Canadian-Ukrainian filmmaker and performer Amy Trefry’s narrative feature debut is a gentle, introspective, ardent road romance across the majesty of British Columbia’s countryside. Starring Trefry and Lyndie Greenwood, it follows two women who spark an unexpected romance and set off for a summer of van life, sharing parts of their lives with each other as they go along, and chasing freedom, intimacy, and the quiet ache of knowing it can’t last.

There’s a refreshing freewheeling quality to the film, which was unscripted and unplanned in its shooting locations, giving Trefry and Greenwood the freedom to develop not only the story, but the characters’ relationship – which serves as its foundation – in a more organic way, and this comes through in the naturalism of the performances and dialogue. Shot over eight days with a crew of only eight people, including the cast, and covering over 1,600 kilometres of land in a ‘70s Volkswagen camper, Vermilion is not only a scenic rumination on the beauty of embracing what may be fleeting in time but long-lasting in impact, it is also an inspiring testament to true microbudget filmmaking and the magic of collaboration.

A Q&A with director Amy Trefry will follow the screening.