Van Nuys International Film Festival

Human Version:

Instead of using nonsense generated by ChatGPT, I have decided to tell you who we are with my own wireless mechanical keyboard.

I study filmmaking at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), and in case you don’t know what that is—it’s an art school. Everything is as good as a private utopia can be, except it costs $60,650 a year to attend (as of now).

I lived in Van Nuys, California, for the first three years after moving to Southern California from Toronto. Every once in a while, my filmmaking friends and I gather to eat hotpot and talk about cinema. We don’t know much about the film world or the real world outside of our CalArts bubble. We once joked about starting a film festival of our own—despite never having attended one before.

One afternoon in late 2024, one of the co-founders, Yudan, texted me, suggesting that we start the Van Nuys International Film Festival (VNIFF) before she graduated. Within a week, we had assembled a website, Instagram account, venue, and program.

My childhood friend, Jay Zhao, who happens to study filmmaking in Australia, helped me structure the festival’s categories: Professional Filmmaker, Postmodernist, Art Youth, and Uncategorizable. These categories are based on past conversations we’ve had, each representing a stereotype or persona that a filmmaker or artist might embody.

We received seventeen film submissions from friends in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, and China. The night before the screening, my roommate Alessandro Streccioni—also a co-founder of VNIFF—who happens to be a projectionist, helped me program the festival.

The first VNIFF was held on 2024, December 22 (ISO 8601 date format) in a living room at 14612 Calvert St, Van Nuys, CA 91411, generously provided by our friends in Van Nuys.

We started VNIFF as a joke, and now we aim to make the joke bigger—until it becomes widely accessible to everyone who understands English. Moving forward, we will accept films beyond our CalArts bubble and find a proper movie theater to screen films more professionally.

By Yuzhi Chen

2026 Fees Adjustment:

As we open a new season of the Van Nuys International Film Festival, we remain committed to providing a thoughtful, high-quality platform for independent filmmakers.

Due to rising operational costs influenced in part by recent U.S. tariff policies affecting equipment, printing, shipping, and technical services, we will be implementing a 25% increase across all submission and participation fees beginning this season.

This adjustment ensures that we can continue to maintain our screening standards, venue quality, and support for filmmakers without compromising the integrity of the festival.

We deeply appreciate your understanding and continued support, and we look forward to showcasing bold new work in the year ahead.

AI Version:

The Van Nuys International Film Festival (VNIFF) is a cinematic outpost for filmmakers who push boundaries, break conventions, and redefine storytelling. Located in the San Fernando Valley, where Hollywood’s industrial machine meets the raw energy of independent expression, VNIFF celebrates films that exist at the intersection of artistry, rebellion, and innovation.

We champion works that challenge norms—whether meticulously crafted by industry professionals, boldly fragmented in postmodern experimentation, or pulsating with the restless energy of emerging artists. VNIFF is not just a festival; it’s a statement on what cinema can be in an era of constant reinvention.

By ChatGPT 4o

Categories:

-Professional Filmmaker
For industry-level works showcasing cinematic mastery and refined storytelling.

-Postmodernist
For films that dismantle narrative structure, remix conventions, and question reality itself.

-Art Youth
For the raw, unpolished, deeply personal expressions of emerging voices.

-Uncategorizable
For films that defy classification and exist beyond genre or expectation.

At VNIFF, there are no formulas—only visions. Submit your film. Defy expectations. Be part of the movement.