We have updated the page with photos from the live event on January 25

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About the Festival :

Vancouver Indie Film Festival is a live festival dedicated to short and feature films. The festival's mission is to bring selected films to the limelight of an authentic audience and to be evaluated by professional critics. At the same time, we hope to allow viewers to enjoy an eclectic range of films they would never see elsewhere.

Being part of our official selection is an asset to the film, but we hope it also paves the way for other benefits, like winning prizes and getting your name out there. To participate in the event, first, you must choose one or more categories and submit your film. Then, the jury members watch the movie and select the semi-finalist films. Then we notify the semi-finalist filmmakers via email. After that, the jury members watch the selected semi-finalist short films again and decide the winners in each category. Then we publish the list of winners and notify the directors by e-mail. In the next step, the lists of the winners will be posted on social media and our dedicated website. A few of the winners' projects will be then considered for the live event.

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A propos de festival :
Vancouver International ShortFest est un festival trimestriel consacré aux courts et longues métrages. La mission du festival est de mettre ces films sous les feux de la rampe d’un véritable public et d’être évalué par des critiques professionnels. En même temps, nous espérons permettre aux spectateurs d’apprécier une gamme éclectique de films qu’ils ne verraient jamais ailleurs.
Faire partie de notre sélection officielle est un atout pour le film, mais nous espérons que cela ouvre également la voie à d’autres avantages, comme gagner des prix et faire connaître votre nom. Tout d’abord, vous devez choisir une ou plusieurs catégories et soumettre votre film. En général, nos soumissions commencent du 1er au 11 du mois et se terminent le même jour trois mois plus tard. Ensuite, les membres du jury regardent les films et choisissent les films demi-finalistes. Ensuite, nous informons les cinéastes demi-finalistes par e-mail.
Au cours des 14 à 20 jours suivants, les membres du jury visionnent à nouveau les courts métrages semi-finalistes sélectionnés et désignent les gagnants de chaque catégorie. Ensuite, nous publions la liste des gagnants et nous informons les réalisateurs par e-mail. Les listes sont publiées sur les médias sociaux et sur notre site web dédié. Tous les projets des gagnants peuvent ensuite demander une projection.

Best Canadian Feature
Best Canadian Short
Best Canadian Documentary
Best International Documentary
Best Experimental Short
Best Animation Short
Best Micro Short
Best Male Director
Best Female Director
Best First-Time Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Producer
Best Cinematography
Best Script
Best Non-produced Script
Best Editor
Best Music Composer
Best Comedy
Best Science Fiction
Best Horror
Best Student Film
Best Independent Film
Best Pilot

We Accept:
– Short and feature films in the following formats: narrative (fiction), documentary (non-fiction), experimental, or animation.
– Music videos.
– Web/TV series (including pilots).
– Short scripts.

When submitting your film, please note:
– By submitting, you agree to allow us to use certain elements of your film (including the trailer, pre-trailer, movie poster, and images) for promotional purposes.
– Submission fees are non-refundable.
– Filmmakers may submit multiple entries, and each entry can be submitted to multiple categories.
– Films must have subtitles in English or French unless the spoken language is already English or French. Scripts must also be in English or French.

We Do Not Accept:
1 Amateur videos.
2 Content promoting extremist or propaganda messages from religious or political organizations.
3 Films that serve as a political agenda.
4 Films with poor production quality (e.g., poor sound, missing subtitles or captions for non-English/French films, or low-resolution visuals).

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Nous Acceptons :
– Courts et longs métrages dans les formats suivants : fiction narrative, documentaire (non-fiction), expérimental ou animation.
– Vidéoclips.
– Séries Web/TV (y compris les pilotes).
– Scénarios courts.

Lors de la soumission de votre film, veuillez noter :
– En soumettant votre film, vous acceptez que nous utilisions certains éléments de votre film (y compris la bande-annonce, la pré-bande-annonce, l'affiche du film et les images) à des fins promotionnelles.
– Les frais d'inscription ne sont pas remboursables.
– Les réalisateurs peuvent soumettre plusieurs films, et chaque film peut être soumis dans plusieurs catégories.
– Les films doivent être sous-titrés en anglais ou en français, sauf si la langue parlée est déjà l'anglais ou le français. Les scénarios doivent également être rédigés en anglais ou en français.

Nous N’Acceptons Pas :
1 Vidéos amateurs.
2 Contenus faisant la promotion d'idéologies extrémistes ou de propagande provenant d'organisations religieuses ou politiques.
3 Films servant une agenda politique.
4 Films de faible qualité de production (ex. : mauvaise qualité sonore, absence de sous-titres pour les films non anglophones ou non francophones, qualité d'image basse résolution).

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • I wanted to take the time to thank Vancouver Indie Film Festival for recognizing the score in my documentary film. Its been a pleasure to work with the film festival within itself.
    I am grateful it was viewed by so many while hoping it maid some form impact.

    January 2026
  • I’m deeply grateful and honored to have received the Best Actress Award for Pink City Film.
    Bringing Natalie to life was an intense and emotionally demanding journey, especially knowing that the film is based on a true story. Taking on this role while also directing and producing the film required a deep level of commitment and vulnerability.

    This award means more than recognition — it stands as a reminder of why stories like this must be told.
    In remembrance of Melanie Rehberger.

    January 2026
  • Jafar Safari

    I am honored that my short film WHO AM I was selected as Nominee at Vancouver Indie Film Festival. As writer, director, and producer, this recognition means a great deal to me and to the team who brought the project to life.

    WHO AM I explores conflicts between people and their environment. To keep the film concise and impactful, I removed dialogue, created an original song, and used props and set decoration to convey the story visually and emotionally. The result is a tightly paced, sensory-driven piece that relies on performance, sound design, and visual storytelling to invite reflection on how surroundings shape identity and choice.

    I want to thank the festival programmers, the audience, and the fellow filmmakers for this opportunity. The exposure and feedback at Vancouver Indie film festival are invaluable, and being among the Award winners, motivates me to continue crafting thought-provoking independent work.

    — Jeff Safari
    Writer / Director / Producer, WHO AM I

    January 2026
  • Kalli Paakspuu

    It was wonderful to get the producer award in Vancouver's Indie Film Festival.I wish my film and I could have been at the theatrical screening.

    September 2025
  • Doug Law

    Many thanks for the Best Pilot award...

    September 2025