Submissions for VIFF 2023 are now closed.
The annual Vancouver International Film Festival is a showcase of exceptional cinema in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. In 2023, VIFF will present approximately 120 features and 100 shorts and expand the frame with talks, creative development opportunities, performances, and other unique events that celebrate film and film culture.
VIFF’s 2022 edition screened cinema from 75 countries and offered Vancouver audiences the opportunity to experience 34 world premieres, 8 international premieres, 42 North American premieres and 56 Canadian premieres. Furthermore, almost half of our program’s full-length films were a director’s first feature.
Events included An Evening with Michael Abels (composer for Nope), with the participation of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and the live score NOSFERATU 100 by BIG KILL: A Symphony of Horror. Insightful talks were held with Costume Designer Deborah L. Scott (Avatar: Way of Water), Production Designer Katie Byron (Don’t Worry Darling), and Director Clement Virgo (Brother).
Signals offered a unique interactive exhibition exploring creative technology’s potential in storytelling, while VIFF Amp invited musicians and composers to learn about the opportunities that arise when music and visual media intersect. Two days of industry panels were augmented by creative development opportunities like VIFF Labs and the VIFF Catalyst mentorship program.
Canadian Submissions
Canadian Submissions are now closed.
Featuring an expansive, diverse collection of contemporary Canadian and Indigenous cinema, VIFF invites exciting new voices to share the spotlight with national treasures as we celebrate narratives that demonstrate originality, documentaries that change the way we see the world, and short films that push the form to its limits. Our 2022 edition featured 88 Canadian features and shorts, all playing in competition. 51% of those selections were by female or non-binary filmmakers and 35% were by filmmakers who were Indigenous, Black or people of colour.
Canadian Submission Categories
- Canadian Narrative Features:
Open to narrative films with runtimes over 40 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. Feature length films must not have been broadcast, distributed on VOD/home video, or screened in-person either at another festival or theatrically in the Vancouver area. - Canadian Documentaries:
Open to nonfiction films with runtimes over 40 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. Feature length films must not have been broadcast, distributed on VOD/home video, or screened in-person either at another festival or theatrically in the Vancouver area. - Canadian Shorts:
Open to narrative, nonfiction, animation, and experimental films with runtimes of 40 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. Short films must not have been screened in-person at another festival in the Vancouver area. VIFF will consider short films that have been made available online.
Submission Deadlines & Fees
| Deadline | Canadian Narrative Features | Canadian Documentaries | Canadian Shorts |
| Early Deadline: April 21, 2023 | $40.00 USD | $40.00 USD | $25.00 USD |
| Regular Deadline: May 26, 2023 | $45.00 USD | $45.00 USD | $30.00 USD |
| Late Deadline: June 9, 2023 | $50.00 USD | $50.00 USD | $35.00 USD |
All submissions must be submitted through Film Freeway:
International Submissions
International Submissions are now closed.
VIFF takes great pride in championing international cinema’s most exciting new voices, offering diverse programming and fostering enlightening dialogue. Furthermore, nonfiction filmmaking has long been one of the pillars of our programming and our short film programs showcase work from dozens of nations.
International Submission Categories
- International Narrative Features:
Open to non-Canadian narrative films with runtimes over 40 minutes. Feature length films must not have been broadcast, distributed on VOD/home video, or screened in-person either at another festival or theatrically in the Vancouver area. - International Documentaries:
Open to non-Canadian nonfiction films with runtimes over 40 minutes. Feature length films must not have been broadcast, distributed on VOD/home video, or screened in-person either at another festival or theatrically in the Vancouver area. - International Shorts:
Open to non-Canadian narrative, nonfiction, animation, and experimental films with runtimes of 40 minutes or less. Short films must not have been screened at another festival in the Vancouver area. VIFF will consider short films that have been made available online.
Submission Deadlines & Fees
| Deadline | International Narrative Features | International Documentaries | International Shorts |
| Early Deadline: April 21, 2023 | $55.00 USD | $55.00 USD | $40.00 USD |
| Regular Deadline: May 19, 2023 | $65.00 USD | $65.00 USD | $45.00 USD |
| Late Deadline: June 2, 2023 | $75.00 USD | $75.00 USD | $50.00 USD |
All submissions must be submitted through Film Freeway: