Mission

The mission of the Victoria Independent Film & Video Festival is to expose youth and adults to a broad range of cultural, artistic and philosophical ideas and lifestyles through the presentation of film, video, and new media in order to stimulate critical analysis and inspire an interest in using the medium as a creative tool.

Vision

The Festival’s vision is to establish an annual independent film event in Victoria with a worldwide reputation that is deeply anchored in the local community and that will eventually become a milestone in the career of young artists and filmmakers.

We believe in a Festival that offers high quality films, activities and events, encourages artistic innovation and creativity, provides access for a broad audience segment and is committed to cooperation and collaboration with other arts organizations as well as the business community. Our programs are interactive, entertaining, enjoyable, educational and good value for the money. Our staff is friendly, open, proactive and committed to skills development in order to provide high quality services.

Festival History

In 1995, the CineVic Society of Independent Filmmakers, along with Origins Theatre, began the Victoria Independent Film & Video Festival.  The Festival was a low-key affair for the first three years, and during that time Origins Theatre closed in Victoria and the Festival fell entirely to CineVic, who turned the focus to short films and videos.  After the third event, the Board of CineVic felt that if the Festival were going to have an impact on the filmmaking community and develop audiences, then VIFVF would need to expand substantially.

The fourth Festival brought in filmmakers from Canada and around the globe and managed to capture the interest of the city for the weeklong event.  The Festival had Canadian feature film premiere screenings of Stolen Heart, Cat Swallows Parakeet and Speaks, and the Canadian premiere of Smoke Signals, along with a multitude of short films including Rick Raxlen’s Geometry of Beware. 

Filmmakers were hosted by the Festival from farther a field than ever before, and included John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Serial Mom, Pecker); Scott Hylands (Night Heat), and Lynne Stopkewich (Kissed). The Festival managed to more than double the number of people viewing independent films.  Many wonderful receptions provided opportunities for guests to meet and exchange ideas.  A forum was added for discussion, learning and augmenting of skills.  After the 1998 Festival, due to liability issues, CineVic and the Festival became separate societies.

Subsequent years saw the Festival dramatically increase in size to the 2007 high mark of 16,500 attendees.  In our quest to build an educated audience over the years VFF has added film discussions, an exciting event Let’s Make a Movie gave the public an opportunity to try hands on filmmaking, a three day new media program Interactive Futures brought together world class innovators, a family day, a four part series that examined the influences on a notable filmmaker and a country highlight have been developed over the last seven years.

The addition of youth programming and such high profile guests as Atom Egoyan, David Foster, Barry Pepper, Arthur Hiller, Don McKellar, Jonathan Lipnicki, Dirk Benedict, Keith Carradine , Beverly D’Angelo, and David Keith have capped off many successful year.

In 2007, the Film Festival shortened its name to simply the Victoria Film Festival.  The spirit of showing the best new movies of the season continues on with a new look and glossy program guide.