Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. T ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world ...

. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition. The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around

Downtown Vancouver Downtown Vancouver is the central business district and the city centre neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada, on the northwestern shore of the Burrard Peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. It occupies most of the north sho ...

and comprises six buildings. As part of the school's 20th anniversary in 2007, in August 2006 one million dollars was set aside in scholarships for new students. In March, 2008, Vancouver Film School and YouTube launched a competition for three full-tuition scholarships for the creators of the three videos submitted and voted as favorites by the YouTube community.

History

VFS opened in January 1987 with a single class of six film students and has steadily expanded since. In 2004 VFS opened its first international Admissions office in Mumbai, India and launched one of the first Game Design programs in North America. Recent milestones in the school's history include hosting the annual Game Design Expo in Vancouver, which began in January 2007, and partnering with

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

to launch a 2008 scholarship competition for the creators of three videos submitted and voted upon by the YouTube community. In 2018, VFS announced three '

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...

Scholarships' in Acting, Writing and Film Production covering full-tuition. Smith also funded thirteen partial-scholarships. Smith personally selected the recipients from over nine hundred applications. In February 2019, the school announced the ' Emily Bett Rickards Acting Scholarship', a partnership between VFS and Rickards, to fund a full scholarship for both of the school's acting programmes, as well as additional partial funding of $250,000 for other students. Rickards will also select the recipients. In May of the same year, VFS announced they would be supporting Vancouver-based Reality Curve Theatre in their

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

production of Zayd Dohrn's ''Reborning'', headlined by Rickards, to be performed at the SoHo Playhouse.

Programs for Vancouver film school

VFS offers one-year, hands-on production programs, including Film Production, 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Classical Animation, Acting for Film & Television, Digital Design, Entertainment Business Management, Foundation Visual Art & Design, Game Design, Makeup Design for Film & Television, Sound Design for Visual Media, and Writing for Film & Television. The school also runs a four-month Acting Essentials course and a 6-month Digital Character Animation program.

Notable faculty

* Michael S. Baser, head of Writing for Film & Television – writer/producer whose credits include

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. It is based on the British sitcom '' Man About the House''. The story revolves around three single room ...

The Jeffersons ''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, ...

, and

Maude (TV series) ''Maude'' is an American sitcom television series that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972, until April 22, 1978. ''Maude'' stars Bea Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken, middle-aged, politically liberal wom ...

. * Mark Busse, instructor – founder & managing director of industrial brand, founder & host of CreativeMornings in Vancouver, author of "Design School Didn't Tell You..." column in ''Design Edge Magazine''. * Stan Edmonds, head of Makeup Design for Film & Television – key makeup artist on The Butterfly Effect,

Get Carter ''Get Carter'' is a 1971 British crime film written and directed by Mike Hodges in his directorial debut and starring Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, John Osborne, Britt Ekland and Bryan Mosley. Based on Ted Lewis's 1970 novel '' Jack's Retur ...

, and

Scary Movie ''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Anna Far ...

, and makeup department head on

I, Robot ''I, Robot'' is a fixup (compilation) novel of science fiction short stories or essays by American writer Isaac Asimov. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines '' Super Science Stories'' and ''Astounding Science Fiction'' bet ...

. * Marv Newland, instructor – animator of the 1969 short ''

Bambi Meets Godzilla ''Bambi Meets Godzilla'' is a 1969 black-and-white animated short student film created entirely by Marv Newland. Less than two minutes long, the film is a classic of animation; it was listed #38 in the book ''The 50 Greatest Cartoons'' (1994). ...

''.

Notable alumni

Magda Apanowicz Magda Apanowicz ( ; Polish: ; born November 8, 1985) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Andy Jensen on the ABC Family series ''Kyle XY'', as Lacy Rand in the Syfy science fiction drama series ''Caprica'' and as Emily (born ...

– actor known for her roles as Andy Jensen on the TV series ''

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'' and Lacy Rand on ''

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''. * Shakun Batra –

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (f ...

director of '' Kapoor & Sons" and "

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu ''Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu'' () is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film co-written and directed by Shakun Batra in his directorial debut and produced by Karan Johar and Hiroo Yash Johar under the banner of Dharma Productions, alongs ...

". *

Neill Blomkamp Neill Blomkamp (; born 17 September 1979) is a South African filmmaker. He employs a documentary-style, hand-held, cinéma vérité technique, blending naturalistic and photo-realistic computer-generated effects, and his films often deal wit ...

– Oscar nominated screenwriter and director of ''

District 9 ''District 9'' is a 2009 science fiction mockumentary film directed by Neill Blomkamp in his feature film debut, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It is a co-production of New Zea ...

''. * John R. Blythe - independent film producer of My Amityville Horror and The New Hands. * Anugrah Bohrey – writer of '' Best of Luck (2012 film)'' and Himmat Singh. * Sara Canning – series regular (Seasons 1 and 2) on the television series ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. The series premiered on The CW on September 10, ...

'' as well as numerous film and television credits. * Jonathan Cherry – actor in '' House of the Dead'', ''

Final Destination 2 ''Final Destination 2'' is a 2003 American supernatural horror film directed by David R. Ellis. The screenplay was written by J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress, based on a story by Gruber, Bress, and series creator Jeffrey Reddick. It is the seq ...

'', and many other television and film productions. *

Colin Cunningham Colin Alexander Cunningham (born 1966) is an American television and film actor. Cunningham is best known for his roles as John Pope in the TNT science fiction series ''Falling Skies'' and as Major Paul Davis on ''Stargate SG-1''. Career Cun ...

– actor in television and film on both sides of the border. *

Adam DiMarco Adam DiMarco (born ) is a Canadian actor. He has played recurring roles in the Syfy series '' The Magicians'' (2016–2020) and the Netflix series '' The Order'' (2019–2020). In 2022, he portrayed Albie Di Grasso in the HBO series '' The White ...

– actor, best known for playing Albie Di Grasso on season two of

The White Lotus ''The White Lotus'' is an American black comedy-drama anthology television series created by Mike White for HBO. It follows the guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain, whose stay is affected by their various psychosoc ...

. * Clint Eland – founder & president of Mercury Filmworks, Canada's largest privately owned animation production studio. * Hanna Hall – most known for her acting roles in ''

Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson ...

'', '' The Virgin Suicides'' and the '' 2007 remake of Halloween''. * Dave Klein – cinematographer, best known for work with

. * Neil Kopp – producer of '' Old Joy'' and director

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultur ...

's 2007 film '' Paranoid Park'' for which Kopp won a 2008

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass ...

. * John G. Lenic – TV producer and production manager best known for his work on ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, i ...

'', '' Stargate: Atlantis'', and ''

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''. * Seth Lochhead – writer of '' Hanna''. *

Steve Lund Steve Lund (born January 9, 1989) is a Canadian actor, best known for playing the roles of Jake in '' Schitt’s Creek'' and Nick Sorrentino in '' Bitten''. Before acting, he played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, for the P.E.I. Rocket ...

– actor, best known for '' Schitt’s Creek'', '' Haven'' and '' Bitten''. * Niall Matter – actor, best known for '' Primeval: New World'' and '' Eureka''. * Chad Moffitt –

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

–winning animator on ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's bo ...

'' * Lon Molnar – co-founder, CEO, and senior visual effects supervisor at Toronto-based visual effects studio Intelligent Creatures. *

Scott Mosier Scott A. Mosier (born March 5, 1971) is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, '' SModcast''. Early life Mosier was born in Vanc ...

– film producer, editor, and cameo actor who produced the

-nominated documentary '' Salim Baba''. He met

and cinematographer Dave Klein at VFS, and since graduating, the three have collaborated on the films in the

View Askewniverse The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent B ...

. * Andrew Overtoom –

Animation Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

on '' SpongeBob SquarePants'', for which he was nominated for

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

in 2004 and 2007. * Emily Bett Rickards – actress best known for her role as Felicity Smoak on ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ca ...

''. * Stacey Roy – actor, new media producer know for LEGO Masters and The Nerdy Bartender * Manmord Sidhu – Bollywood producer, director & distributor. He formed a production and distribution company named White Hill Production & White Hill Music. *

– director of ''

Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. * Barristers' clerk, a manager and adminis ...

'', ''

Mallrats ''Mallrats'' is a 1995 American buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Jason Mewes, Joey Lauren Adams, Michael Rooker, and Smith as Silent Bob ...

'', ''

Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woman ...

'', ''

Dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam o ...

'', ''

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of hi ...

'', '' Jersey Girl'' and ''

Clerks II ''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Daw ...

''; Smith dropped out in 1993 and was presented with an honorary diploma in 2005. * Tara Spencer-Nairn – actor in '' Corner Gas''. *

Jewel Staite Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in the Fox television series '' Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its spin-off theatrical film '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jennifer Keller on ...

– Canadian-born actress famous for her work on Joss Whedon's ''

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

'', and '' Stargate: Atlantis''. * Emilie Ullerup – actor in ''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

''. * James Wootton – co-director of '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic''. * Amrit Pal Singh Amrit Pal Singh
/ref> – Illustrator and Visual Artist. *

Pamela Rabe Pamela may refer to: *''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'', a novel written by Samuel Richardson in 1740 *Pamela (name), a given name and, rarely, a surname * Pamela Spence, a Turkish pop-rock singer. Known as her stage name "Pamela" * MSC ''Pamela'', ...

References

External links

Vancouver Film SchoolThe Canadian Film Centre WebsiteThe Worldwide Short Film Festival WebsiteGIFTS indie film school official site
{{authority control Film schools in Canada Universities and colleges in Vancouver Colleges in British Columbia Cinema of British Columbia

History

Programs for Vancouver film school

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links