The West Virginia International Film Festival inspires a love of cinema through diverse and inclusive films.

Schedule:

Eileen:

During a bitter 1964 Massachusetts winter, young secretary Eileen becomes enchanted by Rebecca, the glamorous new counselor at the prison where she works.

Their budding friendship takes a twisted turn when Rebecca reveals a dark secret - throwing Eileen onto a sinister path.

Film Info:

Release Year: 2023

Rating: R

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Production Country:

South Korea

United Kingdom

USA

Dates and Times:

December 22, 23, 29 and 30, 2023 at 7:30pm

Fallen Leaves:

The film tells the story of Ansa, a supermarket shelf-stocker on a zero-hour contract, later a recyclable plastic sorter, and Holappa, a sandblaster, an alcoholic, later an ex-alcoholic, whose paths have accidentally crossed and who, despite adversity and misunderstandings, try to build some kind of relationship on the harsher side of state welfare.

Film Info:

Release Year: 2023

Rating: NR

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Production Country:

Finland

Germany

Dates and Times:

January 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2024 at 7:30pm

January 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2024 at 2:30pm

Picture Proof:

Picture Proof is a documentary that examines the intergenerational impact of addiction by chronicling the love, labor, loss, and uncertainty of one woman’s struggle to live a life of sobriety. Weaving together moments of glee, fulfillment, acceptance, sorrow, and disappointment, the film takes an intimate look at the bonds that hold one family together and a disease that threatens to tear them apart.

Dates and Times:

January 10 and 17, 2024 at 7:00pm

Monster:

When her young son Minato starts to behave strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what's going on. But as the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher and child, the truth gradually emerges.

Film Info:

Release Year: 2023

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Production Country:

Japan

Dates and Times:

January 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2024 at 7:30pm

January 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2024 at 5:00pm

Wolf Guy: January 20, 2024 at 9:30pm

WVIFF is proud to present “Beyond the Back Row,” a new film series showcasing weird, offbeat, and obscure films that would feel right at home in a grindhouse theater on 42nd Street during the 1970’s. Join us as we explore daring, no holds barred films that aren’t afraid to shock, titillate, and provoke… beyond the back row.

First up is WOLF GUY ENRAGED LYCANTHROPE!

Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba is a martial arts "manimal" in the ultra-70's, 100% bizarre mixture of horror, action and sci-fi that is Wolf Guy, one of the rarest and most sought-after cult films produced by Japan's Toei Studio. Based on a manga by Kazumasa Hirai (creator of 8 Man), and never before released outside of Japan, it's a genre film classic waiting to be discovered and a completely unclassifiable trip into phantasmagoric funk.

Chiba stars as Akira Inugami, the only survivor of a clan of ancient werewolves who relies on his supernatural powers to solve mysterious crimes. After a series of bloody killings perpetrated by an unseen force, Inugami uncovers a conspiracy involving a murdered cabaret singer, corrupt politicians, and a plot by the J-CIA to harvest his blood in order to steal his lycanthropic powers.

Directed by B-movie genius Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Sister Streetfighter, Wandering Ginza Butterfly, Karate Bear Fighter), Wolf Guy truly is one-of-a-kind, with Chiba in full effect as the part-man, part-wolf, all-karate action hero and a collection of familiar 1970's Toei actors in support. Violence, action, nudity, real surgical footage, and a psychedelic musical score all work together to create an unforgettable trip to the heights of Japanese cinematic weirdness.

Film Info:

Release Year: 1975

Genre: Action, Crime, Horror

Production Country:

Japan

Date:

December 22, 2023 - January 28, 2024

Location:

Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema

230 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV 25301.

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