The 12th Vancouver Turkish Film Festival OPENING GALA RECEPTION

6:00 PM – Opening Reception at VIFF Centre
The evening will feature a curated selection of fine dishes representing the richness of Turkish gastronomic culture by Lokanta Vancouver. Guests will be welcomed into a warm and inviting atmosphere celebrating art, culture, and community.

8:00 PM – Opening Remarks & Acknowledgments
Welcome speeches by festival organizers and special guests, highlighting this year’s theme and partners.

8:30 PM – Film Screening – “ The Things You Kill” ( “Öldürdüğün Şeyler”)
🎥 “The Things You Kill” by Alireza Khatami – In Turkish with English Subtitles -113 min.
Canada’s official submission for the 98th Academy Awards – Best International Feature Film category.

—

Join us for an evening of Turkish-Canadian cinema and celebrate the city’s vibrant spirit at the 12th VTFF Opening Gala Night. Following the opening reception featuring exquisite examples of Turkish gastronomy, enjoy a live mini concert by Taylor Meloche & The Band, and then experience Canada’s official submission for the 98th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category — The Things You Kill — on the big screen with fellow film enthusiasts.

About “The Things You Kill”
After his mother’s mysterious death, Ali, a university professor, returns to his childhood home in Turkey. Haunted by suspicion toward his estranged father, he hires a gardener, Reza, whose quiet presence slowly draws him into a dark web of revenge, guilt, and inherited violence. As secrets from the past surface, Ali’s world begins to collapse, forcing him to confront the consequences of the things he’s done—and the things he’s tried to forget.
The Things You Kill is a psychological thriller about the weight of family, the cycles of masculinity, and the blurred line between victim and perpetrator.

Cast
Ekin Koç, Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Hazar Ergüçlü, Ercan Kesal

About Alireza Khatami
Alireza Khatami is an Iranian-Canadian writer and director known for his visually poetic storytelling and exploration of memory, loss, and identity. His debut feature, Oblivion Verses (2017), won multiple awards at the Venice Film Festival, including the Best Screenplay Award in the Horizons section. Khatami’s works often examine the intersection of the personal and political, revealing human resilience through surreal yet deeply emotional narratives. The Things You Kill marks his first Turkish-language film and continues his signature blend of psychological depth and striking visual style.

*Not suitable for minors or persons under 19 years of age.