Vancouver International Black Film Festival

The Vancouver International Black Film Festival is a film festival that showcases Black films from Canada as well as other countries from around the world.

The 2024 festival took place online and at Vancity Theatre from December 13th to the 17th. All films star black actors and/or have black directors or producers.

Visit vancouverblackfilmfest.com for tickets and full details about the festival.

The Vancouver International Black Film Festival (VIBFF)

The Vancouver International Black Film Festival celebrates its fifth year in 2025. It provides a platform for Black films while also hosting different workshops and panels to help grow the film industry and create more interest in Black-run productions.

The festival takes place in a hybrid format. Most of the films are available to watch online for the duration of the festival, and many of them also show in-person at the Vancity Theatre, known as the VIFF Centre, located at 1181 Seymour Street in downtown Vancouver. The theatre is also the home of the Vancouver International Film Festival in late September and early October.

The Vancouver International Black Film Festival took place from December 13th to 17th in 2024. Continue reading below to learn about last year’s films and events.

Visit the VIBFF website for tickets and full details about the festival.

2024 Festival Films

Last year’s festival showcased 35 films, including both short films and feature length productions. One highlight was the award-winning Being Black in Canada short film series. Films to enjoy on the big screen included Sway, Baby Girl and Fight Like A Girl. The VIBFF Black Market, meanwhile, featured a number of events with guest speakers and thought leaders from the filmmaking industry.

Events Schedule

The VIBFF schedule as of mid-November, 2024, is listed below. Exact details were subject to change. See the official VIBFF 2024 Schedule for the latest information.

Friday, December 13th, 2024

Fight Like A Girl – a feature film about a Congolese woman who escapes her captors and joins an all-women boxing club. Directed by Matthew Leutwyler, the movie stars Ama Qamata, Hakeem Kae_Kazim and Clark Ntambwe. This opening event happened in-person at the Vancity Theatre starting at 7:00 pm. The film wasn’t available for online viewing.

Fight Like a Girl Film — Fight Like a Girl at VIBFF in 2024

Saturday, December 14th, 2024

Visualizing Success: The Impact of Storyboards on Production Teams – a workshop led by Kay Shioma Metchie and Heron Hanuman. Participants learned about the importance of storyboarding in the creative process. There were also practical tips to use in future projects. The workshop took place at the VIFF Studio Theatre at 11:00 am.
Beyond the Lens: Addressing Lighting and Styling Challenges for BIPOC Talent – a panel about overcoming filming challenges faced by BIPOC talent. Moderated by Grace Shutti, the speakers included Lily Yawson, Suvikram Bedi and Jason Pillay. This event happened at VIFF Studio Theatre at 12:30 pm.
Being Black in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver – a series of short films showed at Vancity Theatre at 1:00 pm. There were 11 different films at the event. They were self-contained stories about being Black in Canadian cities.
Being Black in Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax – another series of short films at Vancity Theatre at 3:30 pm. This event showcased 10 films from three different Canadian cities.
Spotlight Stories: Film Industry Q&A Series – a panel of directors, producers, writers and other experts from the industry shared their learnings and experiences at 2:00 pm.
Sway – another feature film screening at Vancity Theatre. Starting at 8:00 pm, this film followed a man who transforms a violent neighbourhood into a safe place. Unfortunately, his life begins to crumble around him.
La Hembrita (Baby Girl) – a feature film from the Dominican Republic about a woman taking in a girl whose mother vanished. The screening took place at 6:00 pm at the Vancity Theatre.

La Hembrita at Vancouver Black Film Festival — La Hembrita in 2024

Sunday, December 15th, 2024

Online Narrative Short Series – seven different narrative short films were available to watch online. There were films from Canada, America, Brazil, France and Curacao.
Curating Cinematic Experiences: The Film Programmer’s Role in Festival Sessions – an online question and answer session that started at 3:00 pm. Moderated by Juliet Mawusi, this event featured Jean-François Méan. Online attendees got to learn about the role of a film programmer and how important aspects of each event are selected.

Visit the VIBFF website for tickets and full details about the festival.

Black Film Festival in Vancouver

Admission Prices

There are various types of passes and tickets available.

Tickets for in-person screenings last year cost about $12 per person, except for the opening night event which cost $20 each. For people who want to attend all in-person events, there’s an all-access pass available for $39. People who only plan on watching films online can purchase the online version of the pass for $45. These were 2024 prices and likely will be similar in 2025, although exact details are to be confirmed.