Vancouver International Film Festival

Vancouver, BC V6B, Canada, North America

24 Sep, 2020 - 09 Oct, 2020

Vancouver International Film Festival logo
Vancouver International Film Festival

Vancouver, BC V6B, Canada, North America

Is this your festival?

Is this your festival?

General Information

edition

39th

Contact details

1181 Seymour Street Vancouver, BC V6B 3M7 Canada

637

submissions@viff.org

604-685-0260

Web & social

About the festival

COVID-19 Update - April 2020

Our programming staff and screening committees are currently reviewing films in anticipation of us staging our 39th edition on September 24, 2020. Additionally, all of our departments are working on contingency plans due to the impact of COVID-19.

We recognize that the pandemic has disrupted many production and post-production schedules. Should you have questions regarding your project, please email submissions@viff.org
_______

The Vancouver International Film Festival will be a showcase of exceptional international cinema in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. VIFF takes great pride in championing international cinema's most exciting new voices, offering diverse programming and fostering enlightening dialogue. Bong Joon-ho (Parasite), Sean Baker (The Florida Project) and Jia Zhangke (Ash Is Purest White) are but a few of the now-renowned filmmakers who attended VIFF early in their careers.

Furthermore, we’ll once again expand the frame to include talks, workshops, performances and other unique events that celebrate innovations in screen-based storytelling. At VIFF's 2019 edition, these events included creator talks with the likes of Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now) and Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the VIFF Immersed Exhibition of narrative-driven VR experiences, Creator Labs, the VIFF AMP Music in Film Summit, as well as a performance of Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington’s On Cinema at the Cinema Live and Public Enemy’s Chuck D breaking down the iconic “Fight the Power” for Song Exploder Live.

"As one of the largest film festivals in North America, VIFF concerns itself with building the right audience for accepted movie makers..." - MovieMaker

FILM PROGRAMMING STREAMS

Panorama - The world's boldest creators and their exceptional works. The year's most anticipated international films and new discoveries curated specifically for VIFF audiences.

Sea To Sky - A showcase of the inspired works emerging from the creative nexus that is British Columbia.

True North - A celebration of the extraordinary creativity and craft being demonstrated by Canadian storytellers from coast to coast.

Impact - Uncompromising films and insightful discussions that spark action and change the way we see the world.

Gateway - Journey into the cinematic reaches of East Asia with some of the world's most compelling storytellers as your guides.

M/A/D - Music, art and design receive their deserved big-screen treatment in this aesthetically alluring stream.

ALT - Genre-bending features that defy traditional classification and creators who push short form storytelling to its limits.

VIRTUAL & AUGMENTED REALITY COMPETITION STREAMS

International VIFF Immersed Competition

Virtual Reality – Cinematic Live Action
Narrative-driven VR experiences created from the live action capture of human participants using camera or volumetric methods that exemplify works of narrative fiction.

Virtual Reality – Animation
Narrative-driven VR animation experiences created using original crafted artwork to embody the characters, setting and objects of its story.

Virtual Reality – Documentary
Immersive VR stories that document and explore an aspect of the real world.

Augmented Reality - Live Action / Animation / Documentary
This category is designed to showcase narrative AR experiences. Content may be interactive and classified as fiction, documentary or animation.

BC Showcase
Virtual & Augmented Reality – BC Showcase
A curated showcase of VR and AR works emerging from the creative nexus that is British Columbia.

Awards for 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival will be announced in the spring.

At the 2019 edition, VIFF presented the following awards:

Sea to Sky Award
$20,000 cash prize. This award recognizes the outstanding work of one female key creative on a BC-produced feature or short.

Best BC Film
$10,000 from Creative BC and $15,000 in post-production services credit supplied by Encore by Deluxe.

BC Emerging Filmmaker Award
$7,500 cash prize sponsored by UBCP/ACTRA and ACTRA Fraternal Benefits Society, plus a $10,000 equipment credit supplied by William F. White International Inc.

Best Canadian Film
$15,000 award presented by the Directors Guild of Canada.

Emerging Canadian Director
$3,000 award presented by the Directors Guild of Canada.

Best Canadian Documentary
$15,000 prize presented by the Rogers Group of Funds.

Best Canadian Short Film
$15,000 in colour grading and/or VFX services credit supplied by Side Street Post.

Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film
$2,000 and a Roundtrip Flight anywhere Delta Air Lines flies. Presented by Gary Harvey and Delta Air Lines.

VIFF Impact Award
$5,000CAD presented by the Lochmaddy Foundation to an international documentary playing in the Impact competition.

Rob Stewart Eco Warrior Award
$5,000 prize presented by RBC and Cineplex to a documentary playing in the Impact competition that recognizes an outstanding contribution by an activist-storyteller.

Super Channel People’s Choice Award
VIFF festival-goers will determine the winner of the Super Channel People’s Choice Award, with post-screening balloting also determining the winner of several other audience awards.

About

COVID-19 Update - April 2020

Our programming staff and screening committees are currently reviewing films in anticipation of us staging our 39th edition on September 24, 2020. Additionally, all of our departments are working on contingency plans due to the impact of COVID-19.

We recognize that the pandemic has disrupted many production and post-production schedules. Should you have questions regarding your project, please email submissions@viff.org
_______

The Vancouver International Film Festival will be a showcase of exceptional international cinema in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. VIFF takes great pride in championing international cinema's most exciting new voices, offering diverse programming and fostering enlightening dialogue. Bong Joon-ho (Parasite), Sean Baker (The Florida Project) and Jia Zhangke (Ash Is Purest White) are but a few of the now-renowned filmmakers who attended VIFF early in their careers.

Furthermore, we’ll once again expand the frame to include talks, workshops, performances and other unique events that celebrate innovations in screen-based storytelling. At VIFF's 2019 edition, these events included creator talks with the likes of Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now) and Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the VIFF Immersed Exhibition of narrative-driven VR experiences, Creator Labs, the VIFF AMP Music in Film Summit, as well as a performance of Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington’s On Cinema at the Cinema Live and Public Enemy’s Chuck D breaking down the iconic “Fight the Power” for Song Exploder Live.

"As one of the largest film festivals in North America, VIFF concerns itself with building the right audience for accepted movie makers..." - MovieMaker

FILM PROGRAMMING STREAMS

Panorama - The world's boldest creators and their exceptional works. The year's most anticipated international films and new discoveries curated specifically for VIFF audiences.

Sea To Sky - A showcase of the inspired works emerging from the creative nexus that is British Columbia.

True North - A celebration of the extraordinary creativity and craft being demonstrated by Canadian storytellers from coast to coast.

Impact - Uncompromising films and insightful discussions that spark action and change the way we see the world.

Gateway - Journey into the cinematic reaches of East Asia with some of the world's most compelling storytellers as your guides.

M/A/D - Music, art and design receive their deserved big-screen treatment in this aesthetically alluring stream.

ALT - Genre-bending features that defy traditional classification and creators who push short form storytelling to its limits.

VIRTUAL & AUGMENTED REALITY COMPETITION STREAMS

International VIFF Immersed Competition

Virtual Reality – Cinematic Live Action
Narrative-driven VR experiences created from the live action capture of human participants using camera or volumetric methods that exemplify works of narrative fiction.

Virtual Reality – Animation
Narrative-driven VR animation experiences created using original crafted artwork to embody the characters, setting and objects of its story.

Virtual Reality – Documentary
Immersive VR stories that document and explore an aspect of the real world.

Augmented Reality - Live Action / Animation / Documentary
This category is designed to showcase narrative AR experiences. Content may be interactive and classified as fiction, documentary or animation.

BC Showcase
Virtual & Augmented Reality – BC Showcase
A curated showcase of VR and AR works emerging from the creative nexus that is British Columbia.

Awards for 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival will be announced in the spring.

At the 2019 edition, VIFF presented the following awards:

Sea to Sky Award
$20,000 cash prize. This award recognizes the outstanding work of one female key creative on a BC-produced feature or short.

Best BC Film
$10,000 from Creative BC and $15,000 in post-production services credit supplied by Encore by Deluxe.

BC Emerging Filmmaker Award
$7,500 cash prize sponsored by UBCP/ACTRA and ACTRA Fraternal Benefits Society, plus a $10,000 equipment credit supplied by William F. White International Inc.

Best Canadian Film
$15,000 award presented by the Directors Guild of Canada.

Emerging Canadian Director
$3,000 award presented by the Directors Guild of Canada.

Best Canadian Documentary
$15,000 prize presented by the Rogers Group of Funds.

Best Canadian Short Film
$15,000 in colour grading and/or VFX services credit supplied by Side Street Post.

Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film
$2,000 and a Roundtrip Flight anywhere Delta Air Lines flies. Presented by Gary Harvey and Delta Air Lines.

VIFF Impact Award
$5,000CAD presented by the Lochmaddy Foundation to an international documentary playing in the Impact competition.

Rob Stewart Eco Warrior Award
$5,000 prize presented by RBC and Cineplex to a documentary playing in the Impact competition that recognizes an outstanding contribution by an activist-storyteller.

Super Channel People’s Choice Award
VIFF festival-goers will determine the winner of the Super Channel People’s Choice Award, with post-screening balloting also determining the winner of several other audience awards.

Awards & Winners

There are no winners yet for this festival

Terms and rules

RULES & TERMS FOR FILMS

ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY
1) Submitted feature films must not have been broadcast, distributed, offered on VOD or screened commercially in the Vancouver area. Given the impact of COVID-19, VIFF will consider films that have screened at online festivals in other regions.
2) Films should have been completed after June 1, 2019.
3) All non-English language submissions must have English subtitles.
4) All applicable licenses and waivers of copyrights, moral rights, trademarks and other such intellectual property rights have been secured by the filmmaker(s)
5) Submission fees are non-refundable.

PRESENTATION
Accepted feature films for the Festival can be exhibited on DCP and in 35mm formats with optical or magnetic soundtracks. Short films can be exhibited on DCP. The dates, times, and locations of screenings of selected films is at the discretion of the festival.

SHIPPING
1. Once a film has been accepted for participation in the Festival, detailed shipping instructions will be sent to the print supplier.
2. The Festival agrees to cover transportation and insuring prints both ways directly to and from the actual print supplier, or to cover one-way transportation when the print is shipped to or from other festivals.
3. Each print sent to the Festival from outside of Canada enters the country on a Canada Customs "Duty Free Temporary Admissions Permit" and must be returned after the Festival.

LIABILITY
In the case of loss or serious damage to a print or DCP, the obligation of the Festival is limited to compensating the producer or distributor only to the cost of making a new print or DCP.

CONSENT
Participation in the Vancouver International Film Festival implies understanding and acceptance of these regulations:
1) Vancouver International Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes.
2) The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.
3) The submitter shall indemnify and hold harmless Vancouver International Film Festival from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

RULES & TERMS FOR VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY CONTENT

1) BC Showcase. Must be story driven narratives in cinematic, documentary or animation. The creative team must be based within the provincial borders of British Columbia.
2) Animation. Projects must be story driven narratives.
3) Live Action. While backgrounds and environments may be CGI or animation actors must be captured from live action.
4) Documentary. Projects must be primarily live action and story driven narratives.
5) Projects submitted to the 2020 International VIFF Immersed Competition must have been completed after June 1, 2019.
6) Although premieres are encouraged and welcomed, there is no premiere requirement for virtual or augmented reality projects.
7) Projects may or may not have distribution but must be capable and available for commercial distribution.
8) Projects may be available for free or for purchase via any commercial distribution platform.
9) All applicable licenses and waivers of copyrights, moral rights, trademarks and other such intellectual property rights have been secured by the filmmaker(s)
10) Projects may have been exhibited at other film festivals or trade shows.
11) The entry fee is non-refundable.
12) Entries from outside Canada must be clearly marked: “FOR FESTIVAL PREVIEW ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL VALUE."
13) VIFF maintains the sole right to determine if submissions meet the eligibility requirements in each category

TERMS AND CONDITIONS


PRESENTATION
Accepted immersive projects for the Festival must be capable of being exhibited on commercially available platforms such as: Oculus (Go, Quest, Rift), HTC (Vive Pro, Focus), Google (Cardboard, Daydream), Samsung (Gear VR, Odyssey), PC Based Mixed Reality HMD’s (Microsoft, Acer, Lenovo Mirage). . The dates, times, and locations of screenings of selected films is at the discretion of the Festival.

SHIPPING
Once a project has been accepted for participation in the Festival, detailed uploading instructions will be sent to the applicant.

LIABILITY
In the case of loss or serious damage to exhibition equipment, the Festival is not obligated to replacement of said equipment.

CONSENT
Participation in the Vancouver International Film Festival implies understanding and acceptance of these regulations.

Vancouver International Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes.

The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The submitter shall indemnify and hold harmless Vancouver International Film Festival from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

Ratings & Reviews

Categories and fees

International Narrative Features
Early Bird (24th April, 2020) $4,750
Regular (29th May, 2020) $5,250
Late (12th June, 2020) $60

Open to non-Canadian narrative films with runtimes over 25 minutes.

International Documentaries
Early Bird (24th April, 2020) $4,750
Regular (29th May, 2020) $5,250
Late (12th June, 2020) $60

Open to non-Canadian nonfiction films with runtimes over 25 minutes.

International Shorts
Early Bird (24th April, 2020) $35
Regular (29th May, 2020) $3,750
Late (12th June, 2020) $40

Open to non-Canadian narrative and nonfiction films with runtimes of 25 minutes or less.

Canadian Narrative Features
Early Bird (24th April, 2020) $35
Regular (29th May, 2020) $3,750
Late (12th June, 2020) $40

Open to narrative films with runtimes over 25 minutes directed by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident with Canada listed as one of the countries of production OR with 51% or more Canadian financing.

Canadian Documentaries
Early Bird (24th April, 2020) $35
Regular (29th May, 2020) $3,750
Late (12th June, 2020) $40

Open to nonfiction films with runtimes over 25 minutes directed by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident with Canada listed as one of the countries of production OR with 51% or more Canadian financing.

Canadian Shorts
Early Bird (24th April, 2020) $20
Regular (29th May, 2020) $2,250
Late (12th June, 2020) $25

Open to narrative and nonfiction films with runtimes of 25 minutes or less directed by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident with Canada listed as one of the countries of production OR with 51% or more Canadian financing.

Virtual Reality: Cinematic Live Action
Early Bird (24th April, 2020) $40
Regular (29th May, 2020) $4,250
Late (12th June, 2020) $45

The VIFF Immersed Cinematic Live Action, Virtual or Augmented Reality competition is designed to showcase story-driven immersive experiences created using camera systems and exemplify works of narrative fiction. Work must either already be in commercial distribution or available for commercial distribution across consumer accessible VR platforms such as Oculus, Samsung VR, HTC, YouTube, Facebook or other available platforms.

Virtual Reality: Documentary
Early Bird (24th April, 2020) $40
Regular (29th May, 2020) $4,250
Late (12th June, 2020) $45

The VIFF Immersed Documentary, Virtual or Augmented Reality competition is designed to showcase narrative immersive experiences created to document and explore an aspect of the real world. These selections may include elements of cinematic, volumetric capture, animation or interactivity to amplify the documentary narrative explored. Work must either already be in commercial distribution or available for commercial distribution across consumer accessible VR platforms such as Oculus, Samsung VR, HTC, YouTube, Facebook or other available platforms.

Virtual Reality: Animation
Early Bird (24th April, 2020) $40
Regular (29th May, 2020) $4,250
Late (12th June, 2020) $45

The VIFF Immersed Animation, Virtual or Augmented Reality competition is designed to showcase narrative immersive experiences created using original crafted artwork to embody the characters, setting and objects of its story. Whether build entirely in game engines, 2D or 3D, stop-motion, hand-drawn, interactive or non-interactive, these pieces are comprised of narratives in original aesthetic worlds. Work must either already be in commercial distribution or available for commercial distribution across consumer accessible VR platforms such as Oculus, Samsung VR, HTC, YouTube, Facebook or other available platforms.

Virtual or Augmented Reality: BC Showcase
Early Bird (24th April, 2020) $20
Regular (29th May, 2020) $2,250
Late (12th June, 2020) $25

VR and AR narrative, documentary and animated experiences and storytelling from British Columbia creators. This call is exclusively for submissions of British Columbia productions to be curated for the BC Showcase at VIFF Immersed's Exhibition. Work must either already be in commercial distribution or available for commercial distribution across consumer accessible VR platforms such as Oculus, Samsung VR, HTC, YouTube, Facebook or other available platforms.

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