Last year was one of Victoria Film Festival's biggest years: acclaimed director Atom Egoyan opened the 30th celebration with his film Seven Veils, celebrity Eric McCormack made an appearance and there were 104 films with 35 sellouts.

Will that momentum continue? Kathy Kay, festival director for 28 of its 31 years, chimed in.

"We always try every year to create a great festival and this year is no exception," she told Victoria News. 

The 2025 festival jumps to 122 films from around the world: 92 feature-length – a record number, 28 shorts, and two FilmCan student films. Running Feb. 7-16, it also added new venues (like Intrepid Theatre), and Kay said the growth of the festival comes from "enthusiasm."

"When we found there were so many great films this year we just decided to go for it," Kay said.

The film lineup

The opening gala at Vic Theatre, Feb. 7 themed 'Rome' – covering everything from ancient to medieval to '60s – will make a splash with the opener film Bob Trevinko Likes It, which won SXSW Grand Jury and Audience Awards.

This based-on-a-true story follows a woman who sends a Facebook request to a man who just might be her "poor excuse" of a father; she's looking to reconnect. The festival describes it as gentle, funny, and a "moving celebration of kindness".

More films on the Buzz+ list include Midas Man, a UK documentary on the "underappreciated legacy" of the man who discovered The Beatles; Meet the Barbarians, a political French film following a family welcoming refugees with an unexpected twist; and the American dark comedy Riff Raff with the star-studded cast of Ed Harris, Jennifer Coolidge, Bill Murray, Gabrielle Union and Pete Davidson. 

Then, there are films that resonate close to home. National Film Board feature documentary , a past graduate of Oak Bay High, explores the Haida people's resilience as they battled against old-growth forest logging, told through 1985 archival material. The film received the VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival) Audience Award in the Northern Lights program.

Black Press Media's own talented Arnold Lim has a film in the mix of Short Bursts. peers into the room of Sang-Ook, a Hikikomori (shut-in) who builds a camera obscura as a conduit to the outside world, from which he has locked himself away for a whole year.

In Incandescence, filmmakers Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper from Gibsons, B.C. take a vivid look at the Okanagan wildfire season through the perspective of humans, animals and firefighters at battle. The soundscape is noted to be fantastic as Ripper teaches sound design at Capilano University.

The full lineup can be found in program guides at the general office on 1215 Blanshard St, in Serious Coffee shops and online at .

Grassroots charm

The festival is keeping its grassroots charm alive, said Kay, giving a nod to the volunteers and supportive community businesses who "kick in to make it happen."

The city will be peppered with colour under the festival's reach, from the free film trivia with host Richard Crouse at Bartholomew's on Feb. 9, to the pop-up pedicab at Monkey C Interactive, to Toaster Rocket Cinema – a pop-up that's "cranking the wild" with rockets and make-your-own-toast stations, the festival playfully spills.

For the little ones, Jammies & Toons on Feb. 16 is a night of cereal, pyjamas and the feature film Night of the Zoopocalypse.

The festival's industry event, SpringBoard, is happening at the Union Club. There will also be a special presentation film, Ari’s Theme, at Alix Goolden Hall with live musical accompaniment by Conservatory students.

Kay said that the appreciation of watching a film on the big screen maintains its magic. The festival's scope seems to prove that.

"I think it’s the urge to be in a space with others, enjoying the same thing together with a singular focus, and that’s what has people coming back out – whether it’s film, or music or comedy, we like to be together and have shared experiences," Kay said.

Ticket info

Advance tickets go on sale online at midnight on Jan. 9. Tickets are available for online purchase via , in person (based on availability), phone orders, or Will Call. The in-person box office is located at 1205 Blanshard St. and is open Jan. 10 to Feb. 14, Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Film tickets – $14.29. Gold Pass, with guaranteed seating at regular film screenings – $350. Five film vouchers – $69; and 10 vouchers – $129. Student Rush Tickets for ages 19-30 with student ID – $8.