Vancouver International Film Festival



The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival began in 1982 and is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society, a provincially registered non-profit, and federally registered charitable organization.

Both in terms of admissions, and number of films screened, (144,000 and 349 respectively in 2014), VIFF is among the five largest film festivals in North America. The festival screens films annually from approximately 80 countries on 10 screens. The international line-up includes the pick of the world’s top film festivals and many lesser-known films.

Three main programming platforms make VIFF unique: The Festival screens the largest selection of East Asian films outside of that region; the Festival is one of the biggest showcases of Canadian film in the world; and VIFF has one of the a largest nonfiction program outside of a Documentary Film Festival.

The Festival also manages the year-round programming at the Vancouver International Film Centre, Vancity Theatre and the Vancouver Film and Television Forum, a four-day conference supporting the Canadian film and television production industry.

Awards
Each year, the festival offers a number of juried and audience-voted awards. Select results from recent years:

2002

 * Most Popular International Film: Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore
 * Most Popular Canadian Film: Expecting by Deborah Day and Fix: The Story of an Addicted City by Nettie Wild
 * National Film Board Award for Best Documentary: Gambling, Gods and LSD by Peter Mettler

2003

 * Most Popular International Film: Kamchatka by Marcelo Piñeyro
 * Most Popular Canadian Film: The Corporation by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott
 * National Film Board Award for Best Documentary: Los Angeles Plays Itself by Thom Andersen

2004

 * Most Popular International Film: Machuca by Andrés Wood
 * Most Popular Canadian Film: What Remains of Us by François Prévost and Hugo Latulippe and Being Caribou by Leanne Allison and Diana Wilson
 * National Film Board Award for Best Documentary: In the Realms of the Unreal by Jessica Yu
 * Best Young Canadian Director of a Short Film: Jennifer Calvert for Riverburn

2005

 * Most Popular International Film: Go, See, and Become by Radu Mihăileanu
 * Most Popular Canadian Film: Eve and the Fire Horse by Julia Kwan
 * National Film Board Award for Best Documentary: A Particular Silence by Stefano Rulli

2006

 * Most Popular International Film: The Lives of Others by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
 * Most Popular Canadian Film: Mystic Ball by Greg Hamilton
 * National Film Board Award for Best Documentary: Have You Heard From Johannesburg? by Connie Field
 * Special Jury Prize: Radiant City by Gary Burns and Jim Brown

2007

 * Vancity People's Choice Award for Most Popular Canadian Film: She's a Boy I Knew directed by Gwen Haworth
 * Rogers People's Choice Award for Most Popular International Film: Persepolis directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
 * People's Choice Award for Most Popular International Nonfiction Film: Garbage Warrior directed by Oliver Hodge
 * Kyoto Planet "Climate for Change" Award: The Planet directed by Johan Söderberg, Michael Stenberg, and Linus Torell
 * Dragons and Tigers Award for Young Cinema: shared by Fujian Blue directed by Weng Shouming (Robin Weng) and Mid-Afternoon Barks directed by Zhang Yuedong
 * Citytv Western Canadian Feature Film Award: Normal directed by Carl Bessai
 * National Film Board of Canada Best Canadian Documentary Feature Award: Up the Yangtze directed by Yung Chang
 * Women In Film and Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award: She's a Boy I Knew directed by Gwen Haworth
 * Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film: The Windfisherman directed by Anna McRoberts

2008

 * Citytv Western Canada Feature Film Award: Fifty Dead Men Walking directed by Kari Skogland
 * VIFF Nonfiction Feature Award: Born Without directed by Eva Norvind
 * Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film: The Valet directed by Drew McCreadie
 * Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award: Mothers & Daughters awarded to Tantoo Cardinal
 * International Film Guide Inspiration Award: Control Alt Delete directed by Cameron Labine
 * Rogers People's Choice Award: I've Loved You So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime) directed by Philippe Claudel
 * documentary Audience Award: Throw Down Your Heart directed by Sascha Paladino
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award: Mothers & Daughters directed by Carl Bessai
 * National Film Board's Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award: Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action directed by Velcrow Ripper
 * VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award: Blue Gold: World Water Wars directed by Sam Bozzo
 * Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema: Perfect Life directed by Emily Tang

2009

 * Canwest Award for Best Canadian Feature Film J'ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother) directed by Xavier Dolan
 * Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film: The Last Act directed by Jan Binsse and David Tougas
 * Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award: 65 Redroses directed and produced by Nimisha Mukerji and Gillian Lowry
 * Rogers People's Choice Award: Soundtrack for a Revolution directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman
 * documentary Audience Award for Most Popular Nonfiction Film: Facing Ali directed by Pete McCormack
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award: 65 Redroses by Nimisha Mukerji & Philip Lyall
 * National Film Board's Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award: 65 Redroses by Nimisha Mukerji & Philip Lyall
 * VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award: At the Edge of the World directed by Dan Stone
 * Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema: Eighteen directed by Jang Kun-jae

2010

 * ET Canada Award for Best Canadian Feature Film Incendies directed by Denis Villeneuve
 * Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Mokhtar, Directed by Halima Quardiri
 * Rogers People’s Choice Award Waste Land (UK,Brazil), Directed by Lucy Walker
 * VIFF Most Popular Nonfiction Film Award, Kinshasa Symphony (Germany), directed by Claus Wischmann and Martin Baer
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award, Two Indians Talking, directed by Sara McIntyre
 * NFB Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award, Leave Them Laughing, directed by John Zaritsky
 * VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award, Force Of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie (Canada), directed by Sturla Gunnarsson
 * Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema, Good Morning To The World (Japan), directed by Hirohara Satoru

2011

 * Shaw Media Award for Best Canadian Feature Film ($20,000 prize) – Nuit #1, Anne Émond (Canada)
 * Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema, presented by Brad Birarda & Robert Sali ($10,000 prize) – The Sun-Beaten Path, Sonthar Gyal (China)
 * Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Award ($2,000 prize) – We Ate the Children Last, Andrew Cividino (Canada)
 * Rogers People’s Choice Award – A Separation, Asghar Farhadi (Iran)
 * VIFF Most Popular Nonfiction Film Award – Sing Your Song, Susanne Rostock (USA)
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award – Starbuck, Ken Scott (Canada)
 * NFB Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award – Peace Out,  Charles Wilkinson (Canada)
 * VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award – People of a Feather, Joel Heath (Canada)

2012

 * Award for Best Canadian Feature Film ($10,000 prize) – Blackbird, Jason Buxton (Canada)
 * Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema, presented by Brad Birarda ($5,000 prize) – Emperor Visits The Hell (Tang Huang You Difu), Li Luo (China)
 * Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Award ($2,000 prize) – Float, Juan Riedinger (Canada)
 * Rogers People’s Choice Award – The Hunt, Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark)
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award – Becoming Redwood, Jesse James Miller (Canada)
 * NFB Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award – Blood Relative,  Nimisha Mukerji (Canada)
 * VIFF Most Popular International Documentary Film Award – Nuala,  Patrick Farrelly and Kate O'Callaghan (Ireland)
 * VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award – Revolution, Rob Stewart (Canada)
 * VIFF Most Popular International First Feature Award – I, Anna, Barnaby Southcombe (UK)
 * Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award: Liverpool directed and written by Manon Briand

2013

 * Award for Best Canadian Feature Film ($5,000 prize each) – Rhymes for Young Ghouls, Jeff Barnaby (Canada) and That Burning Feeling, Jason James (Canada)
 * Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema, presented by Brad Birarda ($5,000 prize) – Anatomy of a Paperclip, Ikeda Akira (Japan)
 * Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Award ($2,000 prize) – Nathan, Mathieu Arsenault (Canada)
 * Rogers People’s Choice Award – Like Father, Like Son, Koreeda Hirokazu (Japan)
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award – Down River, Ben Ratner (Canada)
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award – When I Walk,  Jason DaSilva (Canada)
 * VIFF Most Popular International Documentary Film Award – Desert Runners, Jennifer Steinman (USA)
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Environmental Documentary Award – Salmon Confidential, Twyla Roscovich (Canada)
 * VIFF Most Popular International First Feature Award – Wadjda, Haifaa al-Mansour (Germany, Saudi Arabia)
 * Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award: Sarah Prefers to Run directed and written by Chloé Robichaud

2014

 * Award for Best Canadian Film ($8,000 prize) – Violent, Andrew Huculiak (Canada)
 * Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film Award - The Cut, Geneviève Dulude-Decelles (Canada)
 * Rogers People’s Choice Award – The Vancouver Asahi, Ishii Yuya (Japan)
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award – Preggoland, Jacob Tierney (Canada)
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award – All the Time in the World, Suzanne Crocker (Canada)
 * VIFF Most Popular International Documentary Film Award – Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, James Keach (USA)
 * VIFF BC Emerging Filmmaker Award - Sitting on the Edge of Marlene, Ana Valine (Canada)
 * VIFF Best BC Film Award - Violent, Andrew Huculiak (Canada)
 * VIFF Impact Award - Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, Grant Baldwin (Canada)
 * VIFF Best New Director (international) - Miss and the Doctors, Axelle Ropert (France) and Rekorder, Mikhail Red (Philippines)
 * Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award - Sitting on the Edge of Marlene, Ana Valine

2015
The 34th annual Vancouver International Film Festival was held between September 24 to October 9, 2015. The VIFF Industry Conference – the premier media conference in Western Canada – runs from September 30 to October 3, 2015.


 * Rogers Peoples Choice Award - Brooklyn, John Crowley (UK, Ireland, Canada)
 * VIFF Most Popular International Documentary - Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words (Jag är Ingrid), Stig Björkman (Sweden)
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Feature - Room, Lenny Abrahamson (Ireland, Canada)
 * VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary - Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World, Charles Wilkinson (Canada)
 * VIFF Impact: International Audience Award - Landfill Harmonic, Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley (USA, Paraguay)
 * VIFF Impact: Canadian Audience Award - Fractured Land, Damien Gillis and Fiona Rayher (Canada)
 * Women in Film+Television Artistic Merit Award - Ninth Floor, Mina Shum (Canada)