No new introduction is necessary for 2026 Victoria Film Festival as it continues to treat locals to a curated selection of films from around the world. Although the genre plate is not often full, there’s usually something curious worth checking out. This year, the focus is on tales of terror.
And padding out this list are other works of interest that should satisfy even a foodie. For those unable to make it to this corner of the world, keep an eye on your local arts theatres, many of these films are likely to travel. If I had to select only one must-see, it’s A Useful Ghost. Not for the romantic comedy angle or its Valentine’s Day slot, but because it sounds so absurd it demands to be witnessed.
The links below lead to additional information, spoilers possible, and ticket pages for those attending.
A Magnificent Life
The Vic / 12-Feb / 3:00 PM
Sylvain Chomet is a filmmaker who loves paying tribute, not just to people, but to entire creative worlds. From his affectionate portrait of Jacques Tati in The Illusionist to his fascination with artistic spaces, his films often feel like handwritten letters set in motion.
Here, Chomet turns his attention to Marcel Pagnol. Outside France, Pagnol may not be a household name, but his influence across literature and cinema is immense. There’s a question hovering over the film, does this echo It’s a Wonderful Life in spirit? Whether that lands will depend on how modern audiences connect with a figure so deeply rooted in French cultural memory.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
Capitol 6 / 9-Feb / 5:30 PM
No foodie should miss a documentary named after one of the most debated dishes in Chinese cuisine. Purists argue it isn’t authentic without shark fin, while others champion chefs who rework the recipe using ethical alternatives without losing its soul.
Michelin-starred chef David Yárnoz returns to Taiwan intent on challenging tradition through innovation. Meanwhile, chef Kai Ho stays closer to origin, searching for deeper expressions of local flavour. Whether their philosophies collide or quietly coexist is part of the intrigue.
Space Cadet
The Vic / 15-Feb / 11:30 AM
Not to be confused with the 2024 Emma Roberts comedy, this gentle, reflective film from Kid Koala tells a coming-of-age story through unexpected means. Robot is built to help a young girl, Celeste, reach her best self. When his task ends and he’s left behind, the story shifts into something quietly devastating.
The echoes of Robot Dreams are unmistakable and welcome. A soft sci-fi meditation on purpose, abandonment, and growing up.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
The Vic / Feb 6 / 9:15 PM
A feature-length expansion of the cult web series, this mockumentary follows Matt and Jay, unemployed bandmates playing exaggerated versions of themselves, as they attempt to book a gig at Toronto’s legendary Rivoli.
Their plan involves a DeLorean-inspired RV. Naturally, it goes sideways. When everything collapses, they’re flung back to 2008 and forced to find a way home. And yes, the title is literal. This has nothing to do with Kurt Cobain.
The Thing with Feathers
The Roxy / Feb 14 / 7:30 PM
Benedict Cumberbatch is haunted, though he isn’t sure why. A crow follows him, speaks to him, and screams accusations in the voice of David Thewlis.
Rooted in Max Porter’s Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, this adaptation carries the texture of an Edgar Allan Poe tale filtered through contemporary loss. Cumberbatch’s commitment to this strange, intimate film is striking. It lingers and unsettles.
Hunting Matthew Nichols
Toaster Rocket Cinema / Feb 14 / 10:00 PM
In 2001, Vancouver Island teens Matthew Nichols and Jordan Reimber vanished while investigating a local legend tied to 19th-century trapper Roy Mackenzie. Twenty-five years later, Matthew’s sister Tara uncovers disturbing evidence.
Alongside filmmaker Markian Tarasiuk, she returns to the island seeking answers. What unfolds is not tidy true crime, but an excavation of memory, grief, and unresolved truth.
Dead Lover
Toaster Rocket Cinema / Feb 14 / 7:00 PM
When a deeply unpleasant-smelling gravedigger loses her soulmate, she refuses to accept death as final. Determined to bring him back, she pushes past good sense and good taste.
Presented in Smell-O-Vision, Grace Glowicki’s Dead Lover is chaotic, oddly tender, and gloriously unhinged. A cult classic in the making.
A Useful Ghost
The Roxy / Feb 14 / 2:00 PM
This may be the best romantic comedy you’ll ever see that co-stars a haunted vacuum cleaner. Surreal, warm, and quietly political, the film imagines a world where spirits return through everyday appliances.
Introducing Boonbunchachoke as a talent to watch, it blends genre play with emotional sincerity. With no Ghostbusters to call, perhaps it’s best to let the vacuum do its thing.
Lucid
The Vic / Feb 13 / 10:00 PM
Directed by Ramsey Fendall and Deanna Milligan, Lucid expands on their earlier short and leans further into the surreal. Mia wants to be an artist but finds herself crushed by expectation.
It’s not quite Suspiria, though the comparison lingers. Using lucid dreaming as escape, Mia enters a space where inspiration and terror bleed together.
2026 Victoria Film Festival Sizzle Reel
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