Get ready for VQFF 2021!

We know you’re just as excited as we are for this year’s Vancouver Queer Film Festival, but we’re still putting all the details together. Here are 5 common questions, and some bonus tips, we’ve been seeing this spring. Have a look and make sure you’re ready to join us this summer!

Will there be a Vancouver Queer Film Festival this year?
Yes! We are excited to celebrate queer, trans, and Two Spirit lives with you this summer. The 2021 VQFF will run from August 12 to 22 with a mostly digital offering of films, Q&As, workshops, and panels.

Why is VQFF online again this year?
We begin planning the next Festival about a year in advance, just as our current VQFF is closing. This means we have to make decisions on how and where we will celebrate queer communities with the best information available at the time. We also know we have to plan in such a way as to honour the expectations of the communities we serve, which means planning carefully and with the utmost care for the folks who will be attending our film screenings.

This year, we want to continue to provide the meaningful and celebratory experience patrons like you have come to expect from the VQFF, while also making sure that everyone can participate in the Festival safely and abide by social distancing guidelines. We also need to make sure we are being prudent in how we manage the finances, logistics, and capacity of a major arts festival at this time. Last year we proved that we could balance all of these complicated factors online, and while we acknowledge we’d all rather be gathered in person enjoying popcorn and the communal cinema experience, we know it isn’t safe to do so for everyone.

How do I buy tickets, passes, and memberships? How much are they?
Passes will go on-sale on Wednesday, May 26. Passes provide a rich festival experience, allowing you to see any film in our program. This year, virtual passes are $175 and we’re offering an access price of $145. Early Bird pricing is in effect until July 11 – get yours now!

We’re planning to have everything you need to join the Festival on our website in July with plenty of time for you to plan your VQFF experience.

We also encourage you to consider becoming a Reel Patron Donor. As a donor, you’ll have access to unique Festival Benefits like tickets, passes, and special events while supporting LGBT2Q+ communities.

I’m planning to watch with friends, do we all need to buy tickets?
Just like last year, you only need to purchase one (1) ticket per household to watch a film. If you have multiple people in your household who will be watching and wish to account for that, we encourage you to make a donation in any amount during the checkout process, or to consider paying a little more for your ticket, but neither is necessary.

Will I have to watch films on a schedule this year?
This year we’re working with filmmakers and film distributors to see if we can offer some films on a VOD-basis.

VOD stands for Video On Demand – meaning the program is live and available to be streamed at any time, kind of like Netflix or YouTube. We’re trying to get as many films as possible under this kind of schedule since it gives you the most flexibility and choice in watching films. That being said, VOD isn’t always the best option for filmmakers and other artists, plus we love knowing we’re watching a film together with a whole bunch of other people – even if we’re not all in the same cinema.

If you have a ticket for a VOD film screening, you’ll have 24 hours to complete the film screening after you press play the first time, so you’ll still need to schedule your viewings to make sure you have time.

Some of our films will be scheduled like a regular festival and will only be available for a limited time. We hope you’ll join us at the designated screening times, but scheduled films are available for a single viewing for 24 hours from their scheduled start time. For example, if a film is scheduled to begin at 7PM on Tuesday, you have until 7PM on Wednesday to watch it.

We’ll have more details about how, when, and where to watch films this year as we confirm the schedule.

Bonus Tip: Setup your home theatre!
This year’s Festival is going to be mostly online, so take the next couple of months to make sure you’ve got everything you need to watch films. You can screen films on any internet connected device, including your phone, tablet, or computer. Some people also like to cast or mirror their devices to their home tv screens. Take time to research which viewing option will be best for you so you’re all set in August. We can’t wait to watch with you!