Private Project

A Night at Malibuz

A Night at Malibuz chronicles a typical Saturday night at a cringey Vancouver nightclub in the mid-1990's.
Part dark comedy and part archaeology of an era, watch as a cast of ridiculous customers face off against jaded bar staff and sadistic bouncers. No one is innocent and no one is spared as the night careens towards its inevitable conclusion.
Shot in 2000 on 16 mm film and completed in 2025, this project captures the essence of the 1990's in a unique way

  • Geraldine Lahiffe
    Director
  • Geraldine Lahiffe
    Writer
  • Stephen Chadwick
    Producer
    The Lilac Bush
  • Geraldine Lahiffe
    Producer
  • Kevan Ohtsji
    Key Cast
    "Vinnie"
    Mortal Kombat: Legacy; Altered Carbon; The Man in the High Castle; The Babysitters' Club
  • Kelly-Ruth Mercier
    Key Cast
    "Latifah"
    The Good Doctor; Bates Motel; Snowpiercer; Smoke
  • Brad Dryborough
    Key Cast
    "Tim"
    The Day the Earth Stood Still; The Cabin in the Woods
  • Cynde Harmon
    Key Cast
    "Pulltab Lady"
    Stranger in the House; Cold Squad; The X-Files
  • Danny Waugh
    Key Cast
    "Coke Dealer"
    Total Recall; Firestarter; The Shape of Water
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Dark Comedy, Ethnography, Autobiography, Period Piece
  • Runtime:
    27 minutes 29 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 15, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    75,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Super 16mm + 8mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • New York International Women Festival - Official Selection
    New York
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Tokyo Women Film Festival - Official Selection
    Tokyo
    Canada
    Official Selection
  • Vancouver Indie Film Festival- Best First-time Director
    Vancouver
    Canada
    Best First-time Director
  • Vancouver Women Film Festival - Best Comedy Short, Best Costume Design
    Vancouver
    Canada
    Best Comedy Short, Best Costume Design
  • Austin International Arts Festival- Official Selection
    Austin
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Vancouver Independent Moviemaker Awards - Best Trailer
    Vancouver
    Canada
    Best Trailer
  • Portland Moviemakers Award - Official Selection
    Portland
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Atlanta Movie Awards - Best International Short
    Atlanta
    United States
    Best International Short
  • Rotterdam Independent Film Festival- Best Producer
    Rotterdam
    Netherlands
    Best Producer
Director Biography - Geraldine Lahiffe

Geraldine Lahiffe is a first-time filmmaker from Vancouver, Canada of Irish descent. She has a background in narrative anthropology, theatre and music.
She wrote and directed the dark comedy short, A Night at Malibuz in 2000 at the age of 26, out of a desire to tell a largely untold story, and to learn the craft of filmmaking from the inside. A devotee of the co-creative process from concept all the way to presentation, she left the completion of this project until the time was ripe.
Currently a physiotherapist and performer residing in Vancouver and Jalisco, Mexico, she looks forward to rekindling her Irish storyteller spirit and love of creative collaboration with her upcoming interactive film project, Awkweird.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Filmed in 2000, A Night at Malibuz was based on my experiences working at a Vancouver nightclub in the mid 1990’s as a young anthropology student. The spark for this film: laughing one night at work with the other waitress that “This place is like a nature documentary, about the mating rituals of the spandex and bad cologne people”.

At Malibuz, the rules were turned upside down. The boss literally told us, “We’re here to make money, not for the customers”. In the era of Disney-model customer service for minimum wage, we trash-talked and berated the clientele, ordered them to tip us, and watched as alcohol made them ever more ridiculous. Attitude reigned supreme, and Management Reserved the Right.

I wanted to convey this in a condensed form: A typical Saturday night at the club, from the staff’s perspective. Staff are joking and hustling, while over-the-top caricature customers are wanting, seeking and flailing. No heroes, no victims, just a big group of humans in the same space, coming together for an experience and then parting ways.

We shot on 16mm film, with an 8mm Bolex camera for extra coverage: Face close-ups, bar atmosphere, impromptu tableaux and drive-by guerilla shots of downtown Vancouver streets. These elements came together in editing to create an art-house film feel and a sense of altered reality, distinct in time and space.

Returning to this shelved footage in 2025 was like opening a time capsule. We faced and overcame unique challenges matching old-meets-new technology, and we immersed ourselves in all things 1990’s – the style, music and ethos, the innocence and harshness, the cringe factor.
If you remember the 1990’s, if you’ve ever worked in customer service or gone to a nightclub, there’s something here for you!