The West Coast Mini Film Festival is presented by West Coast Cultural Lab in Vancouver, Canada.

Our first mini film festival brought together short films from France, Canada, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and was presented at The Cinematheque in Vancouver as part of a community film screening event.

This time, we invite warm, humorous, or heartfelt short films about companionship, connection, and reflections on life and death.

Selected films will be screened at The Cinematheque in Vancouver in August 2026 as part of the West Coast Cultural Lab 1st Anniversary Event Series. The festival program will be presented alongside a feature film screening and community engagement activities.

We welcome submissions from emerging and established filmmakers, students, animators, artists, and storytellers from around the world.

Official Selections will receive festival laurels and be eligible for the Audience Favourite Award.

Awards & Prizes

🏆 Official Selection
Selected films will be screened at the West Coast Mini Film Festival 2026 in Vancouver (BC, Canada). The filmmaker will receive an Official Selection laurel and a digital certificate.

🏆 Audience Favourite Award
Voted by the audience during the festival screening. The winning filmmaker will receive an Audience Favourite laurel, a digital certificate, and a featured interview opportunity in Vancouver On Ink.

Rules & Terms

• Films must be 3 minutes or under, including credits.

• Theme: Warm, humorous, or heartfelt short films about companionship, connection, and reflections on life and death.

• All genres are welcome, including narrative, documentary, experimental, animation, visual poetry, music video, and personal works.

• Films may be created in any language. Non-English films should include English subtitles whenever possible.

• Submitted works must be original, and the filmmaker must hold the rights to all included content, including music, images, and footage.

• By submitting, filmmakers grant West Coast Cultural Lab (WCCL) permission to screen selected works during the WCCL 1 Year Anniversary Event Series in Vancouver in August 2026.

• Selected works may also be featured in promotional materials, social media, or documentation related to the festival.

• WCCL reserves the right to decline works containing hateful, discriminatory, exploitative, or illegal content.

• Due to programming limitations, not all submitted films will be selected.

• Selected filmmakers may be contacted for optional interviews or publication opportunities through Vancouver on Ink, an independent community print publication based in Vancouver.

• Filmmakers retain full ownership of their work at all times.