Vancouver International Film Festival 2026 to open with comedy, satire and Oscar buzz

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The Vancouver International Film Festival ( VIFF ) has announced its 2026 programming.

Running Oct. 1-11, VIFF ’s 45th edition will present 162 features, including 12 world premieres and 49 Canadian premieres, and 91 short films and two episodic series from 76 different nations.

The opening film for the festival is the much talked about The Debut from writer/director/actor Jesse Eisenberg (When You Finish Saving the World, A Real Pain).

Getting early awards season buzz, the musical comedy tells the story of a shy suburban housewife (Julianne Moore) who transforms into a full-blown method actor after landing a small role in a community theatre production and coming under the tutelage of a domineering director played by Paul Giamatti.

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“This is a comedy, a satire about the theatre world, looking at kind of the self-importance that can happen in that space. It is also showing the opportunity for self-actualization as well,” said VIFF’s director of programming Curtis Woloschuk. “It’s a really warm satire that’s spot-on in what it pokes fun at and yet is also filled with genuine affection for its characters.”

Bookending The Debut is the official closing film Wild Nine Horses from British/Irish filmmaker Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Banshees of Inisherin).