The 38th annual Virginia Film Festival brought a taste of world cinema to Charlottesville from Oct. 22 through Oct. 26. Over the course of the festival, more than 100 films screened around the City, giving University students and local community members an early look at some of the year’s most anticipated films.
With such a diverse and extensive program stretched across a mere five days, it is impossible to see enough movies. As a result, much of the attention from festivalgoers is drawn each year to the biggest premieres in the “Gala Screenings” or “Spotlight Screenings” series, which often involve notable actors and directors, prominent production companies and celebrity guests in attendance.
However, it is also important to acknowledge the less well-known films from this year’s program, which also demonstrated tremendous artistry. Here are four hidden gems from VAFF, all of which screened at the same time as films in the “Gala Screenings” category.
“Resurrection” (2025)
The newest film from acclaimed Chinese director Bi Gan, “Resurrection” is an ode to Chinese cinematic history told in a series of six seemingly disconnected vignettes, with each one representing one of the five senses and the sixth representing the mind. “Resurrection” screened on the opening night of VAFF, somewhat overshadowed by the Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.” However, with a theatrical release date of Dec. 12 in the United States, it is a feat of cinematic achievement that is worth seeing.
The film is centered around a dystopian future world in which most people have lost the capacity to dream. That is, until one woman discovers an inhuman creature, played by Jackson Yee, who is still able to dream. In order to hunt down the creature, she chases him through six dream sequences that each come together to form a methodical journey through Chinese history.
Bi uses sweeping cinematography and long, unbroken shots to build out a visceral, deeply creative world inside the screen. Each short story is tonally and stylistically distinct from the one before, with narratives inspired by genres such as noir, coming-of-age and romance, all of which star Yee in a genuinely transformative performance as the creature. As the film navigates its 156-minute runtime, it winds through the history of the medium of film itself in a sweeping, grandiose artistic vision.
“Sound of Falling” (2025)
Much like “Resurrection,” this film is yet another slow, thoughtful trip through history, told across several smaller stories. “Sound of Falling” focuses on the histories of four generations of girls and young women in rural Germany. The German film “Sound of Falling” made its premiere at VAFF on the festival’s second day, around the same time as the Gala Screening of “The Testament of Ann Lee.” However, with no American release date yet announced, those who saw it at the festival were treated to a treasure of a film.
“Sound of Falling” is the second narrative feature directed by Mascha Schilinski, and is Germany’s bid for Best International Feature at next year’s Academy Awards. The film encapsulates the formative youths of four girls on a farm in rural Germany, told across four different time periods. Each girl’s life is rife with varying levels of loss and hardship, resulting in a powerful piece about the loss of youthful innocence.
Schilinski beautifully maneuvers the camera in an almost voyeuristic manner, with shots through keyholes or cracks in doors that give the film a sense of intimacy. Schilinski does not hold back in displaying the slow, infectious nature of grief, with a unique form of storytelling that switches among the four stories seemingly without reason. As a result, it makes each character feel inextricably connected to one another, and to the viewer as well.
“The President’s Cake” (2025)
The Iraqi selection for the Academy Award for Best International Feature, “The President’s Cake” is a harrowing, yet darkly comedic narrative about an Iraqi girl in the 1990s living under the regime of President Saddam Hussein. “The President’s Cake” screened in the same block as well-known American director Richard Linklater’s newest film, “Nouvelle Vague.” With a streaming release date of Dec. 26, spectators will have to wait a while to experience a film that is a significant achievement for Iraqi cinema.
Set in the days leading up to the president’s birthday, the film follows a 9-year-old girl named Lamia, who has been assigned to bake a cake for her class in honor of the holiday or face punishment from her teacher. Lamia, who lives in poverty along the Mesopotamian Marshes, travels to the city with her grandmother and her pet rooster in order to gather ingredients. Along the way, she runs into a series of seedy, manipulative characters in the process, complicating her escapade through marketplaces and shops.
With the majority of its runtime spent focused on Lamia’s odyssey through the city, the film has a uniquely naive perspective. Lamia and her friend, Saeed, make decisions that only children would make, such as giving all of their money to a shopkeeper under the pretense of checking the legitimacy of the cash. With deeply sympathetic characters set in a vivid setting, “The President’s Cake” is a feat of filmmaking, made all the more impressive by it being the debut feature film for director Hasan Hadi.
“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” (2025)
One of the most creative, outlandish and impressive comedies of this year, “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” is an uproariously funny time-travel adventure. One of the last films at this year’s festival, “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” screened at around the same time as the festival’s closing film, “Rental Family.” With a scheduled release date of Feb. 13 in select theaters, however, audiences will have to wait a few more months to catch this spectacle in theaters again.
Based on the Canadian web-series-turned-television-show “Nirvanna the Band the Show,” the film carries on the legacy of the beloved program by picking up right where the show left off. Much like the original show, the film is a mockumentary starring the film’s director, Matt Johnson, and screenwriter, Jay McCarrol, as fictionalized versions of themselves looking to book a gig for their band, entitled “Nirvanna the Band,” at the storied Toronto bar, the Rivoli. Finding themselves unsuccessful, the duo end up travelling back in time to 2008 — the time when the original web series aired — to change their luck.
The film is complete with some of the most extravagant stunts and settings of any film this year. Many scenes take place on the streets of Toronto, with Johnson and McCarrol involving real people and places in their elaborate plan. In the early minutes of the film, Johnson and McCarroll jump off of Toronto’s CN Tower with parachutes in an awe-inspiring act of extreme chicanery. Johnson and McCarroll have an infectious chemistry on screen that can only come from the lifelong friendship that the two share. Incorporating jokes relevant to both 2008 and to 2025, the film feels like a timeless thrill.
While VAFF has come and gone for another year, many of the films that screened during the festival will be released in theaters and on streaming services in the coming months. Although the big names and blockbusters are fun to watch, it is also important to check out the more obscure and independent films.
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