VIFF 2020
We’re excited to announce VIFF 2020!
The 39th edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival, running September 24 - October 7, will be presented as an online festival available to all British Columbians. To ensure the best possible user experience, VIFF is developing VIFF Connect, a new online streaming platform designed in partnership with CineSend, a Toronto-based industry leader in media solutions.
“We started this year launching our VIFF Centre Reimagined initiative, an ambitious $2.8m revitalization that will see three new programmable spaces join the Vancity Theatre inside our year-round home on Seymour Street,” said Kyle Fostner, VIFF’s Interim Executive Director. “Shortly after we began, COVID-19 forced us to change course and completely re-envision what our festival could be. After months of adapting and learning, we’ve developed an exciting online festival experience that’s worthy of the VIFF name.”
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VIFF 2020 will showcase a robust program of 100 feature films including the vibrant blend of international selections from every corner of the globe, boundary-pushing Canadian work, adventurous East Asian cinema, provocative and inspiring documentaries, elevated genre cinema and festival favourites that see audiences flock to VIFF every year. Accompanying the features will be a large complement of short films, allowing audiences to discover the next generation of storytellers. Beyond the typical video-on-demand experience, VIFF aims to celebrate many of the films through engaging and interactive conversations with the filmmakers, providing the viewer insight into the inspiration and creative process behind each work of art.
Through VIFF Connect, the festival’s celebrated experiential and educational programming will be accessible to audiences across the country. Creator Talks will take viewers behind the camera, exploring today’s most talked about films and series. VIFF will continue to support British Columbia’s creative communities through the Totally Indie Day and VIFF AMP conferences, as well as the VIFF Immersed marketplace and exhibition. Meanwhile, the more intimate VIFF Labs, VIFF AMP Talent Accelerator and VIFF Catalyst, a mentorship program for filmmakers from under- or misrepresented backgrounds, provide access and training to the next wave of Canadian filmmakers.
“This year, VIFF has a unique opportunity to connect the communities we serve and encourage meaningful engagement with both the work and one another,” said Curtis Woloschuk, VIFF’s Associate Director of Programming. “Rather than thinking about the restrictions imposed on us, we instead considered the opportunities that had been presented. We’re excited by VIFF Connect and the possibilities that exist online to celebrate new work, support emerging filmmakers and extend our programmatic offerings to more communities in the province.”
VIFF will begin announcing 2020 programming in early August, with tickets and passes available for purchase later that month. The full program will be available to viewers throughout British Columbia on the VIFF Connect platform via on-demand streaming from September 24-October 7.
