VTIFF Program Guide 2025 - Flipbook - Page 10
FILMS A TO Z
FH: FILM HOUSE | BB: BLACK BOX THEATER | SR: SCREENING ROOM • All at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington
CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS
Directed by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni
Qatar, Chile, Iran, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, U.S. | 2025 | Documentary | 95 min |
Azerbaijani, Turkish, Persian, English w/subtitles
Sponsored by: Rena Koopman
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18 | 2:45 PM | BB
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 | 1:45 PM | BB
Sara Shahverdi is a badass. In
her remote Iranian village, she
sticks out like a sore thumb in
her signature leather jacket
and blue jeans. As the first
elected councilwoman of her
village, Sara is a force of
nature who aims to break
long-held patriarchal
traditions, end child
marriages, and empower
teenage girls to make their
own choices in life. Many
powerful cinematic stories
have shown the appalling
status of women in Iran, but co-directors Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni make
Cutting Through Rocks unique and hopeful: The documentary doesn’t focus on a rebel
fighting against oppression from the outside; incredibly, it depicts an indomitable woman
actually seizing power within a system designed to keep her down. ~OO
DJ AHMET
Directed by Georgi M. Unkovski
North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia | 2025 | Fiction | 99 min | Turkish,
Macedonian, English w/subtitles
Sponsored by: Andrea Rogers
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19 | 12 PM | FH
Living in a remote North Macedonian village, teenage Ahmet (Arif Jakup) has issues: his
mother has died, his father doesn’t understand him, he’s being pulled from school to
tend the family’s sheep, his adorable young brother (Agush Agushev) refuses to speak,
and the girl he’s crushing on, Aya (Dora Akan Zlatanova), is getting married to someone
else. Thank god for music. When he and his herd accidentally stumble on a late-night
rave, Ahmet becomes a viral sensation. This good-hearted comedy-drama mines gold
from the clash of conservative traditions and modern ways, and watching Ahmet and Aya
connect through dance and techno is a beautiful reminder of the power of music. With
winning performances from all involved, a rousing conclusion, a fab soundtrack, and a
scene-stealing pink sheep, DJ Ahmet plays the hits. ~SM
DOGFIGHT
Directed by Nancy Savoca
U.S. | 1991 | Fiction | 95 min | English
Sponsored by: Stephanie Stewart and
Ron Mogel
DEAD LOVER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24 | 7 PM | FH
Directed by Grace Glowicki
Canada | 2025 | Fiction | 84 min | English
The screening is followed by a Q&A
with director Nancy Savoca and
producer Richard Guay.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24 | 9:30 PM | FH
If you’re down for rampant silliness, then you’ll have a blast with Dead Lover. Cheap fright
wigs and accents that split the difference between Cockney and Elmer Fudd abound in
Grace Glowicki’s sophomore feature. Her Bride of Frankenstein remix—where she’s both
Dr. Frankenstein and the Bride—acquaints us with a lonely, pungent gravedigger who
just wants companionship. She finally finds the kinky love she longs for when she meets
the grieving brother of a freshly buried woman. Alas, their torrid affair is short-lived...
Photographed using a 16mm Bolex, Dead Lover is charmingly handmade; it’s shot on a
shoestring and proud of it. Glowicki bottles some of the randy, winking energy of Mel
Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, the inventive silent-era playfulness of Guy Maddin, and the
Looney Tunes zaniness of Hundreds of Beavers, but this theatrical take on the modern
Prometheus is all hers, a lovingly crafted Lovecraftian (zing!) DIY delight. ~OO
10
In Dogfight, Nancy Savoca provides a
snapshot of innocence just before it is lost. The story takes place over the course of a
single night in 1963, when U.S. Marine Eddie (River Phoenix) encounters idealistic
aspiring folksinger Rose (Lili Taylor). They meet under decidedly cruel circumstances,
but their night together finds them falling in love despite the wide gap in how they view
the oncoming war. The film is a showcase for River Phoenix who, only two years before
his own tragic death, transforms beautifully from a cocky soldier into a scared kid being
shipped to a war zone. The camerawork emphasizes the film’s tragedy, as a bustling San
Francisco gives way to empty streets and lonely—but stunningly intimate—interiors (the
music hall where Rose hopes to perform one day provides a particularly affecting
backdrop). A love letter to folk music, a tender romance, and a powerful antiwar film all
at once, Dogfight is a quiet masterpiece with a nuanced understanding of love. ~AK
VTIFF.ORG | VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025
