VTIFF Program Guide 2025 - Flipbook - Page 20
FILMS A TO Z
FH: FILM HOUSE | BB: BLACK BOX THEATER | SR: SCREENING ROOM • All at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington
NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE
OMAHA
Directed by Matt Johnson
Canada | 2025 | Fiction | 100 min | English
Directed by Cole Webley
U.S. | 2025 | Fiction | 83 min | English
Sponsored by: Burlington Records
Sponsored by: Kevin Meehan
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18 | 9:30 PM | FH
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19 | 4:45 PM | FH
BFFs Matt (Matt Johnson, BlackBerry) and Jay (Jay McCarrol) have only one goal: for
their ludicrously-named band, Nirvanna, to play a gig at local venue the Rivoli in Toronto.
What started out as a cult web series eventually became a Spike Jonze-produced TV
series. Now, as the duo level up to the silver screen, they are raising the stakes. Johnson
and McCarrol go for broke in Nirvanna the Movie. It feels like every loonie they could
scare up was put in service of a preposterous gag. In their undying pursuit of that
coveted gig, Matt hatches his most ambitious publicity stunt yet. Let’s just say it involves
the CN Tower, and a certain amount of time travel (à la Back to the Future), and leave it
at that. Like the crackerjack comedy it’s flagrantly infringing, Nirvanna the Movie reflects
a culture desperately trying to wind back the clock. But underneath its slacker satire is a
sweet portrait of lifelong friends having a blast together. That’s the power of love. ~OO
At dawn, Ella and Charlie’s dad rouses them out of bed and tells them to pack their bags.
They hastily gather their most precious belongings, load up their station wagon, give
their failing vehicle a push, and set off for Omaha, with no explanation. Screenwriter
Robert Machoian and director Cole Webley tell their intimate story sensitively, shifting
between the perspectives of the kids, who are trying to make sense of this sudden road
trip, and their father, who is guarding his secrets while trying to keep things relatively
normal. Shaded by a delicate score from Christopher Bear of Grizzly Bear, much of the
drama is told in the tight confines of the family car, and there are plenty of moments of
joy en route to a devastating destination. Omaha is anchored by a stellar performance by
John Magaro (Past Lives, First Cow), an outstanding character actor in a rare lead
performance. He’s heartbreaking as a man just barely keeping it together. ~OO
ORWELL: 2+2=5
Directed by Raoul Peck
U.S., France | 2025 | Documentary | 119 min | English
Sponsored by: Robin Lloyd
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22 | 4 PM | FH
Ocar-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro), takes
the life and philosophies of author George Orwell and applies them to
the contemporary world in the expansive and alarming Orwell: 2+2=5.
The “newspeak” and misinformation Orwell foretold has accelerated
exponentially, amplifying authoritarian talking points in the blink of an
eye. Much of the film is drawn directly from Orwell’s personal diary,
read in voice-over by actor Damian Lewis (Homeland), particularly
entries from the period when he was writing his masterpiece, Nineteen
Eighty-Four. Peck zeroes in on Orwell the man, showing how his
conflicted feelings about his homeland informed a fiercely socialist
worldview. Peck then pulls in an incredible range of data points,
unfurling a lineage of wannabe dictators, up to and including Trump. It
all shows just how relevant Orwell’s words and ideas remain, and how
urgent our current situation is. ~OO
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VTIFF.ORG | VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025
