Vancouver International Film Festival

The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is a movie festival that takes place in autumn at various theatres in downtown Vancouver.

The festival usually runs from late September until early October. In 2025, however, it runs from October 2nd to 12th. Most of the films take place at the VIFF Centre on Seymour Street. Several, however, are shown at other theatres too.

Note: The VIFF Centre is the theatre venue where the Vancouver International Film Festival is based and where many of its films take place. Located at 1181 Seymour Street, the VIFF Centre hosts other films and events throughout the year as well.

For the festival’s official website, visit viff.org.

This article contains the following information about the Vancouver Film Festival:

Vancouver Film Festival

The VIFF is one of the largest film festivals in North America. It features a couple hundred screenings and up to 100,000 people or more attend it each year.

The festival showcases internationally-acclaimed and award-winning films as well as lesser known movies. It also boasts the largest selection of Asian-produced films of any festival outside of Asia, and one of the largest collections of Canadian-made productions anywhere.

Many of the films at the VIFF are in English, but a significant number are also in a foreign language with English subtitles. There are typically films from as many as 70+ countries, and all in their original languages.

Film Festival in Vancouver

2025 marks the 44th anniversary of the VIFF. Featured genres include action movies, comedies, dramas, documentaries, science fiction, horror and more.

In total, there are around 250 films to enjoy during the festival’s run.

Visit viff.org for full details about the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Festival Films

The VIFF features numerous films from all across the globe. This year’s festival includes 80 shorts and 170 feature films.

Films are organized by date, content types, genres, theatre venues and countries of origin to help attendees find movies they might be interested in.

Visit the Vancouver International Film Festival website for the full list of films that show in 2025.

Film Festival Ticket Prices

Admission prices to the VIFF vary depending on your age and the type of event. 2025 prices are below. Regular screenings range from $16 to $21 per person.

(Note: Prices and other details were subject to change.)

2025 Regular Screenings

Adults: $21
Students/Youth: $16
Seniors (ages 65+): $19
People requiring wheelchair accessible seating: $16

Ticket Packs and Festival Passes in 2025

For movie lovers planning to attend multiple film screenings, ticket packs and festival passes are a good way to save money. Below are the regular rates for some of the multi-ticket packages this year.

6 Ticket Pack: $120 ($105 for VIFF+ members)
10 Ticket Pack: $180 ($160 for VIFF+ members)
Festival Pass: $475 ($428 for VIFF+ members)
Platinum Pass: $1,300 ($1,170 for VIFF+ members)

Note: All ticket packs and passes are subject to availability, so admission to all shows isn’t guaranteed in all cases.

Visit viff.org for tickets and more information about the festival.

Ticket Purchase Options

Tickets can usually be purchased in three different ways: (1) online, (2) in-person before the festival starts at the box office at 1181 Seymour Street, or (3) during regular box office hours at any of the various participating theatres between the first and last day of the festival.

Nosferatu at VIFF — (Photo by Stephen Morgan)

Film Festival Venues

Some of this year’s participating theatres and their locations are below.

Fifth Avenue Cinemas – at 2110 Burrard Street (near 4th Avenue).
International Village Mall – at 88 West Pender Street (near Chinatown).
Rio Theatre – located at 1660 East Broadway (by Commercial Drive). Note: This is a licensed venue and audience members must be age 19+ and have valid ID.
SFU Woodwards – located at 149 West Hastings Street (near Abbott Street).
The Cinémathèque – located at 1131 Howe Street (near Helmcken Street).
Vancouver Playhouse – located at 600 Hamilton Street (near Dunsmuir Street).
VIFF Cinema and Studio Theatres – located at 1181 Seymour Street (near Davie Street).

About the Film Festival

The festival is hosted by the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society which is a non-profit organization that also looks after the year-round programming of the VIFF Cinema at the Vancouver International Film Centre.

More Information

Below is a list of other information that’s good to know.

VIFF Festival Memberships are valid year-round at the VIFF Cinema.
As the majority of VIFF films are not rated, in most cases attendees need to be at least 18 years old (and 19+ for films at The Rio Theatre because it’s a licensed establishment, meaning that alcoholic beverages are available there during the show).
All VIFF films are in their original languages with English subtitles.

For tickets and the festival’s official website, visit viff.org.