenous futurism, orchestral film music, and immersive audiovisual art. VIFF Live Audiences can experience the festival’s first collaboration with MUTEK, the renowned Montreal electronic music and digital arts festival; the Canadian premiere of the immersive Arctic film TAKKUUK, featuring live performances by Inuit throat-singing duo Silla and Greenlandic rapper Tarrak; the Canadian debut of experimental music duo Los Thuthanaka; the North American debut of Derrick Gee’s Radio Hour; an intimate masterclass with Emmy and BAFTA-winning composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, and the North American premiere of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Cinematic Suites: The Denis Villeneuve Scores, performed with a full orchestra and presented in partnership with the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.
Exploring the theme of “reworlding” curator Jarrett Martineau, invites audiences into imaginative new ways of experiencing image and sound through artists who challenge conventions and push creative boundaries.
“VIFF Live is stretching the boundaries of time, space, form, and genre to make room for daring, unconventional, and singular creative voices who boldly challenge formal limits and histories,” says Martineau. “From avant electronica and Indigenous psychedelia to next-generation digital tastemakers and lavish orchestral film scores, this year’s program offers a wide-ranging series of unique events and experiences, including several notable Canadian and North American premieres.”
More program highlights include a special 30th anniversary presentation of The Last Angel of History, featuring a live performance by Speaker Music and a conversation with DeForrest Brown Jr. and Otolith Group founders Kodwo Eshun and Anjalika Sagar; the North American premiere of The KLF: 23 Seconds to Eternity, a new compilation of the legendary electronic duo’s complete film and video archive; ERASERHEAD XIU XIU, the acclaimed band’s hallucinatory live reinterpretation of David Lynch’s cult masterpiece and a rare live audiovisual performance by acclaimed pianist Kelly Moran.
VIFF LIVE 2026 Line-up includes:
The Last Angel of History: 30th Anniversary Screening with Speaker Music (Live) + Kodwo Eshun & Anjalika Sagar (The Otolith Group) and DeForrest Brown Jr. in conversation
Friday, October 2 @ 5pm
VIFF Centre, 1181 Seymour Street
Co-presented with the Vancouver Art Gallery
MUTEK x VIFF Live with Dopplereffekt / Honeydrip / MIIIA + Guests
Friday, October 2 @ 9:30pm
SFU Fei & Milton Wong Theatre, 149 West Hastings Street
Co-presented with VIFF, MUTEK, CALQ, Chapel Sound
The KLF: 23 Seconds to Eternity with CHXMERAS (Live AV)
Saturday, October 3 @ 5pm
VIFF Centre, 1181 Seymour Street
TAKKUUK with Tarrak + Silla (Live)
Saturday, October 3 @ 8:30 pm
SFU Fei & Milton Wong Theatre, 149 West Hastings Street
Audience Note: This film contains strobing sequences
Kelly Moran with Bahar Khazei + XEL
Sunday, October 4 @ 8pm
Venue: SFU Fei & Milton Wong Theatre, 149 West Hastings Street
An Evening with Cristóbal Tapia de Veer
Monday, October 5 @ 5:30pm
VIFF Centre, 1181 Seymour Street
Supported by SOCAN
Los Thuthanaka
Monday, October 5 @ 8:30pm
The Pearl, 881 Granville Street
ERASERHEAD XIU XIU
Tuesday, October 6 @ 8:30pm
The Rio Theatre, 1660 East Broadway
Derrick Gee’s Radio Hour
Wednesday, October 7 @ 8pm
Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston Street
Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Cinematic Suites: The Denis Villeneuve Scores
Friday, October. 9 @ 7:30pm
Chan Centre for Performing Arts at UBC, 265 Crescent Road
Co-presented with VIFF Live, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
With multiple Canadian and North American premieres, rare artist appearances, and collaborations with leading cultural organizations, VIFF Live continues to redefine the intersection of cinema and live performance.
VIFF Live find the stages at various city venues from October 2-9 within the Vancouver International Film Festival program October 1-11, 2026 which is set to be revealed on August 26. Visit viff.org for more performance details. Tickets are on sale now, with Early Bird pricing available for select events through August 26.