Any updates to the status of this year’s festival will be announced by early September, 2020.
Vancouver, BC – March 15, 2020 – The Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) is currently accepting submissions in its open call for film entries to commemorate their 24th year. The annual four-day festival is set for November 5-8, 2020, and has traditionally been held at the Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas, 88 West Pender St., in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown district.
Update April 15, 2020: Due to the COVID-19 crisis, we want to extend our support to filmmakers by offering a DISCOUNTED flat rate of $25 USD for ALL submissions this year. We are also accepting work that has been released digitally if it has been streamed or released online since April 2020.
Festival Director Lynne Lee are very excited to kick off the 2020 season and festival. The 2020 Season will begin with our annual Open Call for festival submissions on March 15th and an annual events and programs (to be announced) in May.
The Festival seeks film submissions from Canadian and International filmmakers to be screened at its annual November festival. VAFF is accepting entries between March 15 and June 11, 2020. Open Call submissions can be made through FilmFreeway, beginning March 15, 2020.
VAFF accepts:
- Independently produced films and videos by Asian North American artists (including Asian-Canadian or Asian-American artists), or
- Films or videos produced in East Asia (including People’s Republic of China [incl. Hong Kong], Macao, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan),
Southeast Asia (including Myanmar [Burma], Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Timor-Leste) or South Asia (including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh), in English or with English subtitles - Films or videos produced must have at least one member of the creative team (director, writer, producer/production company or cinematographer)
or at least one of the lead actors/subjects (if Documentary) self-identify as being of Asian or part-Asian heritage.
ARTISTS
Being the platform where a number of successful Asian filmmakers first showcased their work, VAFF’s international visiting artists have included Justin Lin (Fast & Furious, 2009), Quentin Lee (White Frog, 2012), Benson Lee (Seoul Searching, 2015), Evan Jackson Leong (Linsanity, 2013), Jessica Yu (Grey’s Anatomy), Tze Chu (Gotham), and Freida Lee Mock (Return with Honor, 1998), as well as Canadian filmmakers Julia Kwan (Everything Will Be, 2014), Mina Shum (Meditation Park, 2017), Ann Marie Fleming (Window Horses, 2017), Ben Lu (Blood and Water), Phil Planta (Beyond Redemption, 2016), and Jeff Chiba Stearns (Mixed Match, 2016). Attending performers have included Edison Chen (Infernal Affairs II, 2003), Tzi Ma (Arrival, 2016), Osric Chau (Arrow), Ludi Lin (Mortal Kombat), Anastasia Lin (Miss World Canada 2015), Agam Darshi (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, 2017), Sarita Choudhury (The Hunger Games, 2014), and Rizwan Manji (The Dictator, 2012).
AWARDS
Available awards include juried awards for Best Canadian Short and Best Canadian Feature, presented by Telefilm Canada; juried awards for Best Director for Canadian Short and Best Director for Canadian Feature, presented by the Directors’ Guild of Canada—British Columbia; juried awards for Best Cinematography for Canadian Short and Best Cinematography for Canadian Feature, presented by International Cinematographer’s Guild 669; audience-voted People’s Choice Awards for best Overall Feature, Overall Short, Overall Performance; and a curated award for Outstanding Contribution: Diversity in Film, to an Asian North American creative industry professional with a significant body of work or advocacy.
PROGRAMMING / INDUSTRY
Programming at the four-day November festival includes 12-15 film programs incorporating feature length and short films and videos (dramatic narrative, documentary, experimental and animation) featuring an Artist/Concept Spotlight, International Spotlight, International and Canadian Shorts, Q & A sessions, the VAFF Industry series including panel discussions and networking, and gala events.
VAFF 2020 Open Call guideline is available at VAFF.ORG/open-call-submission/
ABOUT THE VANCOUVER ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL
The Vancouver Asian Film Festival is the longest running Asian film festival in Canada. Founded by independent filmmaker and writer Barbara K. Lee in 1995 to celebrate diversity in film, the festival has grown to provide an engaging platform for Asian filmmakers to showcase their talents. The VAFF is run by The Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society, a not-for-profit organization comprised of a group of dedicated volunteers. Sponsors and community partners alike also contribute to the success of the organization. Now on its 24th year, the event only expects to grow even bigger. Close to 4,000 people are expected to attend the festival.
Follow the festival as it unfolds at:
Facebook/VAFFVancouver
Twitter/@VAFFVancouver
Instagram/vaffvancouver
YouTube/VAFFVancouver
#VAFF