Now in its 14th year, the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (VIWFF) showcases an impressive line-up of short and feature-length films (narrative, documentary, experimental and animation) by established and emerging women filmmakers from around the world.
This six day celebration is organized by Women in Film and Television Vancouver, a not-for-profit society founded in 1989 to advocate for, celebrate and promote women working in screen-based media. VIWIFF continues to provide a platform for challenging gender imbalance and the lack of diversity in the Canadian screen-based media industry through a combination of film screenings, discussions, and professional development opportunities as well as incorporating International Women’s Day events into its programming.
The festival will be held March 5-10, 2019 and screens films with women in at least three of the following seven key creative roles: Writer, Producer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Composer, Lead Performer. Films completed after March 2016 are eligible. International films, as well as films from students, are encouraged and welcomed.
Not only does VIWFF showcase films made by women from around the world, the festival also offers:
- Moderated Q&A sessions
- Panel discussions related to film screenings
- Industry panel discussions
- Artist talks
- Networking events
- Workshops
- Opportunities for awards, granted during the closing awards ceremony
- Gala and industry events
- An international screenplay competition
In addition to offering independent filmmakers an opportunity to screen their film for both professional audiences and members of the general public, the festival pays filmmakers' exhibition fees and all films are entered to win cash awards.In the words of filmmakers involved in previous years, the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival “is one of the most inclusive, well-run, [and] welcoming that we have experienced.”
Filmmaker and 2018 workshop facilitator Nikki Saltz said: “My time at VIWFF has been my favourite festival experience to date. The festival fostered such a spirit of camaraderie among the brilliant creatives who attended, and there was a true sense of community from beginning to end, which all other festivals I've attended could really benefit from. It was an absolute joy to see packed theatre after packed theatre in support of women filmmakers—a testament to the value of a festival like VIWFF.”
We are excited to learn more about your films and would be honoured to consider them for our festival.
Submissions contact: submissions@womeninfilm.ca
All films with women in the following categories are eligible to compete for awards, with each awardee receiving $250:
Best Feature
Best Performance
Best Performance in Short
Best Cinematography
Best Cinematography in Short
Best Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Editing in Short
Best Direction
Best Short
Best Documentary
The Matrix Award is also presented to the top three BC short films in the festival with each receiving a plaque and a gift certificate from Matrix Production Services.
To see past winners and award categories visit: http://www.womeninfilm.ca/VIWIFF_2018_Awards.html
To submit to the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival Screenplay Competition visit: https://filmfreeway.com/VIWIFFScreenplayCompetition