Vancouver Latinamerican Film Festival

The 21st edition of the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival will take place from September 7 – 17, 2023, with submissions opening on February 1, 2023.

VLAFF is a charitable organization with the mission to exhibit and promote Latin American cinema in Canada. We showcase the works of both emerging and established independent filmmakers and media artists in a range of formats from fiction to experimental to documentary to hybrid narrative. We are dedicated to making space and supporting the works of underrepresented filmmakers.

In late August/early September each year, we present our annual 11-day festival to highlight and celebrate the art of contemporary Latin American, Latin-Canadian, and Indigenous filmmaking.

In addition, in the winter months we host an online Work in Progress/Cine en construcción for films nearing the post-production stage by Indigenous and Afro-descendant filmmakers or filmmaking collectives from the Latin American region.

Submissions for the 21st Vancouver Latin American Film Festival will be open from FEBRUARY 15 – APRIL 30, 2023. Please note: Submission fees are quoted in US dollars.

Awards & Prizes
VLAFF Awards:

• Work in Progress Award for Black and Indigenous Filmmakers: $2500 (CAD)
• Best Short Film Award (fiction, animation, and documentary shorts) – $750 (CAD)
• Youth Choice Award for Best New Director (first feature film, Ópera prima) selected by students from Canadian and Latin American film schools – $2500 (CAD)
• Critics’ Prize: Selected in a live deliberation by three film critics from Latin America.

Rules & Terms
Can I submit a documentary? Yes!! VLAFF welcomes fiction, non-fiction, hybrid, and experimental films, for both the annual festival and the Work in Progress forum.

Can I submit a rough cut to the festival? Yes, but we will need to see the final version by June 1. Also, as we are a smaller festival, you may want to try for a premiere at a larger festival and then submit to us the following year.

For 2023, films may be screened both online and in cinemas during the festival