Presented by Vancouver International Film Festival, in community partnership with Indian Summer Festival and Avishkar Arts

Set amidst the ethnic violence that erupted in 2023 in Manipur, Northeast India, Fireflies in the Dark explores survival, resilience, and the human cost of civil conflict. Three interwoven stories craft distinct but connected portraits of lives caught in the strife: a pregnant woman struggles to give birth as gunfire surrounds her; a young boy searches for his mother with only a displaced stray calf for companionship; and a cafe owner risks her safety to shelter those fleeing for their lives.

Yogesh Lohan has thoughtfully conceived and sensitively executes the film with restraint and empathy. Told through fragmented, non-linear storytelling and intimate handheld photography, the film refuses to aestheticize violence, turning its gaze instead towards the margins of catastrophe and asking what it means to keep going when lives are frozen by conflict. The film neither simplifies the complexities of the crisis nor reduces its characters to symbols of suffering.

Dates:

Tuesday, October 6th 2026 @ 9:30pm
Wednesday, October 7th 2026 @ 3:15pm

USE CODE VF26ISFEST5 for $5 off one Adult Ticket!