Community Trail Running presents:
The Trail Running Film Festival

After a great debut in 2023, and an even better follow-up in 2024-2025, the Trail Running Film Festival is back on tour in 2026 and coming to Vancouver once again! Expect another amazing evening of films, performance, inspiration, and community.

Our amazing sponsors will ensure you have an awesome evening. Big thanks to 5 Peaks, Odlum Brown, Sinister Sports, Coast Mountain Trail Running, RunGo and more!

Come and help us celebrate our incredible sport as we explore individual and collective potential. The festival will also have a 50/50 in support of BC AdventureSmart and include prizes and giveaways to add to our celebration!

We’re excited to bring you stories from around the world by filmmakers sharing their work of adventure, inclusivity, wilderness, art, and diversity across the trail and ultra community. Trail running is awesome and so is this film festival!

Thursday, April 2
Doors 6:00 pm | Event 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Tickets (Early Bird $30+ s/c until January 1) | $40 + s/c
Squad Pass Group Pricing (Group of Four $140+ s/c - Available online only)

Lee Sang-il’s surprise hit of 2025, KOKUHO (which translates as, "national treasure"), a nearly three-hour epic period drama about the cloistered world of traditional kabuki theater, has defied expectations and become Japan’s top-grossing domestic live-action film of all time. It was selected as Japan’s 2026 Oscar submission for Best International Feature, and is currently nominated for a Best Makeup and Hairstyling Academy Award.

KOKUHO traces five decades in the intertwined lives of two kabuki actors: an orphaned outsider and the heir of a prestigious stage family, whose friendship curdles into obsession and rivalry. Adapting a novel by Shuichi Yoshida, Lee — best known internationally for VILLAIN and RAGE — has crafted a “transporting and operatic” story that “blends backstage melodrama, succession saga and making-of-an-artist dynamics” into a sweeping meditation on ambition, artistry and sacrifice. With Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Ken Watanabe, Mitsuki Takahata, and Shinobu Terajima.

"A visual knockout that patiently explores the price that artists pay for their craft, Kokuho's astonishing technical virtues are only rivaled by Ryô Yoshizawa and Ryûsei Yokohama's superb performances." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"At the center of its superb cast, Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama deliver exquisitely layered performances that interweave offstage characterization and onstage theatricality. " (The Hollywood Reporter)

Friday, April 3
Doors 12:30 pm | Film 1:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

KOKUHO "Kokuhô" (Lee Sang-i, 2025 / 175 mins / 14A / Japanese w. EST) In post-war Japan's economic boom, gangster family-born Kikuo Tachibana finds himself adopted by a kabuki actor. Despite life's challenges, he develops into a gifted performer.

Join award-winning host Dandy in the rebirth-day party of the century, THE FOURTH ANNUAL FABERGÉ BALL. Join the bacchanal that folx are calling “a perfect celebration of spring solstice.” Every year we offer the gods and godd-ESSES a tribute serving of the hottest DRAG, COMEDY & BURLESQUE in East Vancouver. From a troupe of sexy bunnies to burlesque jesus, you'll get everything a Good Friday has demands. As always, Mr. Fabergé, the show’s billionaire sponsor, has requested to perform a ritual of his own, so 19+ recommended (and required).

Don’t want to be crucified on the runway? Then come coutured out in your most pagan solstice symbols or sexiest bunny lewks because COSTUMES ARE ENCOURAGED and AWARDED!

Friday, April 3
Doors 7:00 pm | Event 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

EARLY BIRD - Just $20! Offer expires midnight, March 8.

Main Floor Assigned $30 + s/c | $35+ s/c at the door
VIP – First 4 rows $40 + s/c | $45+ s/c at the door **VIP ticket holders also get an interactive prop bag to be used during the show!**

The Dandy's Disciples 4 Pack $100 + s/c (Available online only)

Featuring:

Jordy Matheson in the reprisal role of 'Mr. Fabergé'

Full cast list coming soon!

About your Host:

Dandy (he/him) is the award-winning host made popular on TikTok for his viral videos promoting queer joy! Winner of Host of the Year 2024 for Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and awarded runner up in the Georgia Straight’s BEST OF VANCOUVER for his show Drag Attack! – you can catch him regularly on stage in his shows at the iconic Rio Theatre in Vancouver, or touring regularly this year between LA and New York City. His all new series Dandyland, which highlights businesses, organizations, and artists in the lower-mainland’s LGBT Community, premiered this Summer on Optik TV and is currently nominated by the Costume Designers Guild Awards for Excellence in Short Form Design thanks to already award winning, multi-talented Costume Designer, Rafaella Rabinovich

@dandyandfriends

"I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way."

The Rio Theatre is beyond excited to kick off our Friday Late Night Movie series in April with one of our all-time most requested titles: WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film was a technical and cultural achievement inasmuch as it brought together some of the greatest cartoon stars from the worlds of Disney and Warner Brothers, and it brought them together... In real life!

In this visionary version of 1940s Hollywood, animated cartoon stars are a subjugated minority, living in the ghetto-like Toontown. Eddie Valiant (the late, great Bob Hoskins, in one of his most memorable performances) a down-on-his-luck detective, is hired to find proof that Marvin Acme, gag factory mogul and owner of Toontown, is playing hanky-panky with femme fatale Jessica Rabbit, wife of Maroon Cartoon superstar, Roger Rabbit. When Acme is found murdered, all fingers point to Roger, and the sinister, power-hungry Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) is on a mission to bring Roger to justice. Roger begs the Toon-hating Valiant to find the real evildoer and the plot thickens as Eddie uncovers scandal after scandal and realizes the very existence of Toontown is at stake! Also starring Joanna Cassidy, and featuring the voices of Charles Fleischer, Kathleen Turner, and more.

"'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' is an innovative and entertaining film that features a groundbreaking mix of live action and animation, with a touching and original story to boot." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"This is a movie that demands to be seen twice. The first time, one is likely to be dazzled to the point of exhaustion; the second time, one can appreciate the artistry and good humor more easily." (Gene Siskel)

"An ingenious blend of hand-drawn animation and live action, spliced with humour that's by turns madcap, surreal and violent, 'Roger Rabbit' demonstrates that it's possible to push the technical boundaries while still cooking up decent characters and plots." (Total Film)

"For audiences who grew up with cartoons as a natural part of their moviegoing, the shock may not be the mix of live and animated folk--it may come from the truly revolutionary sight of great icons of rival studios cheerfully rubbing shoulders." (LA Times)

Friday, April 3
Doors 11:00 pm | Movie 11:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Late Night Date Night! Bring a friend, date, or your favourite character and get two-for-one entry.

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (Robert Zemeckis, 1988 / PG / 104 mins) 'Toon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly raised when Marvin Acme is found dead, and Roger is the prime suspect.

WALL-E, short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class, is the last robot left on Earth. He spends his days tidying up the planet, one piece of garbage at a time. But during 700 years, WALL-E has developed a personality, and he's more than a little lonely. Then he spots EVE, a sleek and shapely probe sent back to Earth on a scanning mission. Smitten WALL-E embarks on an adventure when he follows EVE across the galaxy.

"The tale of a trash compactor from the future who's desperate for connection isn't just one of Pixar's unlikeliest successes, but its most arresting and prescient." (The Ringer)

"I wonder a little what kids will make of the long silence of the first half followed by the disorienting mania of the second, but there's nothing here that's not wonderfully imagined and lovingly presented. " (Time Out)

Saturday, April 4
Doors 11:00 am | Movie 11:20 am *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
All Tickets $10

WALL-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008 / 98 mins / G) A robot who is responsible for cleaning a waste-covered Earth meets another robot and falls in love with her. Together, they set out on a journey that will alter the fate of mankind.

In one of the most lauded performances of 2025, Timothée Chalamet stars in writer-director Josh Safdie's (UNCUT GEMS, GOOD TIME) MARTY SUPREME as Marty Mauser, a charismatic yet deeply flawed reluctant who harbours a singular, dream no one respects - to become the world's greatest tennis table champion. In his obsessive pursuit of greatness, Marty goes to hell and back and falls into frantic hustles, an affair with a movie star, and countless schemes to fund his ambition. MARTY SUPREME ably showcases Safdie's trademark, hyper-kinetic and at times rapid fire style of story-telling. With Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler the Creator, Odessa A'zion, Fran Drescher and Sandra Bernhard.

"The movies can be a wonderfully amoral medium, and I found myself liking Marty Mauser -- and not just liking him, but actually rooting for him to succeed. It takes more than a good actor to pull that off. It takes one of the greats." (NPR)

"Certain to be rated the greatest 2.5-hour ping-pong movie ever, Marty Supreme takes a tired formula only to pull it apart and reassemble it with wicked intent, like a psychotic toddler experimenting on his sister’s hapless doll." (Wall Street Journal)

Saturday, April 4
Doors 1:15 pm | Movie 1:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

MARTY SUPREME (Josh Safdie, 2025 / 149 mins / 14A) In the 1950s, young Marty Mauser pursues his dream of becoming a champion table-tennis player.

For over a decade, Dr. Steve Boyes, conservation biologist and National Geographic Explorer, has been in search of a mysterious, elusive herd of Ghost Elephants in the highlands of Angola, deep within its forests. From acclaimed director Werner Herzog ("Grizzly Man"), GHOST ELEPHANTS follows Boyes on an epic journey as he sets out with some of the best master trackers in the world, in pursuit of an animal long believed to be a myth.

"'Ghost Elephants' resides in the intersection of science and lyrical reverie — Werner Herzog’s treasured terrain. Here, the filmmaker focuses less on the elephants and more on the pursuers, the dreamers." (New York Times)

"'Ghost Elephants' steps outside the boundaries of science-based nature docs. It makes for a fantastic story." (The Hollywood Reporter)

Saturday, April 4
Doors 4:30 pm | Movie 5:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

GHOST ELEPHANTS (Werner Herzog, 2026 / 98 mins / NR) Follows a mysterious herd of ghost elephants in the jungles of Angola.

Colin (Harry Melling) is a young gay man who lives with his parents and sings in a barbershop quartet. He meets Ray (Alexander Skarsgard), a leather-clad, hyper-masculine biker straight out of a Tom of Finland drawing. They hook up in a dark alleyway — a one-way transaction that sets the power dynamic for their relationship. Colin naturally adopts the role of submissive, learning to cook and clean alongside whatever else Ray tasks him with. Despite his aptitude for obedience, Colin grows tired of sleeping on the floor and begins to wish for more.

Call Me by Your Name meets Phantom Thread in leather chaps. Harry Lighton’s debut feature is a horny, wickedly funny exploration of the sub-dom relationship. Melling and Skarsgard ignite the screen with physically and emotionally intimate performances and authentic chemistry. An orgy of sex and kink that playfully examines themes of power, autonomy, compromise, but most importantly, love.

"Even the most Netflix-gagged romcom fan will realize that [director Harry] Lighton’s film is exactly the shot in the arm the genre needed. May we all live so happily ever after." (Globe and Mail)

"The sex scenes are refreshingly graphic, but they’re never used for shock value. The real shock comes from how emotionally involved the characters become within the construct of their kink." (Boston Globe)

Saturday, April 4
Doors: 7:00 pm | Film: 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

PILLION (Harry Lighton, 2026 /107 mins / 18A) A timid man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive.

"Sometimes, I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion."

Before STRANGER THINGS combined science fiction, Spielbergian touches and ‘80s nostalgia to much acclaim, Richard Kelly set the high-water mark with his debut feature, DONNIE DARKO. Initially beset with distribution problems, it would slowly find its audience and emerge as, arguably, the first cult classic of the new millennium.

In a funny, moving and distinctly mind-bending journey through suburban America, one extraordinary but disenchanted teenager is about to take Time's Arrow for a ride. After surviving a freak accident, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to explore what it means to be alive, and in short order to be in love, he uncovers secrets of the universe that give him a tempting power to alter time and destiny. Also starring Jena Mallone, Mary McDonnell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, Katharine Ross, and a giant bunny.

Restoration courtesy of Arrow Video and the American Genre Film Archive.

“If revisiting an old movie is a bit like going back in time, that sense of disorientation is doubled in DONNIE DARKO. A haunted miasma of youthful alienation, suburban malaise, cosmic upheaval and 1980s pop-cultural infatuation, writer-director Richard Kelly’s captivatingly strange 2001 debut plays more than ever like its own suspended-in-time artifact.” (Justin Chang, L.A. Times)

"A stunning technical accomplishment that virtually bursts with noise, ideas and references." (Salon.com)

Saturday, April 4
Doors 9:30 pm | Movie 10:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

DONNIE DARKO (Richard Kelly, 2001 / 113 mins / PG) Donnie Darko, an awkward teenager, befriends Frank, a figure in a bunny costume only he can see, who informs Donnie that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.

Lee Sang-il’s surprise hit of 2025, KOKUHO (which translates as, "national treasure"), a nearly three-hour epic period drama about the cloistered world of traditional kabuki theater, has defied expectations and become Japan’s top-grossing domestic live-action film of all time. It was selected as Japan’s 2026 Oscar submission for Best International Feature, and is currently nominated for a Best Makeup and Hairstyling Academy Award.

KOKUHO traces five decades in the intertwined lives of two kabuki actors: an orphaned outsider and the heir of a prestigious stage family, whose friendship curdles into obsession and rivalry. Adapting a novel by Shuichi Yoshida, Lee — best known internationally for VILLAIN and RAGE — has crafted a “transporting and operatic” story that “blends backstage melodrama, succession saga and making-of-an-artist dynamics” into a sweeping meditation on ambition, artistry and sacrifice. With Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Ken Watanabe, Mitsuki Takahata, and Shinobu Terajima.

"A visual knockout that patiently explores the price that artists pay for their craft, Kokuho's astonishing technical virtues are only rivaled by Ryô Yoshizawa and Ryûsei Yokohama's superb performances." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"At the center of its superb cast, Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama deliver exquisitely layered performances that interweave offstage characterization and onstage theatricality. " (The Hollywood Reporter)

Sunday, April 5
Doors 2:15 pm | Film 2:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

KOKUHO "Kokuhô" (Lee Sang-i, 2025 / 175 mins / 14A / Japanese w. EST) In post-war Japan's economic boom, gangster family-born Kikuo Tachibana finds himself adopted by a kabuki actor. Despite life's challenges, he develops into a gifted performer.

A masterclass in escalating dread and shocking violence, CHIME reaffirms Kiyoshi Kurosawa as one of modern horror’s most innovative and unpredictable visionaries. During a class, culinary instructor Matsuoka (Mutsuo Yoshioka) witnesses the suicide of a young student (Seiichi Kohinata), driven to insanity by what he claims is a chiming sound that controls his mind. Soon, Matsuoka begins hearing it, too, and descends into a mental abyss that warps his perception of reality and gives vent to his darkest impulses. Expertly blending psychological portraiture and hallucinatory mystery, Kurosawa offers a chilling depiction of madness that interrogates the very stability of our everyday existence, with the director’s patented creeping tracking shots and complex sound design fashioning an immersively terrifying and unnerving cinematic experience.

Sunday, April 5
Doors 6:00 pm | Screening 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

CHIME (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024 / 45 mins / NR / Japanese w.EST) A school teacher is woken by a sound that fills him with dread.

This film screens alongside Kiyoshi Kurosawa's SERPENT'S PATH. There will be a 10 minute break between the two films.

Obsessed with avenging his young daughter’s murder, yakuza subordinate Miyashita (Teruyuki Kagawa) recruits Nijima (Aikawa), a brilliant yet strangely detached math teacher, to help carry outcarry out a scheme to kidnap and torture the man allegedly responsible. But the plan goes awry when their target, Otsuki (Yurei Yanagi), fingers another mobster as the mastermind behind Miyashita’s tragedy. As the two partners ascend the yakuza chain of command in search of the true culprit, Miyashita and Nijima follow the cold, calculating logic of revenge, descending into a moral abyss from which they may never surface. Featuring Kurosawa’s patented long takes and his claustrophobic arrangement of space, SERPENT'S PATH is one of the legendary director’s most chilling investigations into the endless cycle of violence and the evil that lodges in every heart.

SERPENT'S PATH "Hebi no michi" (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1998 / 85 mins / NR / Japanese w. EST) A man enlists a friend to help him identify and exact revenge upon his daughter's murderer.

Almost 20 years into their fruitless quest to book their band a gig at a hallowed Toronto venue, co-creators Matt (writer-director Matt Johnson) and Jay (writer-composer Jay McCarrol) decide it’s time to pull out all the stops. Displaced in the past, these serial bumblers inadvertently wreak havoc on the timeline, dramatically (and hilariously) rewriting their futures.

Overflowing with pop culture references, wild gags, and inspired set pieces, NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE is gloriously ridiculous, endlessly clever, and riotously entertaining. This one is for all the deranged dreamers out there.

"The shrewd visual trickery and sleight-of-hand editing that collapse the distance between the original series’ zero-budget aesthetic and this more comfortably subsidized version can’t actually erase the passage of time. If anything, they deepen it. Content collapsed." (The Ringer)

"A thrilling, roof-shaking blast." (A thrilling, roof-shaking blast." (Slate)

Sunday, April 5
Doors: 9:00 pm | Film: 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE (Jay McCarrol &Matt Johnson, 2025 / 98 mins / NR)When their plan to book a show at the Rivoli goes horribly wrong, Matt and Jay accidentally travel back to the year 2008.

Elvis sings and tells his story like never before in a new cinematic experience from visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann (MOULIN ROUGE!, ROMEO + JULIET).

"Resurrecting Elvis Presley at the peak of his showmanship, Baz Luhrmann's truly epic concert documentary restores some joy into The King's legacy, thank you very much." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"This is a fun movie, and a revealing one, too." (New York Times)

Monday, April 6
Doors: 12:45 pm | Movie: 1:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

EPiC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT (Baz Luhrmann, 2025 / 96 mins / PG) Follows Elvis Presley, featuring never-before-seen footage and recordings.

Directed with pristine precision by Park Chan-wook, NO OTHER CHOICE is a wickedly clever takedown of the corporate rat race that finds a perfect avatar in Lee Byung-Hun's skillfully hapless performance.

Man-soo (Lee) had it all: a loving wife, two talented children, two happy dogs. He even bought the beautiful forest-enclosed house where he grew up. Then, after 25 years of dedicated work for Solar Paper — where he was awarded Pulp Man of the Year in 2019 — Man-soo is suddenly given the axe.

"Brilliantly scripted by Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, and Toronto’s own Don McKellar, 'No Other Choice' is a chilling satire on workplace politics and ruthless status-seeking." (TIFF)

Monday, April 6
Doors 8:15 pm | Film 8:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

NO OTHER CHOICE (Park Chan-wook, 2025 / 135 mins / 14A / Korean w.EST) After being laid off and humiliated by a ruthless job market, a veteran paper mill manager descends into violence in a desperate bid to reclaim his dignity.

In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein asks Dr. Euphronius to help create a companion. They give life to a murdered woman as the Bride, sparking romance, police interest, and radical social change. With Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Annette Benning, Penélope Cruz, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Srasgrard, Julianne Hough.

"THE BRIDE! unapologetically walks down the bloody aisle with style and verve, sparking mixed reactions -- some question its unity, while many more wholeheartedly say “I do” without a prenup." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"[Maggie] Gyllenhaal has crafted an imperfect rebel yell that invites you to surrender to its dream factory-fueled delirium. Ignore the naysayers, and don't wait until it amasses a cult following. This jittery contraption deserves to be appreciated now, not later. " (Miami ArtZine)

"A shocking, violent, and genre-bending tale of love, deception, and female rebellion brought to life with a punk edge." (ThatShelf)

"[Maggie] Gyllenhaal, at least, seems to be having a good time... It’s nice to see a filmmaker trying to surprise her audience as well as herself. " (The Ringer)

"This gorgeously debauched film amounts to a chaotic, an uneven but oddly beautiful collision of ideas, all captured by an agitated camera as electrically charged as the life force that reanimates the bride herself. " (Observer UK)

Tuesday, April 7
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time

THE BRIDE! (Maggie Gyllenhaal, 2026 / 130 mins / 14A) Dr. Frankenstein's lonely Creature travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aide of a Dr. Euphronius in creating a companion for him. The doctor reinvigorates a murdered young woman and the Bride is born. She is beyond what either of them intended, igniting a combustible romance, the attention of the police and a wild and radical social movement.

Colin (Harry Melling) is a young gay man who lives with his parents and sings in a barbershop quartet. He meets Ray (Alexander Skarsgard), a leather-clad, hyper-masculine biker straight out of a Tom of Finland drawing. They hook up in a dark alleyway — a one-way transaction that sets the power dynamic for their relationship. Colin naturally adopts the role of submissive, learning to cook and clean alongside whatever else Ray tasks him with. Despite his aptitude for obedience, Colin grows tired of sleeping on the floor and begins to wish for more.

Call Me by Your Name meets Phantom Thread in leather chaps. Harry Lighton’s debut feature is a horny, wickedly funny exploration of the sub-dom relationship. Melling and Skarsgard ignite the screen with physically and emotionally intimate performances and authentic chemistry. An orgy of sex and kink that playfully examines themes of power, autonomy, compromise, but most importantly, love.

"Even the most Netflix-gagged romcom fan will realize that [director Harry] Lighton’s film is exactly the shot in the arm the genre needed. May we all live so happily ever after." (Globe and Mail)

"The sex scenes are refreshingly graphic, but they’re never used for shock value. The real shock comes from how emotionally involved the characters become within the construct of their kink." (Boston Globe)

Saturday, April 4
Doors 8:50 pm | Film 9:20 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

PILLION (Harry Lighton, 2026 /107 mins / 18A) A timid man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive.

Four films. On tour.
A defining moment in climbing.

Brooke Raboutou, Sean Bailey & Connor Herson on the hardest ascents in the world, plus an Alaskan alpine curveball: two of the best in the mountains - Jackson Marvell & Matt Cornell - take Shawn Raboutou & Nathaniel Coleman way out of their element. Come watch the next generation make history.

Wednesday, April 8
Doors: 5:15 pm | Event 6:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time. 

A father (Sergi López) and his son arrive at a rave deep in the mountains of southern Morocco. They are searching for Mar -- daughter and sister -- who vanished months ago at one of these endless, sleepless parties. Surrounded by electronic music and a raw, unfamiliar sense of freedom, they hand out her photo again and again. Hope is fading, but they push through and follow a group of ravers heading to one last party in the desert. As they venture deeper into the burning wilderness, the journey forces them to confront their own limits.

SIRÂT was nominated for two Oscars including Best Sound and WON for Best International Feature.

"A brutal reminder that the journey can be more important than the destination, 'Sirât' is an unforgettable exercise in tension that wallops its audience like a deafening blast of bass to the face." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"'Sirāt' is not for everyone. But it is the sort of overwhelming cinematic experience and undeniable work of sound and vision that could be life-changing for those ready to receive it." (Rolling Stone Magazine)

Wednesday, April 8
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SIRÂT (Oliver Laxe, 2026 / 14A / 115 mins / English subtitle) A father, accompanied by his son, goes looking for his missing daughter in North Africa.

The International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4) returns with a curated collection of world-class films spanning conservation, family, adventure and culture, including a standout short featuring prominent American chef and cultural storyteller David Chang chasing permit in Mexico.

Among the films featured are:

Against the Current — Fred Campbell brings his mother to a remote northern salmon river for one final journey, reflecting on resilience, aging and the enduring migration of Atlantic salmon

Dhala What You Must — Simon Kay journeys into Tanzania’s remote wilds in pursuit of Africa’s most coveted freshwater predator, the tigerfish

Full Circle — Jako Lucas travels with his father to Gabon’s untouched coastlines, exploring family bonds through shared waters and the pursuit of tarpon and African species

Generations — Captain Ben Whalley confronts the uncertain future of striped bass through the eyes of his daughter, weaving conservation, family and livelihood into a call for action

He Bought a Fishing Lodge — Jacob Oake leaves comfort behind to buy a remote Labrador fishing lodge in search of purpose and legendary brook trout

Let’s Make a Fishing Movie — prominent American chef and cultural storyteller David Chang steps onto the flats to chase permit with fly-fishing personality Mike Dawes

Price of Admission — three friends travel deep into Patagonia in pursuit of massive brown trout, discovering the effort required to chase the fish of a lifetime

The Lucky Place — veteran angler Helmut Zaderer journeys the globe before finally finding fortune in Mexico’s Magdalena Bay

The Only Boat on the Lake — brothers Nic and Steve Schwartz return to a small Kansas bass lake that once served as refuge during their family’s darkest moments

Tidekeepers — Hilton Graham explores life on the Bahamian flats, where guides protect ecosystems, preserve culture and shape the future of their communities

Two Roads on the River — April Vokey and Adrienne Comeau reunite on the water to reflect on ambition, identity and the different paths that shaped their lives

Thursday, April 9
Doors 5:00 pm | Event 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

General Admission - $17 + s/c

IF4 is a curated collection of world-class films and cinematic storytelling from independent fly-fishing filmmakers around the world. Each year, IF4 brings together powerful stories that capture the heart, soul and adventure of fly fishing. More than a film festival, IF4 is an unforgettable night of culture, connection and stoke for the global fly-fishing community.

Almost 20 years into their fruitless quest to book their band a gig at a hallowed Toronto venue, co-creators Matt (writer-director Matt Johnson) and Jay (writer-composer Jay McCarrol) decide it’s time to pull out all the stops. Displaced in the past, these serial bumblers inadvertently wreak havoc on the timeline, dramatically (and hilariously) rewriting their futures.

Overflowing with pop culture references, wild gags, and inspired set pieces, NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE is gloriously ridiculous, endlessly clever, and riotously entertaining. This one is for all the deranged dreamers out there.

"The shrewd visual trickery and sleight-of-hand editing that collapse the distance between the original series’ zero-budget aesthetic and this more comfortably subsidized version can’t actually erase the passage of time. If anything, they deepen it. Content collapsed." (The Ringer)

"A thrilling, roof-shaking blast." (A thrilling, roof-shaking blast." (Slate)

Thursday, April 9
Doors: 9:00 pm | Film: 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE (Jay McCarrol &Matt Johnson, 2025 / 98 mins / NR)When their plan to book a show at the Rivoli goes horribly wrong, Matt and Jay accidentally travel back to the year 2008.

Following its world premiere at this years SXSW Festival, the highly anticipated new NOFX documentary 40 YEARS' OF FUCKIN' UP, which chronicles the chaotic four-decade history of the iconic punk band, is headed to the Rio Theatre.

Produced by NOFX frontman Fat Mike, the film features archival footage, candid interviews, and explores how the band became a successful independent act despite a history of self-destruction and controversy. The documentary covers the band’s 40-year journey from "drug-addled teenage punks" to influential rock icons. Like a real-life SPINAL TAP, the film features intimate, often shocking footage, including backstage chaos, drug use, and personal stories.

Friday, April 10
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets $30 + s/c

Please note: This movie screens with a brief intermission.

NOFX: 40 YEARS OF FUCKIN' UP (James Buddy Day, 2026 / 90 mins / NR) A documentary portrait of iconic punk rock legends NOFX.

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."

As relevant today as it was upon its release in 1988, director John Carpenter's highly subversive (not to mention under-rated) 80s classic THEY LIVE - starring one of that decade's most beloved WWF wrestling stars, the late "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (a proud Canadian!) - is one of our most frequently requested retro titles. This campy, dystopian work of sci-fi horror has Piper playing Nada, a wandering, homeless drifter without meaning in his life. Things take a turn when he discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world - the way it truly is. As he walks the streets of LA, Nada notices that both the media and the government are comprised of subliminal messages meant to keep the population subdued, and that most of the social elite are skull-faced aliens bent on world domination. With this shocking discovery, Nada fights to free humanity from the mind-controlling aliens.

"A bizarre, intriguing combination of political allegory and old-fashioned paranoid horror." (Empire Magazine)

"John Carpenter's THEY LIVE has cult favorite written all over it, and part of the reason is the way it regenerates the cheap, juicy, surprisingly potent sci-fi of the 1950s." (Boston Globe)

Friday, April 10
Doors 11:00 pm | Movie 11:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Late Night Date Night! Bring a friend and get two-for-one entry.

THEY LIVE (John Carpenter, 1998 / 93 mins / 14A) A homeless drifter discovers a reason for the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor: a conspiracy by non-human aliens who have infiltrated American society in the guise of wealthy yuppies. With the help of special sunglasses that reveal the aliens' true faces and their subliminal messages ("marry and reproduce," "submit to authority"), our hero tries to stop the invasion. This satire of Reaganomics and the "greed is good" era also has one of the funniest (and longest) fight scenes in American cinema.

Lee Sang-il’s surprise hit of 2025, KOKUHO (which translates as, "national treasure"), a nearly three-hour epic period drama about the cloistered world of traditional kabuki theater, has defied expectations and become Japan’s top-grossing domestic live-action film of all time. It was selected as Japan’s 2026 Oscar submission for Best International Feature, and is currently nominated for a Best Makeup and Hairstyling Academy Award.

KOKUHO traces five decades in the intertwined lives of two kabuki actors: an orphaned outsider and the heir of a prestigious stage family, whose friendship curdles into obsession and rivalry. Adapting a novel by Shuichi Yoshida, Lee — best known internationally for VILLAIN and RAGE — has crafted a “transporting and operatic” story that “blends backstage melodrama, succession saga and making-of-an-artist dynamics” into a sweeping meditation on ambition, artistry and sacrifice. With Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Ken Watanabe, Mitsuki Takahata, and Shinobu Terajima.

"A visual knockout that patiently explores the price that artists pay for their craft, Kokuho's astonishing technical virtues are only rivaled by Ryô Yoshizawa and Ryûsei Yokohama's superb performances." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"At the center of its superb cast, Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama deliver exquisitely layered performances that interweave offstage characterization and onstage theatricality. " (The Hollywood Reporter)

Saturday, April 11
Doors 12:30 pm | Film 1:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

KOKUHO "Kokuhô" (Lee Sang-i, 2025 / 175 mins / 14A / Japanese w. EST) In post-war Japan's economic boom, gangster family-born Kikuo Tachibana finds himself adopted by a kabuki actor. Despite life's challenges, he develops into a gifted performer.

A film screening. A live concert. A piece of history. For one night only at the Rio Theatre, experience an advanced screening of Eraserheads: Combo On The Run followed by a special live performance by Ely Buendia, legendary frontman of one of the most influential bands in Filipino pop culture. Be among the first in North America to see the film before its commercial release, then stay for an intimate concert filled with nostalgia, emotion, and the songs that shaped a generation. For fans, this is more than a ticket to a show. It is a chance to be part of something historic. Limited time. Limited seats.

Saturday, April 11
Doors: 6:30 pm | Event: 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Tickets (CAD):
Silver: Balcony - General Admission, $150 + s/c
Gold Premium Seats: Main Floor Assigned, $200 + s/c
SVIP: Rows C - E - Assigned, $250 + s/c includes Red Carpet Experience, Meet & Greet, and Premium Front Seats. *Red Carpet Meet & Greet (for SVIP Ticket holders only) 6:00 PM

Join us at the Rio Theatre for the world premiere of HEARD, a Vancouver made TELUS Originals film that chronicles five Hard of Hearing people searching for community in the space between Hearing and Deaf. This ALL AGES film is followed by a live Q&A with the cast.

HEARD is a documentary film about the collective experience of the space between hearing and Deafness. Hearing is a fundamental component to the way society is structured. We’ve built infrastructure, activities, culture and communication based on the ability to hear.  And on the other end of our spectrum, society has seen Deaf individuals develop a sophisticated language and culture built around Deafness. That leaves a gap between two distinct cultures where many Hard of Hearing (HoH) people lie. Heard follows Hard of Hearing filmmaker Brian Ceci as he grapples with accepting his own condition by connecting with other people on the HoH spectrum to create a small support community.

*Heard is proud to include all Hard of Hearing and Deaf individuals and is presented using Auracast. The film is open captioned and will include a Q&A featuring the cast. The Q&A will include open captions and ASL interpreters*

Tuesday, April 14
Doors 5:30 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Q&A will follow the screening. Runtime is 72 mins.

TICKET PRICE:
First 150 tickets at $7 + s/c
Remaining 250 tickets at $12 + s/c

HEARD features filmmaker Brian Ceci's quest to accept his own hearing loss, a condition he's dealt with since birth but unconsciously avoided throughout his life to blend in. Searching for community, Brian connects with four other people whose unique hearing experiences help him connect the dots and move forward with his own hearing. This event has been made accessible for all Hard of Hearing and Deaf folks.

The film itself is open captioned, and will feature Auracast to stream audio directly into user's hearing aids. The Q&A will also have open captions and ASL interpretation.

The Vancouver Burlesque Co. welcomes you to the finale show of their Winter 2026 season - and their first student showcase event of the year at the Rio Theatre!

Join us as we celebrate our students in all their magic and glory. Prepare yourself for amazing large group acts, stunning soloists, and some extra special guests...

Full lineup coming soon!

Thursday, April 16
Doors 7:00 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Advance tickets $30+ s/c | $35+ s/c at the door

These shows tend to sell out prior to showtime, so we strongly encourage purchasing tickets in advance to avoid disappointment at the door.

Based on the novel by acclaimed author Bret Easton Ellis ("Less Than Zero") "Rules" centers around "American Psycho" protagonist Patrick Bateman's younger brother Sean, and his college friends' bizarre mating rituals at a posh liberal college that mix sex, drugs, music and mayhem in a kaleidoscopic story about three students entangled in a curiously surreal romantic triangle.

Featuring a memorably sinister performance by the late James Van Der Beek (in a role light years away from the iconic character of TV's Dawson Leery), the film was adapted by and directed by Roger Avary, who was Quentin Tarantino's co-writer on RESERVOIR DOGS and PULP FICTION. With Ian Somerhalder, Shannyn Sossamon, Jessica Biel, Kate Bosworth, Jay Baruchel, Faye Dunaway, and Swoosie Kurtz.

"This is an exercise that is in love with its own superficiality, delighted with an emptiness that was all it ever aspired to, and yet it manages to turn into a better movie than it has any right to be." (The Times UK)

Friday, April 17
Doors 11:00 pm | Movie 11:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Late Night Date Light! Bring a friend or date and get two-for-one entry.

THE RULES OF ATTRACTION (Roger Avary, 2002 / 110 mins / 18A) The incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin and a bisexual classmate

Join us for an epic kickoff party for the Run N Gun 2026 season! The evening begins with a low pressure optional hour of “Cast & Crew Speed Dating,” where filmmakers and talent unite, sparking collaborations that bring unique visions to life. Following this networking session, get hyped for a throwback screening of ‘Run N Gun: David vs Golliath’ with a special screening showcasing some of the most ambitious films made by big crews as well as some small but mighty teams that made huge splashes in previous years.

The excitement ends with a lively party where you can mingle with fellow film nerds and start planning your next big Run N Gun film!

Saturday, April 18
The Evening’s Agenda

Happy Hour Cast & Crew Speed Dating 
Doors 6:00 pm | 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Screening
7:30 pm

Run N Gun Screening
8:00 pm

After Party Drinks and Raffle
10:00 pm

Tickets $20 in advance | $25 at the door

Join us at the Rio Theatre for an encore screening of HEARD, a Vancouver made TELUS Originals film that chronicles five Hard of Hearing people searching for community in the space between Hearing and Deaf. This ALL AGES film is followed by a live Q&A with the cast.

HEARD is a documentary film about the collective experience of the space between hearing and Deafness. Hearing is a fundamental component to the way society is structured. We’ve built infrastructure, activities, culture and communication based on the ability to hear.  And on the other end of our spectrum, society has seen Deaf individuals develop a sophisticated language and culture built around Deafness. That leaves a gap between two distinct cultures where many Hard of Hearing (HoH) people lie. Heard follows Hard of Hearing filmmaker Brian Ceci as he grapples with accepting his own condition by connecting with other people on the HoH spectrum to create a small support community.

*Heard is proud to include all Hard of Hearing and Deaf individuals and is presented using Auracast. The film is open captioned and will include a Q&A featuring the cast. The Q&A will include open captions and ASL interpreters*

Sunday, April 19
Doors 12:00 pm | Movie 12:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Q&A will follow the screening. Runtime is 72 mins.

HEARD features filmmaker Brian Ceci's quest to accept his own hearing loss, a condition he's dealt with since birth but unconsciously avoided throughout his life to blend in. Searching for community, Brian connects with four other people whose unique hearing experiences help him connect the dots and move forward with his own hearing. This event has been made accessible for all Hard of Hearing and Deaf folks.

The film itself is open captioned, and will feature Auracast to stream audio directly into user's hearing aids. The Q&A will also have open captions and ASL interpretation.

Paloma Housing Co-op was founded in 1983 by a group of Vancouverites who were interested in finding an alternative to the real estate market. Working with Inner City Housing, a developer involved in the co-op sector, and with help from government grants and low-interest loans aimed at creating affordable housing, the early members of Paloma built the co-op literally from the ground up. In the process, they learned the skills necessary to self-govern and maintain a 44 unit apartment building.

Forty years later, Vancouver has become one of the most expensive cites in North America, and the need for affordable housing is greater than ever. As the price of Vancouver real estate skyrockets, attitudes have changed around affordable housing, and many of the programs that made the co-op movement possible no longer exist or have altered significantly. IN IT TOGETHER: STORIES FROM PALOMA HOUSING CO-OP argues for the value of co-op housing as a model that empowers ordinary people, builds community, and encourages self-determination.

Sunday, April 19
Doors 3:00 pm | Movie 4:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

IN IT TOGETHER: STORIES FROM PALOMA HOUSING CO-OP (Benjamin Walsh, 2026 / 59 mins / G)

Welcome to San Zokyo. Intersecting stories unfold in a fractured cyberpunk city where a young hacker takes on the corporation behind “Meme,” a drug that mines users’ psyches to deliver personalized psychedelic trips—and hyper-targeted ads. As detectives, streamers, pop stars, and hitmen collide in a strange near-future, reality blurs into something unstable, addictive, and darkly absurd.

The latest feature from American filmmaker Tucker Bennett (PLANET HEAVEN) is a lo-fi, high-concept sci-fi comedy that channels internet culture, gamer logic, and algorithmic anxiety into a singular, handcrafted vision. Set in a world that feels both just ahead of and strangely behind our own, In the Glow of Darkness blends humor and unease into a dense, subversive portrait of life inside the feed. Featuring an ensemble cast including Groovin, Lucas Bennett, Carmen Escobar, Phillip Gladkov, Li-Ming Hu, Samantha Dela Cruz, Danny Helms, and Kat Toledo.

“One of a tiny handful I watched a second time—for pure pleasure.” (Eric Allen Hatch, New/Next Film Festival)

“A sprawling, hand-made cyberpunk ensemble film… a truly unique strain of humor.” (Filmmaker Magazine)

Director Tucker Bennett will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.

Sunday, April 19
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

IN THE GLOW OF DARKNESS (Tucker Bennett, 2025 / 80 mins / NR )Intersecting stories unfold in the cyberpunk city of San Zokyo, where a young hacker takes on the corporation behind “Meme,” a drug that mines users’ psyches to deliver personalized psychedelic trips and hyper-targeted ads.

MIDDLE LIFE follows Andie (Leah Fay Goldstein), a perfectionist wedding planner in her mid-thirties and new mother, who has meticulously crafted her life but still feels unfulfilled. Fresh off maternity leave, she saves Ryan (Peter Dreimanis, SINNERS), a blue-collar plumber, from a roadside accident. As their paths intertwine over the next year, her craving for change and his newfound perspective on life spark an unexpected connection, leading them to discover that life could be great. Toronto Premiere.

Written and directed by Pavan Moondi ('Schitt's Creek,' 'Sundowners,' 'Diamond Tongues'), MIDDLE LIFE stars July Talk bandmates Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis. Goldstein was previously Canadian Screen Award-nominated for her starring turn in DIAMOND TONGUES, while Dreimanis made his screen debut earlier this year in Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS. Luke Lalonde, front man of the indie rock band Born Ruffians, co-stars. With Norah Sadava and Colin Burgess.

"A charming and fresh rom-com." (The Globe and Mail)

July Talk bandmaes / castmates Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis will be joining us live via the interwebs for a post-show Q&A following the screening.

Monday, April 20
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

MIDDLE LIFE (Pavan Moondi, 2026 / 84 mins / NR) Andie saves Ryan from a car wreck, sparking a tumultuous year that might just prove life could be great.

Cameron Grant was a prominent Vancouver-based vocalist, bandleader, performer, loved and respected as one of Vancouver's exceptional talents.

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Thursday, April 23 for a very special legacy event featuring performances from VOC, Sacred Linoleum, Smokin' Section, Daddy and the Smokin Soul Experience (Belmont).

Featuring Bandmates and Special Guests including: 
Randal Stoll, Kris Joss, Mike Kenney, Kelly Brock, Tim Fuller, Russ Klyne, Rebecca Shoichet, Jamie Kaufmann, Tino Zolfo, Adam Stern, Dane Deviller, Krystle Dos Santos, Mark Olexson, Tim Proznick, Brad Turner.

Thursday, April 23
Doors 7:00 pm | Event 8:00 pm

GA Tickets $25+ s/c | $30 + s/c at the door

Cam’s life was filled with love, laughter, and moments of pure joy with his family, partner Caitlyn Regehr, and two beautiful daughters, Gwendolyn, and Avery who will be will receive the proceeds of the event.

For the first time in Vancouver, Korean stand-up sensation Kim Dong Ha (김동하) brings his hit comedy tour to the Rio Theatre.

“Stand-Up Comedy Made in Korea” delivers sharp, high-energy humor rooted in Korean culture — from family dynamics and generational clashes to dating, social pressure, and the absurdities of modern life. With fearless storytelling and rapid-fire punchlines, Kim Dong Ha has sold out theatres across Korea and now takes his bold voice to North America.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to experience authentic Korean stand-up comedy live in Vancouver.

This performance is conducted entirely in Korean.

Friday, April 24
Doors 7:00 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early bird tickets available until March 15!

VIP (Centre section, first 3 rows) - $103.95 + s/c
Main Floor Assigned - $82.95 + s/c
Balcony General Admission - $61.95 + s/c

Tickets on sale now!

Two former geeks become 1980s punks, then party and go to concerts while deciding what to do with their lives.

"[Matthew Lillard's] performance dominates the film, and he does a subtle, tricky job of being both an obnoxious punk and a kid in search of his direction in life. He's very good." (Roger Ebert)

"A messy but engaging look at the punk scene in Salt Lake City during the Reagan years; that may sound a little specialized, but how many of us knew there ever was a punk scene—or even a single punk—in the home of the Mormons?" (The New Yorker)

Friday, April 24
Doors 11:00 pm | Movie 11:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Late night Date Night! Bring a friend or date and get two-for-one entry.

SLC PUNK! (James Merendino, 97 mins  / 14 A) In the early 1980s, Stevo and Heroin Bob are the only two dedicated punks in conservative Salt Lake City.

On the brink of inheriting the position of The Bearded Woman (matriarchal leader to an outcast community of circus performers), a young woman defies her overbearing mother and runs away instead.  Free from the expectations and responsibilities at home, she seeks romance and adventure with the normies in a tiny farm town.  In order to fit in, she reinvents herself with stories of a fabricated past, until the truth of who she is can no longer be concealed. With Anwen O'Driscoll, Jessica Paré, Skylar Radzion, Harrison Brown.

"A charming story about the ways in which we are both beholden to and repulsed by the traditions and family obligations laid at our feet, 'The Bearded Girl' is sure to speak to young girls in a way that will truly matter." (ScreenAnarchy)

"Director Jody Wilson’s debut feature-length film is charming, dryly funny and filled with a fairy-tale aesthetic. Led by engaging performances, 'The Bearded Girl' hits all the marks as a coming-of-age story, but draws from genre favorites like HBO’s CARNIVALE, giving us subtle magic minus the darker overtones. With a distinct Western Canadian vibe and a fresh new voice in Canadian cinema, this is a must-see for quirky performances and a lesson in loving yourself just as you are." (Fantasia Film Fest)

Filmmakers including director Jody Wilson in attendance for post-show Q&A.

Saturday, April 25
Doors 1:50 pm | Movie 2:20 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE BEARDED GIRL (Jody Wilson, 2025 / 110 mins / PG) A rebellious, sword-swallowing bearded girl decides to leave her carnival sideshow home behind in search of love and adventure.

A copious cavalcade of top notch talent and captivating cabaret await at The Rio Theatre Burlesque & Variety Show on Saturday, April 25!

Local luminary April O’Peel has curated a show full of wonder sure to dazzle and delight our fun loving audience! The theme is NO THEME! That’s right! These talented performers will each be performing one act of their choosing! What act will they decide to bring to The Rio Theatre Burlesque & Variety Show!? Find out on Saturday, April 25 as these stars align for one night only!

Saturday, April 25
Doors 8:00 pm | Show 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Save $10 with Early Bird tickets available till midnight April 6!

General Admission $30 + s/c | $35 + s/c at the door
VIP tickets (Rows 1-3, centre section) $40 + s/c
Squad Pass $100 + s/c

Featuring

April O’Peel
Bitch Sassidy
Charlotte Strudel
Clare Voyeur
Demi Reign
Disco Squad
Hotsy Flashy
La Dame Derriere
Lady Josephine
Layna Emerald
Lynx Chase
Maria Sample
Rainbow Glitz

Hosted by Karla Marx

Presented by System Entertainment

Sportsko srce je topla komedija o sudaru dva nespojiva sveta kada mlada Maja odluči da spoji svog verenika, sofisticiranog Beograđanina Pavla, sa svojim ocem Macurom, harizmatičnim vlasnikom zemunske pečenjare. Dok Maja pokušava da "ugladi" oca za sudbonosni porodični ručak, a Pavle balansira između ljubavi i uticaja svoje dominantne majke, na površinu izbijaju generacijski jaz i duboko ukorenjene predrasude. Kroz niz komičnih nesporazuma, ova priča nas podseća da su iskrenost i prihvatanje jedini put ka zajedničkoj budućnosti, ma koliko različiti bili naši koreni.

Režiser / Directed By: Milan Karadžić
Uloge / Featuring: Mima Karadžić, Nina Nešković, Nela Mihajlović, Aleksandar Đurica, Nikola Šurbanović, Nataša Ninković...

Sport Heart is a warm comedy about the collision of two incompatible worlds when young Maja decides to unite her fiance Pavla, the sophisticated man from Belgrade, with her father Macura, the charismatic owner of a bakery in Zemun. While Maya tries to "polite" her father for the fateful family lunch, and Pavle balances the love and influence of his domineering mother, the generation gap and deep-rooted prejudices come to the surface. Through a series of comic misunderstandings, this story reminds us that honesty and acceptance are the only way to a shared future, no matter how different our roots.

Based on popular theatre play premiered at Zvezdara Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia on 4th of December 2021.

Sunday, April 26
Doors: 2:45 pm | Film 3:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

General Admission - $25.50 + s/c

SPORTSKO SRCE 'Sport Heart' (Milan Karadžić, 2026 / 89 mins / Serbian w. EST / 18A) A warm comedy about the collision of two incompatible worlds when young Maja decides to unite her fiancé, the sophisticated man from Belgrade, Pavle, with her father, Macura, the charismatic owner of a bakery in Zemun. While Maya tries to "polite" her father for the fateful family lunch, and Pavle balances the love and influence of his domineering mother, the generation gap and deep-rooted prejudices come to the surface.

Rogue Folk Club presents
Dervish

Music from the West of Ireland with passionate vocals and dazzling instrumentals.

Dervish have been bringing Irish traditional music to the world for more than 30 years, and received the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Lifetime Achievement Award. Described by the BBC as “an icon of Irish music”, the band have played festivals from Rock in Rio to Glastonbury, toured with the Irish President and struck up tunes on the Great Wall of China.

Dervish’s lineup features some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians. Fronted by one of the country’s best-known singers, Cathy Jordan, joined by some of Ireland’s finest trad musicians - Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute/whistle), Brian McDonagh (mandola/mandolin), Michael Holmes (bouzouki) and Tom Morro (fiddle).

Exceptional musicianship, breath-taking vocals, vibrant sets of tunes and instantly compelling songs all come together to make Dervish as complete a band as are to be found anywhere in the tradition.

Sunday, April 26
Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird Tickets $42+ s/c (Until January 1 )
Tickets $47+ s/c | $52+ s/c at the door

Tickets on sale November 28 10:00 am

Witness the debut performance of 16 emerging dance and interdisciplinary artists.

A labour of experimentation, independence, and virtuosity; this performance features 15 original works that explore the individual as part of groups, constant distance, and the dedication to original thought in the styles of contemporary, jazz, hiphop, ballet, and more.

Tuesday, April 28
Doors: 7:00 pm | Event: 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

All tickets are General Admission
Seniors & Students w. ID - $16
General Admission - $26

Choreographers
Ashley Sankaran-Wee, Avery Warren, Claire Martin, Daisy de Kroon, Jeya Thiessen, Lauren Butterfield, Naz Ozlu, Reese Magnayon, Sarah Wilson, Soleil Mousseau, Sonja Kwantes, Teddy Brubacher, Vivien Dang

Dancers
Ashley Sankaran-Wee, Avery Warren, Claire Martin, Daisy de Kroon, Jeya Thiessen, Lauren Butterfield, Naz Ozlu, Reese Magnayon, Sarah WIlson, Soleil Mousseau, Sonja Kwantes, Teddy Brubacher, Vivien Dang, Hannah Latta, Elijah Sam

Stage Manager
Kady Brandel

Assistant Stage Manager
Oliver Medrano

Now in its 14th year,  the smash hit epic comedy THE CRITICAL HIT SHOW returns to the Rio Theatre's stage on Wednesday, April 29 for another night of dork-filled humour.

Prepare yourself for a generous dose of laughter and snorting out loud, as some of Vancouver’s best comedic performers grace the stage in a night featuring some of this City's most intrepid players on a gallant quest for comedy glory (and more snacks!) in a hilarious adventure saga that has been running continuously since 2012.

Spanning over 100 live performances in both Canada and the United States, two years of “at-home” streaming, and frequent festival appearances, THE CRITICAL HIT SHOW is one of the longest running comedy shows around. #DNDLive is an improvised adventure that takes its inspiration from tabletop role-playing games, fantasy film and TV, and (most importantly) you!

Whether you’re a longtime fan, you’ve been enjoying our live streamed shows, or you’re brand new to the experience - you’re going to have a great time.

Wednesday, April 29
Doors 6:15 pm | Show 7:00 pm *Please arrive on time. Start time subject to change.
Tickets $17 +s/c in advance | $20+ s/c at the door

THE ADVENTURERS

Eric Fell as The Dungeon Master
Ian Boothby as Benoit the Anointed, the Half-Elf Cleric
Joanna Gaskell as Freya, the Elf Warlock
Barbara Beall as Ingrid, the Halfling Fighter
Ellen MacNevin as Belle Strummer, the Half-Elf Ranger
Allen Morrison as Spitz Lube’n, the Human Wizard
Shaun Stewart as Brask Hellbeard, the Dwarf Bard

More monsters! More Magic! More Mayhem! More Off-Brand soda!

Twitter: @critshow
www.criticalhitshow.com

www.facebook.com/dndlive

In the dystopian world of WWW.RACHELORMONT.COM, Rachel Ormont (Betsey Brown) has been confined since birth within an advertising agency, where her existence revolves around the pop star known as Mommy 6.0 (Chloe Cherry). Rachel’s entire existence comes into question when forced to confront the deepest excesses of the dark web. Boasting a daring lead performance and a wicked sense of humor, this satirical sci-fi comedy delves into themes of performance, digital existence, consumer culture, and contemporary sexuality, offering a provocative and unsettling reflection of our hyper-connected society.

Rachel Ormont lives in an all-too-familiar, decidedly dystopian, alternate universe where she tries to navigate a life of feverish
monotony. Raised in captivity in the carefully controlled and craftily curated clutches of an advertising agency, Rachel’s humanity is imprinted by and organized around commodity and perception. Her parasocial relationship with the product being advertised—a popstar named Mommy 6.0—blossoms, blooms, mutates, eats itself, is regurgitated and reconstituted in an insane sci-fi roller coaster ride.

This hellaciously satirical exploration of performance, digital life, commodity culture, and modern sexuality is as deeply disturbing as it is grotesquely entertaining. Director Peter Vack provokes, pokes fun at, and perfectly encapsulates a nearly indefinable moment of terminally online, critically anxious American life. The singularity of this jarring yet reflective world is engineered with precision, malice, and wild abandon.

Wednesday, April 29
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

WWW.RACHELORMONT.COM (Peter Vack, 2025 / 83 mins / NR) Rachel doesn't realize she has grown up in captivity working for an advertising agency where her job is to assess Mommy 6.0, her favorite pop star in the whole entire world.

Following its world premiere at this years SXSW Festival, the highly anticipated new NOFX documentary 40 YEARS' OF FUCKIN' UP, which chronicles the chaotic four-decade history of the iconic punk band, is headed to the Rio Theatre.

Produced by NOFX frontman Fat Mike, the film features archival footage, candid interviews, and explores how the band became a successful independent act despite a history of self-destruction and controversy. The documentary covers the band’s 40-year journey from "drug-addled teenage punks" to influential rock icons. Like a real-life SPINAL TAP, the film features intimate, often shocking footage, including backstage chaos, drug use, and personal stories.

Friday, May 1
Doors 8:15 pm | Movie 8:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets $30 + s/c

Please note: This movie screens with a brief intermission.

NOFX: 40 YEARS OF FUCKIN' UP (James Buddy Day, 2026 / 90 mins / NR) A documentary portrait of iconic punk rock legends NOFX.

In 2006, writer-irector Jared Hess followed up his wildly popular indie cult-comedy NAPOLEON DYNAMITE with NACHO LIBRE, which find a similar groove by employing much of the same deadpan humour and sweet silliness  - plus Jack Black. Ignacio (Black), is a disrespected cook at a Mexican monastery, can barely afford to feed the orphans who live there. Inspired by a local wrestling hero, he decides to moonlight as the not-so-famous Luchador "Nacho Libre" to earn money for the monastery -- not to mention the admiration of beautiful nun Sister Encarnación.

"It's more outrageous than hilarious, yet Nacho Libre has the same kind of sweet poignancy its filmmaker Jared Hess brought to his 2004 cult hit Napoleon Dynamite." (Urban Cinefile)

Friday, May 1
Doors 10:45 pm | Movie 11:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Late night Date Night! Bring a friend or date and get two-for-one entry.

NACHO LIBRE (Jared Hess, 2026 / 92 mins / PG) Berated all his life by those around him, a monk follows his dream and dons a mask to moonlight as a Luchador (Mexican wrestler).

Outside Voices returns to the Rio Theatre with an evening of powerful choral music exploring love from the beginning and the end.

Featuring both OV choirs across two performances, the concert blends live guitar and drums with fresh arrangements and choir favorites from the Outside Voices repertoire. Audiences will hear songs by artists such as Peter Gabriel, Dionne Warwick, Fleetwood Mac, Broken Bells, Radiohead, Bonnie Light Horseman and more.

The night closes with a 180-voice super choir finale bringing both choirs together on stage.

Arranged and directed by David Beckingham

Sunday, May 3
Matinee Show
Doors: 2:00 pm | Show 3:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Evening Show
Doors: 6:00 pm | Show 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Outside Voices returns to the Rio Theatre with an evening of powerful choral music exploring love from the beginning and the end.

Featuring both OV choirs across two performances, the concert blends live guitar and drums with fresh arrangements and choir favorites from the Outside Voices repertoire. Audiences will hear songs by artists such as Peter Gabriel, Dionne Warwick, Fleetwood Mac, Broken Bells, Radiohead, Bonnie Light Horseman and more.

The night closes with a 180-voice super choir finale bringing both choirs together on stage.

Arranged and directed by David Beckingham

Sunday, May 3
Evening Show
Doors: 6:00 pm | Show 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

STEP RIGHT UP STEP RIGHT UP and join us at Rio Theatre on Tuesday, May 5, for a night of drag that will blow you away!

Vajayjay Abrams hosts an iconic lineup of Canada’s Drag Race stars from across the country including Vancouver’s very own PM, Toronto’s Star Doll and Dulce, and Montreal ICONS Johnny Jones and Sami Landri! The sideshow unleashes a lineup of jaw-dropping talent you won't see anywhere else so don’t miss out! See the cast perform their hit original song Not Sorry Aboot it LIVE for the first time together!

Tuesday, May 5
Doors 7:00 pm | Show 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

VIP (Exclusive Pre-Show Meet and Greet 6:30 pm + Preferred Seating) $50 + s/c
Main Floor Seating $30 + s/c
Meet and Greet Add-On $15 (Limited Quantity Available)

Multi-award-winning stand-up comedian and one of the UK’s top-selling live acts, Paul Chowdhry brings his latest show AI: Artificial Indian to Vancouver for one night only on May 8, 2026.

Fresh off his sold-out 2025 UK arena tour Englandia, Paul delivers his signature mix of bold cultural commentary, observational humor, and razor-sharp wit. Widely regarded as one of the most successful British-Indian comedians, he has built a global following through international tours and hit comedy specials.

Friday May 8
Doors: 6:00 pm | Show: 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Main Floor, Assigned - 55.50 + s/c
Balcony, General Admission - 45.50 + s/c

Tickets on sale April 2 at 10:00 am PST

Special Screening of the Ukrainian Documentary “Second Wind” in Vancouver.

“Second Wind” is the story of five Ukrainian heroes: four veterans with lower-limb amputations and one active-duty servicewoman who climbed Africa’s highest peak — Mount Kilimanjaro.

This is a deep human story about recovery, inner transformation, dignity, and the strength to move forward despite trauma. The film follows the protagonists’ journey from pain and doubt to self-acceptance, new life direction, and a renewed sense of self-worth.

The project was created by the charitable movement “Second Wind” in partnership with the foundation “If Not Now, When?”. The film is directed by Mariia Kondakova, a French-Ukrainian documentary filmmaker known for her sensitive and honest exploration of war, trauma, and human resilience.

The screening will be in Ukrainian with English subtitles.

Following the screening, there will be a live discussion with members of the project team, including:

Oleksandr Pedan — producer and host of the project
Vladyslav “Shatya” Shatil — film protagonist and veteran

Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions and hear firsthand about the journey from injury to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Sunday, May 10
Doors: 4:15 pm | Film 5:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

The Canadian screenings of the film carry a charitable mission. Proceeds from ticket sales will support the rehabilitation of Ukrainian veterans through the initiatives of the Canada–Ukraine Foundation, which provides comprehensive physical and mental health rehabilitation programs for Ukrainian heroes. By attending, you are not only taking part in a meaningful cultural event, but also contributing directly to the recovery of Ukraine’s defenders.

Frank Zappa’s music – reimagined!

Zappostrophe’…dares to take on Zappa’s weird and wonderful world - recreating his tunes with jaw-dropping musicianship, and a wink to his irreverent humour (CHEK TV, Victoria, 2024)

Zappostrophe' is a Vancouver-based 8-piece band, playing favourites and lesser-known works from Frank Zappa's eclectic recordings.

Our shows include a variety of FZ’s music – from favourites like Don't Eat the Yellow Snow and Montana to complex compositions like Inca Roads, with some high energy instrumentals to keep things interesting. Expect virtuoso playing, tight vocals and humour!

Plus...

LUNATICS ON THE GRASS - TRIBUTE TO PINK FLOYD pays homage to the legendary Progressive Rock band Pink Floyd.

Get ready to immerse yourself in Pink Floyd’s mesmerizing music, and Lunatics on The Grass's visuals and mind-blowing original animations !

The band will perform The Dark Side Of The Moon in its entirety, as well as other iconic Pink Floyd classics.

The band will transport you to another dimension where the spirit of Pink Floyd lives on.

Don't miss out on this epic experience !

Saturday, May 16
Doors 8:00 pm | Show 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early bird tickets just $45, available till midnight March 1!

Main Floor Assigned - $50
Seniors - $45
VIP Reserved (First 5 rows) - $55

Zappostrophe’ is:

Blair Fisher  - vocals / trumpet / flute / keys
Blair Lewis – guitar / synths / vocals / rubber chicken
LJ Mounteney – vocals / kazoo
Nick Apivor – percussion / vocals
Guenter Schulz – guitar
Cole Tinney– keyboards
Brent Gubbels – bass
Jason Overy - drums

Lunatics on the Grass is:

Larry Bloom - keyboards
Joady Bell - keyboards
Carol Mason - vocals
Mike Krawchuk - vocals and sax
Lisa Dunn - vocals
Victor Yong - lead guitar
Kyle Legionhq Haynes- rhythm guitar and lap steel guitar
Kerry Paulicelli- drums
Kevin Krick - bass

Join us at the Rio Theatre for an East Van Laugh RioT night of live comedy featuring a trio of standup comedy courtesy of Luke Severeid, Scott Losse and Andrew Rivers

Saturday, June 6
Doors: 6:00 pm | Show: 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird Tickets $30+ s/c (Until April 20)
Main Floor, Assigned and Balcony, General Admission - $35 + s/c
VIP (Rows A & B, Centre Section) $40+ s/c

About:

SCOTT LOSSE is a stand-up comedian and content creator from Burien, Washington. He has been featured on Dry Bar Comedy, Outside Magazine, and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Scott has become well known for his short-form content and observational humor about the outdoors and living in the Pacific Northwest. His stand-up is absurd and relatable. People like it. His album "Popular Donuts" is now available on Spotify and his Dry Bar Special "Okay" in on YouTube and has a billion billion views. He's also known as "I live in the Pacific Northwest" guy on instagram ranting about the Weather or Costco or Sheds.

LUKE SEVEREID is a Hill-Hiking, Metal-Music-Loving, Chrome-Dome-Having Stand-UP Comedian from Seattle, WA. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest with the plaids and IPA-fueled husk to prove it.

Luke’s comedic style has been described as insightfully idiotic, aggressively absurd, and most accurately, unmedicated ADHD in action. Besides looking identical to your favorite bouncer and or bass player, Luke was also recently in the Big Sky Comedy Festival, a semifinalist in both the Seattle and San Francisco International Comedy Competition, and a winner of Best Comedy Film at HUMP! Film Festival.

He also just got back from a sold out Australian tour as a part of the Heavy Metal Music Festival KNOTFEST. Millions have enjoyed his stand-up videos online and we’re sure he’ll be able to get a giggle or two out of you.

ANDREW RIVERS' very personal and fun storytelling comedy, combined with his exemplary work ethic, has earned him high praise from some of the best comedians in the business.

Andrew’s comedy specials with Dry Bar Comedy and others – including Gun Enthusiasts Aren’t Funny (Dry Bar Comedy, 2018), The Second Wave of Covid Jokes (2020) For The Wrong Reasons (800 Pound Gorilla, 2021) and Hello, Beautiful (800 Pound Gorilla, 2024) – have earned millions of views online. His joke about a dentist got so many views, the dentist gave Andrew fake teeth for free but he’s still not getting matches on Tinder.

Andrew also recently appeared on the Joy Podcast with Craig Ferguson and would like to take the opportunity to name drop his Dad, Seattle Radio Hall of Famer Bob Rivers as well as comedians Christopher Titus, and Steve Hofstetter for giving him regular road work in theaters in North America and Europe.

CJ The X
Philosophy Lecture: Optimized Grass Touching

How to lock in, optimize your grindset and work harder than anyone else at living a wholesome balanced meaningful life.

CJ The X a Toronto based independent artist and philosopher that began making YouTube videos in 2021. Since then they’ve amassed over 350 thousand subscribers, 15 million views, a robust crowdfunding base on Patreon, a loyal personal mailing list, and sold out lectures across the world. Their breathless interdisciplinary approach makes them one of the most unique cultural voices in the internet age, blending irreverent humour, sharp intellectualism, and earnest spirituality.

They speak passionately on an eclectic array of subjects, blending together art, religion, technology, community, and beauty in their singular style. They have developed 7 different lectures so far, each completely distinct from the rest while fitting into a cohesive whole.

When not philosophizing, CJ is a rapper and a writer, always most comfortable working on multiple things at once.

Saturday, June 27
Doors 6:30 pm | Lecture 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets $45+ s/c

For first access to tickets subscribe to their mailing list @ cjthex.com/subscribe

cjthex.com
youtube.com/cjthex
patreon.com/cjthex

The East Van Laugh RioT welcomes comedian Jeff Dye to the Rio Theatre's stage on Saturday, July 4.

Saturday, July 4
Doors 6:00 pm | Show 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

VIP (First 5 rows / Centre Section) $55+ s/c
Adult Entry $45 + s/c

Meet n' Greet add on $35 (Limited availability).

About Jeff Dye

Jeff Dye isn't here to play nice, he's here to wreck polite conversation and leave audiences howling. A regular on Gutfeld! and The Joe Rogan Experience, he delivers comedy that's loud, sharp, and hilariously inappropriate. He conned America on MTV's Money From Strangers, globe-hopped with legends on NBC's Better Late Than Never, and somehow kept a straight face while cracking jokes on The Tonight Show. Jeff's not chasing clout - he's chasing truth, mic in hand, and not looking back.

Connect with Jeff:
FACEBOOK: @JeffDye
TWITTER: @JeffDye
INSTAGRAM: @JeffDye
YOUTUBE: Jeff Dye

Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the critically acclaimed, award-winning rock movie musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" with an unforgettable evening featuring writer, director, and Golden Globe–nominated star, John Cameron Mitchell.

The event includes a stunning 4K screening of the film, followed by a live Q&A, and a special mini acoustic performance by Mitchell.

Arrive early for the pre-show costume contest—held in every city—for a chance to win prizes from our sponsors, The Criterion Collection and The Punk Rock Museum. Come dressed as your best Hedwig or in a look inspired by the work of John Cameron Mitchell.

Post show meet and greet add-ons available!

Produced by ThisMyShow Presents

Monday, July 20
Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Balcony Tickets (GA) $58.25 + s/c
Main Floor (Assigned) $68.75 + s/c
VIP (First four rows, centre section & Meet n' Greet - includes signed poster!) $158 + s/c

Tickets on sale now!

JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL

John Cameron Mitchell wrote/directed/starred in the rock musical and film "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," for which he won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, a Special Tony for his performance, an Obie Award, the Best Director award at the 2001 Sundance Festival and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, along with 25 other awards.

He wrote/directed the improv-based film SHORTBUS (2006); directed the film adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning play RABBIT HOLE (2010) which garnered a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Nicole Kidman; and  co-wrote and directed the YA punk romance HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES  (2017) starring Kidman and Elle Fanning. He executive-produced (with Gus Van Sant) Jonathan Caouette’s TARNATION (2004) which was the most decorated documentary of 2004.

John was in the original casts of Tony-winning "Big River," "The Secret Garden," and "Six Degrees of Separation" as well as "Hello Again" (Drama Desk nomination) and Larry Kramer’s The Destiny of Me (Obie Award). TV roles include, "Girls", "Shrill", "The Good Fight", "Mozart in the Jungle", "Yellowjackets", "The Sandman", "City on Fire" and "Joe Exotic in Joe Vs Carole." He wrote and directed two scripted podcast series: the musical Anthem: Homunculus (2019) starring Glenn Close, Cynthia Erivo, Patti Lupone and Laurie Anderson; and the satirical sitcom "Cancellation Island "(2025) starring Holly Hunter.

"'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' is a powerful story about identity and creation and pain and love." (Birth.Movies.Death.)

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001 / 95 mins / 14A) | Hedwig, born male as Hansel in East Berlin, fell in love with an American G.I. and underwent a Gender Reassignment Surgery in order to marry him and flee to the West. Unfortunately, nothing worked out quite as it was supposed to - years later, Hedwig is leading her rock band on a tour of the U.S., telling her life story through a series of concerts at Bilgewater Inn seafood restaurants. Her tour dates coincide with those of arena-rock star Tommy Gnosis, a wide-eyed boy who once loved Hedwig - but then left with all her songs.

Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the critically acclaimed, award-winning rock movie musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" with an unforgettable evening featuring writer, director, and Golden Globe–nominated star, John Cameron Mitchell.

The event includes a stunning 4K screening of the film, followed by a live Q&A, and a special mini acoustic performance by Mitchell.

Arrive early for the pre-show costume contest—held in every city—for a chance to win prizes from our sponsors, The Criterion Collection and The Punk Rock Museum. Come dressed as your best Hedwig or in a look inspired by the work of John Cameron Mitchell.

Post show meet and greet add-ons available!

Produced by ThisMyShow Presents

Tuesday. July 21
Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL

John Cameron Mitchell wrote/directed/starred in the rock musical and film "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," for which he won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, a Special Tony for his performance, an Obie Award, the Best Director award at the 2001 Sundance Festival and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, along with 25 other awards.

He wrote/directed the improv-based film SHORTBUS (2006); directed the film adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning play RABBIT HOLE (2010) which garnered a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Nicole Kidman; and  co-wrote and directed the YA punk romance HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES  (2017) starring Kidman and Elle Fanning. He executive-produced (with Gus Van Sant) Jonathan Caouette’s TARNATION (2004) which was the most decorated documentary of 2004.

John was in the original casts of Tony-winning "Big River," "The Secret Garden," and "Six Degrees of Separation" as well as "Hello Again" (Drama Desk nomination) and Larry Kramer’s The Destiny of Me (Obie Award). TV roles include, "Girls", "Shrill", "The Good Fight", "Mozart in the Jungle", "Yellowjackets", "The Sandman", "City on Fire" and "Joe Exotic in Joe Vs Carole." He wrote and directed two scripted podcast series: the musical Anthem: Homunculus (2019) starring Glenn Close, Cynthia Erivo, Patti Lupone and Laurie Anderson; and the satirical sitcom "Cancellation Island "(2025) starring Holly Hunter.

"'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' is a powerful story about identity and creation and pain and love." (Birth.Movies.Death.)

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001 / 95 mins / 14A) | Hedwig, born male as Hansel in East Berlin, fell in love with an American G.I. and underwent a Gender Reassignment Surgery in order to marry him and flee to the West. Unfortunately, nothing worked out quite as it was supposed to - years later, Hedwig is leading her rock band on a tour of the U.S., telling her life story through a series of concerts at Bilgewater Inn seafood restaurants. Her tour dates coincide with those of arena-rock star Tommy Gnosis, a wide-eyed boy who once loved Hedwig - but then left with all her songs.

Do Go On is a comedy/history podcast hosted by Australian Comedians Dave Warneke, Jess Perkins and Matt Stewart. Every week since 2015 they've taken it in turns to pick a topic from history and report back. Over ten years and 500+ episodes later, they've covered everything from Dolly Parton to Bigfoot, Chernobyl to the real Great Escape.

In that time they've been downloaded more than 25 million times and toured live shows across Australia, The UK, Ireland, Germany, New Zealand and Thailand. This is their first ever time in Canada! Yes it will be weird seeing their voices come out of their faces but don't worry, you'll get used to it!

Saturday, September 12
Doors 12:00 pm | Podcast Taping 1:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

One of YouTube's most popular comics with over 225 million views and half a billion more on Facebook, Steve Hofstetter is also the host of Finding Babe Ruth on FS1. Hofstetter was the host and executive producer of Laughs (FOX) and he has been on CBS’ The Late Late Show, E! True Hollywood Story, Comics Unleashed, and more. He’s sold out shows in hundreds of cities and dozens of countries. Now is your chance to find out what the fuss is about during this no-holds-barred stand-up performance, featuring some of his unfiltered observations about life.

Wednesday, September 23
Doors 7:00 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Meet and Greet:  Row A, seats 5-17: $210 + GST + s/c
Gold (Centre Section / Main): $77 + GST + s/c
Silver (Side Sections / Main)  $49 + GST + s/c
Balcony (General Admission)  $42 + GST + s/c

Guess who's back to keep Vancouver laughing in 2026... The East Van Laugh RioT is pleased to welcome the winter season return of comedian Sammy Obeid - with all-new material! We just can't keep him off our stage!

Saturday, Septemb 27
Doors 7:00 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Adult Balcony (General Admission) $44 + s/c
Adult Main Floor (Assigned Seating) $55+ s/c
VIP Meet n' Greet (Rows 2-6, centre section) $69+ s/c
VVIP Meet n' Greet (Front Row, centre section) $85+ s/c
Group Ticket Pricing (Minimum 4) $49 (ea)+ s/c (online only)

Lebanese-Palestinian American and born in Oakland California, Sammy Obeid double-majored in Business and Mathematics at UC Berkeley and then turned down a job at Google to be a comedian.

Now the host of 100 Humans on Netflix, he’s also appeared on NBC's Last Comic Standing and America's Got Talent, as well as TBS’s Conan, and is best known for his world record of performing comedy 1,001 nights in a row, a story featured in both Time Magazine and The New York Times.

Connect on Instagram @sammyobeid
Connect on Facebook
Connect on TikTok @sammyobeidthem
Connect on X @sammyobeid

Irish comedy sensation Joanne McNally is hitting the Rio Theatre's stage on October 17 with her new stand-up show, Pinotphile.

Following the successful Canadian run of The Prosecco Express, comedian Joanne McNally is returning to Canada for a limited engagement! Get ready for a night of stand-up that is as irreverent, ridiculous, and riotously funny as ever. Hailed by Variety as, “One to Watch,” she’s spent the past few years keeping herself busy—ruining men’s lives (and her own)—and now she’s back; still single, still unfertilised, and ready to turn her chaotic experiences into hilariously relatable comedy.

Pinotphile sees Joanne navigating situationships, revenge, frenemies, and rejection in her signature style, described as “Terrifyingly funny” (London Evening Standard) and “Joyously nuts” (Irish Examiner). Following her previous show being crowned Ticketmaster Ireland’s Comedy Event of the Year, Pinotphile is destined for similar acclaim in Canada.

Saturday, October 17
Doors 6:00 pm | Event 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Platinum (Rows A & B, Centre Section) $85.50 + s/c
Main Floor  $55.50 + s/c
Main Floor (Aisles) $65.50 + s/c
Balcony (General Admission) $45.50 + s/c

Tickets on sale here March 11 at 10:00 am PST

Joanne is also the co-host of the award-winning podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me, with memorable appearances on Taskmaster, The Jonathan Ross Show, and The Big Fat Quiz of Everything, and she hosts the hugely successful BBC Sounds series Joanne McNally Investigates: Who Replaced Avril Lavigne and Do Furbys Spy On Us?.

"Masters of no-holds barred craic" ★★★★★ (Time Out)

“The most exciting thing to happen to Irish comedy in years” ★★★★★ (Irish Times)

“Authentic, hilarious comedy” (Deadline)

“Terrifyingly funny” (London Evening Standard)

"Phenomenon" (Guardian)

The iconic “Half Italian, Half Jersey Boy” brings his viral dating stories and emotional reflections to live audiences this fall.

Outback Presents is proud to announce that viral storyteller, author, and live performer Davide de Pierro will bring his unique live storytelling experience to Canada this fall with three special performances, including at the Rio Theatre on Sunday, November 1.

Known for his candid reflections on relationships and the everyday moments that define the human experience, De Pierro has built a devoted online following of more than 6 million across TikTok and Instagram, where his commentary on dating, personal growth, and modern life regularly reaches millions of viewers.

Inspired by his newly released novel The Letters I Never Sent, the live show blends personal storytelling, humor, and audience conversation. Throughout the night, De Pierro will deliver a monologue and read selections from the book, followed by an open Q&A with the audience. Limited meet-and-greet opportunities will also be available for those who purchase in advance.

“The show is a night out together,” said De Pierro. “It’s storytelling, conversation, some laughs, and hopefully a reminder that we’re all navigating a lot of the same things — relationships, personal growth, and the moments in life that connect us. If people leave feeling a little lighter and a little less alone, then it was a good night.”

Sunday, November 1
Doors 2:00 pm | Show 3:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Platinum (Rows A & B, Centre Section) $85.75 + s/c
Main Floor  $55.75 + s/c
Main Floor (Aisle Seats) $65.75 + s/c
Balcony (General Admission) $45.75 + s/c

Tickets on sale Friday, March 27 at 10:00 am PST!