Speaking with RANGE, Martineau outlines what to expect from VIFF Live 2025. “You get artists who are really looking at working across disciplines, across genres, and across media,” he says. “What I saw from last year carrying over to this year is that there is an appetite and an audience for that here in Vancouver. People are interested in going to a music event that is more than a music event or interested in going to a film event that is more than just a film event… VIFF Live captures that essence in the sense that it is less about these discrete categories and more about the conversations happening between different types of media.”

Oct. 5 – Mad Professor at the Chan Centre

Dub legend Mad Professor launches the series with a live set celebrating the 30th anniversary of his iconic remix album of Massive Attack’s No Protection. He’s joined by Vancouver artist Saghi Ehteshamzadeh, whose live visuals echo the mechanics of dub in a cinematic space. “The interest in that show is taking the notion of the idea and practice of dub music, which has completely redefined so much of sampling and remix culture in the music space… and thinking of the actual mechanics of dub,” says Martineau. “That was part of the invitation for Saghi Ehteshamzadeh to come be involved in doing a live dub AV version that can happen in dialogue with the music performance.”

Oct. 7 – claire rousay & Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe at the Rio Theatre

Haunted sound and cinema collide as claire rousay performs her eerily sinister live score for the animated classic The Bloody Lady, while Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe presents a performance tied directly to his captivating sound worlds like Candyman. “With these shows people can get a sense of the different ways that film score work is happening,” says Martineau. “Once you move into the world of independent cinema and non-linear storytelling… you open up a whole bunch of possibilities in terms of who can be part of that storytelling.”

Oct. 9 – Julianna Barwick & Loscil at the Rio Theatre

Experimental artists Julianna Barwick and Loscil share the stage for a show that merges their mesmerizing music with fascinating AV work. “Here you have artists that are thinking about a lot of the visual presentation of their work and also thinking about presenting that in new ways,” explains Martineau. “Both work at the intersection of digital AV composition and music… in a way that will be more enriching for the audience.”

Oct. 10 – Wilfred Buck’s Star Stories at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre

Acclaimed Ininew (Cree) astronomer, star knowledge keeper and author Wilfred Buck brings the northern night sky to life in Star Stories. Narrated live by Buck and followed by a Q&A with Anishinabe co-director Lisa Jackson, this immersive dome presentation acts as a companion to Jackson’s feature-length documentary on Buck. “I was interested in creating something that is a little more family-friendly and a little bit more open-ended in the kind of experience that has a live component in the sense of the narration,” says Martineau.

Oct. 11 – Closing Night with Köln 75 at The Playhouse

Ido Fluk’s Köln 75 closes the series with the story of Keith Jarrett’s one-hour, totally improvised piano concert that almost didn’t happen but ultimately became the best-selling solo album in jazz history. Esteemed Vancouver pianist Chris Gestrin complements the screening with music inspired by Jarrett. “The film itself sort of does everything but show the whole musical concert,” explains Martineau. “We thought it would be an interesting complement… to do a musical performance to give you the feeling of that other part you’re missing.”

Be sure to catch one of these intriguing shows while you’re at VIFF, especially if you’re looking for something more than a movie event. “For those who have the curiosity of what the relationship between sound and cinema can be and being open to seeing that, VIFF Live is your answer to that,” says Martineau.