2023 sees the return of the IMAX® Victoria Film Festival

On top of our slate of returning fan favourite documentaries, this year’s festival will showcase three feature length documentaries and a brand-new IMAX® film. Vote for your festival favourite here!

Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom
Superdogs
Superdogs
Hidden Universe
Hidden Universe
Oceans
Oceans
The Scattering of Man
The Scattering of Man
Haida Modern
Haida Modern
Unarchived
Unarchived
Beavers
Beavers
Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom
Superdogs
Superdogs
Hidden Universe
Hidden Universe
Oceans
Oceans
The Scattering of Man
The Scattering of Man
Haida Modern
Haida Modern
Unarchived
Unarchived
Beavers
Beavers

Three ways to enjoy the IMAX® Victoria Film Festival

Experience cinematic wonders with the IMAX® Victoria Film Festival. Each documentary film will transport you to wondrous places with breathtaking cinematography that can only be experienced on the Giant Screen. Here for three weeks only!

  1. Film Festival Pass $49. Purchase and redeem this pass at the box office for up to a total of eight IMAX®Victoria Film Festival tickets. (Does not include Hollywood Features). Please note the Film Festival Pass is non-refundable and cannot be upgraded to an annual pass. Terms and conditions are included on the back of the pass.

  2. BEST VALUE! IMAX® Victoria Annual Pass $59. As an annual passholder, you can watch all eight film festival documentaries at no additional cost, and you’ll benefit from amazing perks including unlimited IMAX films and discounted Hollywood features for 12 months, invitations to exclusive passholder-only events, and reciprocal discounts at local attractions.

  3. Single tickets are available at the regular rate. ($11.95 Adult, $10.25 Senior and Youth, $10.75 Student, $5.40 Child age 5 and under. Additional $1 surcharge applied for 3D films.)
Buy Annual Pass Buy Single Tickets FAQ

IMAX® Victoria Film Festival Program

Click for a print friendly schedule

IMAX Film Festival Schedule

Animal Kingdom: A Tale of Six Families 2D & 3D

RATED: G | RUNTIME: 39 min. | STUDIO: K2 | RESERVED SEATING Y/N:  No | CC: Yes

Animal Kingdom is a stunning exploration into just what makes our natural world so spectacular. An educational journey from A-Z, the film introduces audiences to animals from all over the world; and explores the ways in which we can help to protect them. Across frozen snowy forests, under scorching African Sun, and into the darkest depths of the ocean, the film will break down why animals are the way they are and answer the simple but important questions that form the basis of our knowledge about the animal world.

NEW RELEASE. Animal Kingdom will screen during the Film Festival and return in 2023

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SuperdogsSuperpower Dogs 2D & 3D

RATED: G | RUNTIME: 47 min. | STUDIO: Cosmic Pictures | RESERVED SEATING Y/N:  No | CC: Yes

Join an immersive IMAX® adventure to experience the life-saving superpowers and extraordinary bravery of some of the world’s most amazing dogs. In this inspiring true story, our best friends are also real-life superheroes. Journey around the globe to meet remarkable dogs who save lives and discover the powerful bond they share with their human partners.
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Hidden UniverseHidden Universe 2D & 3D

RATED: G | RUNTIME: 40 min. | STUDIO: MacGillivray Freeman Films | RESERVED SEATING Y/N:  No  |  CC: No

Hidden Universe takes audiences on an extraordinary journey deep into space in the cinematic medium that transports audiences like no other. With the full power of IMAX cinematography, the deepest reaches of our universe are brought to life with unprecedented clarity through real images captured by the world’s most powerful telescopes seen on-screen. Stunning, high-resolution images of space allow moviegoers to explore the earliest galaxies, watch stars being born in vivid clouds of gas and dust, tour the surface of Mars, and witness images of distant celestial structures including stunning views of the Sun. These dramatic new images offer fresh insight into the origins and evolution of the universe.

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OceansOceans: Our Blue Planet 2D & 3D

RATED: G | RUNTIME: 40 min. | STUDIO: Giant Screen Films | RESERVED SEATING Y/N:  No | CC: Yes

Oceans: Our Blue Planet takes you on a global odyssey to discover the largest and least explored habitat on earth. New ocean science and technology has allowed film makers to go further into the unknown than we ever thought possible. As you journey through our oceans, experience extraordinary discoveries and uncover a spectacular world of life beneath the waves.
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BeaversBeavers (People’s Choice Winner)

RATED: G | RUNTIME: 35 min. | STUDIO: Stephen Low Company | RESERVED SEATING Y/N:  No  |  CC: No

Plunge in to the aquatic habitat of nature’s greatest engineers for an intimate look at the life of one beaver family. With breathtaking underwater photography, the viewer travels inside the lodge for a rare look at these charming and industrious creatures. Shot on location in Ontario, Canada and in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the film follows the beavers as they overcome dangers, grow, play and transform the world around them.
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Feature Documentary Evening Screenings

Films listed below are not presented in the IMAX® format.

The Scattering of Man | DƏNE YI’INJETL VICTORIA PREMIERE

RATED: NA* | RUNTIME: 75 min. | STUDIO: A film by the TSAY KEH DENE Nation | RESERVED SEATING Y/N:  Yes**  |  CC: No

*This film has not been seen by Consumer Protection BC. Viewers must be 18 years of age or older.

**March 3 – Guest speakers Luke Gleeson (Director), and Tim Cote (Director of Photography) will attend for a Q&A.

Unwilling participants in a wave of development that led to the creation of the largest hydroelectric project in the history of British Columbia, Canada, the Tsay Keh Dene people found themselves displaced from their land amidst the rising waters. Between 1960 and 1961 the Province of British Columbia, then led by the Premier W.A.C. Bennett, underwent a series of nationalizations in order to create Provincial “Crown corporations”. This initiative included the creation of what is now known as BC Hydro. In 1968, BC Hydro completed construction on the W.A.C Bennett Dam and began flooding the Rocky Mountain Trench in northern British Columbia, Canada. The resulting flood greatly impacted the Tsay Keh Dene people who have inhabited this area since time immemorial. DƏNE YI’INJETL is told from the perspective of the Tsay Keh Dene Nation and its membership about the events that took place before and after the flood. Viewed by many critics as a Provincial vanity project, development of the dam was pushed forward and completed ahead of schedule, with little thought given to the resulting impacts that the natural environment and Tsay Keh Dene people would soon face.

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Haida Modern

RATED: NA* | RUNTIME: 85 min. | STUDIO: Shore Films/Optic Nerve Films| RESERVED SEATING Y/N:  Yes**  |  CC: No

*This film has not been seen by Consumer Protection BC. Viewers must be 18 years of age or older.

**March 4 – Guest speaker Charles Wilkinson (Director) will attend for a Q&A.

Directed by Charles Wilkinson, produced by Tina Schliessler and executive produced by Kevin Eastwood, Haida Modern tells the story of legendary Haida artist, Robert Davidson. Fifty years since Davidson carved the first totem pole on Haida Gwaii in a generation, his work has led to a revitalization of Haida culture and to him being regarded as one of the greatest living artists in the world, with many of his works being considered modern masterpieces.

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Unarchived VICTORIA PREMIERE

RATED: Unrated | RUNTIME: 84 min. | STUDIO:National Film Board of Canada | RESERVED SEATING Y/N:  Yes** | CC: Yes

**March 5 – Guest speakers Elad Tzadok and Hayley Gray (Directors), Dr. Tzu-I Chung (Curator of History, Royal BC Museum), Genevieve Weber (Archivist, BC Archives), and Lou-Ann Neel (Artist, Arts Advocate) will attend for a Q&A.

In community archives across British Columbia, local knowledge keepers are hand-fashioning a more inclusive history. Through a collage of personal interviews, archival footage and deeply rooted memories, the past, present and future come together, fighting for a space where everyone is seen and everyone belongs. History is what we all make of it.

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People’s Choice Vote

Cast your vote for which documentary screening during the film festival was your favourite!

Voting open until March 31st, winner announced April 1.