Call for submissions: 15th annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival

The Vancouver Asian Film Festival has opened for their 15th edition of the festival. They accept films and videos from independent North American Asian filmmakers. One or more of the creative team (Director, Writer, Producer) must be of Asian heritage.

The earlybird deadline is April 30, 2011 (postmarked). There is a final deadline of May 31, 2011 (postmarked) at a higher fee.

In addition to screenings, they offer events such as Q&A sessions, receptions and awards. Screenings take place at Cinemark Tinseltown Theatres and SFU Praxis Theatre.

VAFF bills itself as Canada's oldest Asian film festival.

VAFF is a not-for-profit organization that provides a forum for independent North American Asian filmmakers to showcase their work to both Asian and non-Asian audiences. The society endeavours to represent the often ignored North American Asians caught between two cultures. It provides a cultural bridge between the Asian and non-Asian communities as well as the Asian communities themselves.

The 15th annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival takes place from November 3 – 6, 2011.

http://www.vaff.org/submissions
Online Submission Form

Festival Submission Guidelines

The Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) is Canada’s oldest festival dedicated to exhibiting films and videos by North American artists of Asian heritage. From its beginnings in 1995 and incorporated in the Spring of 1997, VAFF is committed to supporting both emerging talent and established filmmakers. Visiting artists have included Ham Tran, Dean Ishida, Loni Ding, Justin Lin, Wes Kim, Michael Kang, Jessica Yu and Freida Lee Mock, as well as BC filmmakers, Mina Shum, Desiree Lim, Nilesh Patel, Jeff Chiba Stearns, Romeo Candido and Julia Kwan.

Awards include a juried award for Best Canadian Short. Programming includes Q & A sessions, panel discussions, a Filmmakers’ Luncheon, and special gala events.

15th Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival

• November 3-6, 2011
• Vancouver, BC, Canada

All screenings take place at Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas, a multiplex theatre within the city’s Chinatown and Downtown districts.

Entry Form

Submissions for 2011 begins March 1st (until May 31st): Online Submission Form.

Eligibility

• VAFF accepts independently produced films and videos by Asian Canadian or Asian American artists; at least one of the creative team (Director, Writer, Producer) must be of Asian heritage.
• Films and videos must have been completed no earlier than January 31, 2010. Submissions completed prior to this date will not be considered.
• Acceptable formats for exhibition are: HDCAM, Betacam SP (NTSC only) and DigiBetacam (NTSC only). Submissions in other formats, e.g. 16mm, DVD, VHS cannot be considered. All films in 35mm format will be curated by the VAFF Director of Programming – please contact Kathy Leung for consideration.

Submission Deadlines

VAFF invites submissions for our 15th annual festival, November 3-6, 2011.

• Earlybird deadline: April 30, 2011 (postmarked)
• Final deadline: May 31, 2011 (postmarked)

Submissions received after May 31 will not be considered for the 2011 Festival. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Entry Fees

• Earlybird deadline entry fee: $10 (CDN or US)
• Final deadline entry fee: $20 (CDN or US)

Payment must be made by cheque or money order. Please make cheques payable to: Vancouver Asian Film Festival. Submissions without proper payment will not go through the selection process.

Each film/video submitted must be accompanied by its own separate entry form and entry fee. Unfortunately, fees cannot be waived – please do not send in requests for waiving of fees.

Film Categories

Acceptable film categories must be:

• Narrative (drama, comedy, romance, etc.)
• Documentary
• Animation
• Experimental

Submissions outside of these categories (e.g. music videos, etc.) will not be considered.

Submission Materials

Acceptable formats for preview screeners are: VHS (NTSC) or DVD (NTSC).

Tapes or DVDs must be labeled with film title, total running time, contact name, address, phone, and email address.

Please include a press kit with your entry, including:

• Film synopsis (100 words) and logline
• Film stills (photos or hi-rez electronic images: min. 1200×1800 pixels @ 300 dpi on CD)
• Cast and crew list
• Director biography (80 words) and photo (see above for technical specs)
• Producer biography (80 words)
• Press/publicity clippings & list of awards & screenings (photocopy, Word format or .PDF)

Please label all files, images and documents appropriately and descriptively.

SORRY, PRESS MATERIALS & SCREENERS WILL NOT BE RETURNED

Qualifications for Best Canadian Short Award

Canadian films may be eligible for the Best Canadian Short Award.

To qualify, filmmakers must meet the following criteria:

• The director or writer must be a Canadian citizen or Canadian resident
• One of the key members (Director, Writer, or Producer) must be of Asian heritage
• The film must be live action
• The film must be under 30 minutes in length
• The film must be independently produced without majority funding from institutions (NFB, film schools, broadcasters, etc.)
• The film must not have been broadcasted on television prior to the Festival screening
• The director must have final creative control of the work

The award winner will be announced during the Festival at the Filmmakers’ Luncheon event.

Selection Notification

You will be notified of Festival selections by October 1, 2011. If selected, a Notice of Acceptance will be sent which must be completed, signed and returned by the deadline date listed or your position in Festival will be offered to another film.

Important Shipping Policy

If selected, exhibition prints or tapes must be shipped to VAFF pre-paid to arrive no later than October 15, 2011.

It is the policy of the Festival to pay for one-way return shipping within North American only. Requests for international shipping will not be considered.

If screening prints/tapes are coming from other festivals, VAFF must be provided with the print traffic contact information of the prior festival 2 weeks prior to VAFF start date. If VAFF is to send the screening print to another film festival, this outbound address must be given to VAFF one week prior to the start of VAFF or it will be sent back to the print source.

Shipping Address

Please mail or courier your submission materials and entry fee cheques to:

Vancouver Asian Film Festival Office
455 Prior Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada
V6A 2G3

Questions?

For more info: programming@vaff.org

Entry Form

Submissions for 2011 begins March 1st (until May 31st): Online Submission Form.

About Vancouver Asian Film Festival

VAFF is a not-for-profit organization that provides a forum for independent North American Asian filmmakers to showcase their work to both Asian and non-Asian audiences. The society endeavours to represent the often ignored North American Asians caught between two cultures. It provides a cultural bridge between the Asian and non-Asian communities as well as the Asian communities themselves.