Community News & Opportunities
/
This info session is the perfect warm-up for the Sundar Prize Storyteller’s Contest under our new Luminaries Program – submit by Oct 28, 2025 for a chance to win the following:
First Place: $300
Second Place: $200
Third Place: $100
Plus a ✨ filmmaker mentorship! ✨
LEARN MORE HERE!
This year’s Festival invites artists, neighbours, and audiences to reflect on what it means to live with dignity – on unceded land and with each other. Dignity in Community honours the everyday and extraordinary ways people care for each other, resist displacement, and make space to belong. We celebrate the strength and creativity found in our connections and imagine what is possible when dignity is a shared foundation for us all.
The 2025 Festival features over 100 events at over 40 local venues, including music, stories, poetry, theatre, ceremony, films, dance, readings, forums, workshops, discussions, gallery exhibits, art talks, history walks, and more!
Link to Website HERE!
Sat, Nov 1st - Mon, Nov 10th
Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver & downtown Vancouver at The Annex and Scotiabank Dance Centre
This year we’re bringing together artists from 7 Canadian cities, representing journeys from nearly 20 countries around the world.
STAND is an acronym for Strength Through Art Network Diversity. The festival has been running since 2021. It celebrates the stories, passion and artistic talents of newcomers to Canada. The festival is a wonderful series of events that gives immigrant and refugee artists a platform to share their talents. Performances include music, dance and live theatre. There are knowledge-sharing workshops and art exhibitions as well.
https://www.standfestival.com/
Nov 1 - 16, 2025
“BEYOND ASIAN”, this year’s theme, spotlights unique Asian filmmakers and story protagonists who bravely express bold visions beyond every expectation.
We champion authentic Asian Canadian and global Asian diaspora representation by showcasing, mentoring, training and nurturing storytellers at every stage of their creative journey while building a vibrant, connected ecosystem of Asian voices on all storytelling Platforms.
https://2025festival.vaff.org/
Free First Friday 2-5pm
639 Hornby St, Vancouver BC
The Bill Reid Gallery celebrates the extraordinary diversity of contemporary Indigenous Northwest Coast Art. As the only public Gallery in Canada dedicated to the Northwest Coast, we invite you to immerse yourself in a vibrant cultural experience.
Details at billreidgallery.ca/
Visit the Gallery for FREE on the first Friday evening of every month!
Through the generous support of BMO, we offer free admission for all visitors to the Gallery from 4 to 8 PM on the first Friday of every month, including children & youth aged 18 years and under, so this is the perfect opportunity to bring the whole family. Please reserve your spot in advance to guarantee entry into the Gallery. Walk-in tickets are also available based on capacity.
To ensure a smooth entry for all visitors, tickets are limited to two per group. If you are attending as part of a group, please have each visitor book their own ticket. Large groups may be turned away due to capacity limits and high volume at the door.
Book Your Tickets HERE!
Join Us For the 2025 Eastside Culture Crawl!
Thurs-Sun, November 20-23, 2025
Thu/Fri: 5pm-10pm. Sat/Sun: 11am-6pm
For 29 years and counting—the Eastside Arts Society [EAS] has produced the Eastside Culture Crawl Visual Arts, Design & Craft Festival, in which artists in Vancouver’s Eastside open their studios to the public. The event is focused on the area bounded by Columbia St., 2nd Ave., Victoria Dr., and the Waterfront, and involves painters, jewellers, sculptors, furniture makers, weavers, potters, printmakers, photographers, glassblowers— ranging from emerging artists to those internationally established.
This open artist studio event, along with workshops, demonstrations exhibits and artist talks, increases understanding and appreciation of the many varied visual art practices in our cities Eastside.
culturecrawl.ca
Vancouver’s Indigenous Fashion Week is Coming!
Nov 19-22 Queen Elizabeth Theatre - 630 Hamilton St, Vancouver
Showcasing the ingenuity of 30+ accomplished Indigenous fashion designers from across Turtle Island, the event offers an exclusive platform for unveiling their latest seasonal inspirations.
The main events will showcase Indigenous fashion, art, drumming, dance, singing, and more through four themed nights, featuring captivating fashion shows, vibrant pop-up shops, cultural showcases, interactive art installations, and empowering educational workshops.
Details & Tickets HERE!
At the Fox Cabaret – 2123 Main Street, Vancouver, BC
2025/2026 Season
2025: Sat. Nov. 29
2026: Fri. Jan. 9 | Fri. Feb. 20 | Sat. Mar. 14 | Fri. April 17 | Fri. May 8
Want to be a reader for the Fox Cabaret shows? Sign up now: HERE.
TICKETS available HERE.
The Whistler Film Festival, Dec. 3rd - 7th, 2025, connects Audiences, Filmmakers and Industry with the Films we love, Industry Insights we need and the human connection that we crave. Events included film premieres, industry summits, talent programs, parties and special guest appearances by actors and directors.
WFF’s Content Summit takes place December 3-6, 2025, in Whistler with a robust calendar of programming, including informative panel sessions, talent talks, 1:1 Market Meetings, workshops, networking gatherings, pitch competitions, and networking events. Don't miss this chance to elevate your projects and your career!
WFF currently offers 11 Annual Market-Driven, domestic Talent Development and Promotion Programs for up to 82 Canadian Artists to advance their projects and craft. These highly successful, selective programs have launched the careers of many of our talented alumni.
Tickets & Event Details HERE!
21st annual international Gender Equity in Media Festival
March 5 - 8, 2026.
GEMS Vancouver's signature event, GEMFest, is the only film festival dedicated to women and gender-diverse people in Western Canada, and one of just three international film festivals for women and gender-diverse people in Canada.
GEMFest provides a platform for challenging gender inequity and the lack of diversity in the screen-based media industry through a combination of film screenings, discussions, and professional development and networking opportunities.
The festival will open in Spring 2026, and screen films with women & gender-diverse filmmakers in at least three of the following eight key creative roles: Writer, Producer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Composer, Lead Performer and Production Designer.
The 2026 festival will be a focused on in-person screenings and events.
https://gemsvancouver.org/
Thanks to all who Participated in our 2025 Event!!
Run N Gun is Vancouver's wildest filmmaking competition. Established in 2015, over 1100 films have been created through Run N Gun (& our sister competitions Shits N Giggles, Blood N Guts & Vancouver Quarentine Performance Project), and it has become the biggest filmmaking event Vancouver has to offer!
Run N Gun website HERE!
Next Celluloid Social Club Event - TBD
Celluloid Supper Club, presented in association with Celluloid Social Club and Shamshiri Caveman Restaurant.
Keep in touch with local screenings happening online at our FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/18306091376
https://celluloidsocialclub.com/
Ongoing Resources & Friends…..
Gender Equity in Media Society Vancouver (GEMS) is a member-based organization committed to furthering gender equity in film and television. Previously named Women in Film and Television Vancouver (WIFTV), GEMS incorporated in 1989 as a not-for-profit society registered in British Columbia.
By addressing systemic barriers, GEMS works towards supporting more inclusive, representative media.
The Genre Film Lab / Coffee Chats - past chats available to view online!
gemsvancouver.org
BIZ Books
Your online source for film, television, and theatre books. We invite you to browse through our online store where you will find thousands of titles. Let’s make your creative dreams come true!
Sign up for our newsletter with notices of sales, workshops, blogs & special events at bizbooks.net
GVPTA is a non-profit charitable organization whose membership includes theatre companies, theatre makers and artists, and other organizations and individuals that support theatre. We provide services, promotion of member news and community events, opportunities to connect and network, and hold an annual theatre conference.
Show Listings Here!
First Saturday Open Studios
First Saturday is a public monthly artist-run open-studio event in Vancouver, North Vancouver, New Westminster, Victoria & the Gulf Islands. Each month a new artist opens their doors to the public to share their work & chat…
Website & details here!
For Reviews of local & international performances & arts events, Colin Thomas [award winning playwright, Theatre Reviewer & Critic for almost four decades] offers thoughtful & insightful gems to consider in the world of theatre & art. Highly recommend!