VAFF Film Fund (VAFF²) founded by VAFF Lifetime Benefactor Mr. Richard K. Wong aims to support talented Asian Canadian filmmakers and TV producers, to develop, produce, and finish creative projects that raises the profile of Asians in Canada.
about
VAFF Film Fund (VAFF²) founded by VAFF Lifetime Benefactor Mr. Richard K. Wong aims to support talented Asian Canadian filmmakers and TV producers, to develop, produce, and finish creative projects that raises the profile of Asians in Canada.
overview
VAFF Film Fund (VAFF²) founded by VAFF Lifetime Benefactor Mr. Richard K. Wong to assist talented Asian Canadian filmmakers and TV producers produce creative projects that raise the profile of Asians in Canada.
The 2024-25 Film Fund (VAFF²) was established to address the challenges faced by Asian Canadians in the film industry and was made possible by Richard K. Wong’s generous contribution of $12,500 in 2021. VAFF aims to secure further donors and sponsors to increase the amount available under the Fund.
To provide Asian Canadian filmmakers the opportunity to complete their works, the VAFF may finance original, high-quality projects (collectively or individually, the “Project”) that satisfy the criteria of the Fund, including those set out below, as may be amended or otherwise determined by VAFF at its sole discretion. VAFF’s hope is that the Project will further establish Asian Canadians as talented and notable filmmakers and actors.
Project applications submitted by Oct.18, 2024 (11:59 PM) PST will be evaluated by VAFF, and the owner of the selected Project(s) will receive up to $10,000 according to an agreed timeline.
Submission fee: $50 (CAD)
important dates
DATE | day | time | info |
---|---|---|---|
Saturday | September 28, 2024 | 12:00AM PST | Submission Open |
Wednesday | October 9, 2024 | (TBA) | Info Session – Save the date |
Friday | October 18, 2024 | 11:59PM PST | Submissions Closed |
Friday | November 1, 2024 | (TBA) | Selected Finalists announced |
Friday | November 8, 2024 | (TBA) | Selected Finalists in person live pitch competition |
Sunday | November 2024 | (TBA) | Recipient(s) announce at the 28th Vancouver Asian Film Festival |
Wednesday | January 1 – September 15, 2025 | Recipient(s) project production |
how to apply
Applicants should submit their applications as follows:
Step 1: Fill out the Film Fund VAFF² 2024 – 2025 Application Form.
Step 2: Email the following required documents to filmfund@vaff.org:
Please only submit pdf or Word files [pdf, doc, docx].
Step 3: Pay for the Non-refundable Submission fee: $50 (CAD)
All applicants will receive a pair of spectator’s tickets to the Nov 8, 2024 – in person VAFF FIlm Fund Pitch Competition event.
Note: Once submitted, applicants cannot change anything in their applications. Submit cautiously.
Step 4: Top 5 selected finalists will be announced on November 1, 2024.
Please refer to the OFFICIAL 2024-25 VAFF FILM FUND GUIDELINES for more details.
Evaluation Criteria
The following criteria will be used to determine the potential success of a project:
eligibility
Applications and all required documents must be received by 11:59pm PST on October 18, 2024
For the purposes of the Film Fund, the Project can take form as a Short-film, web series or TV pilot or a Short-documentary and must satisfies the following criteria:
Projects with any hate, political or religious propaganda will not be funded. Likewise, Projects with only one lead Asian character under circumstances where that character is the antagonist will not be funded.
Please refer to the OFFICIAL 2024-25 VAFF FILM FUND GUIDELINES for more details.
faq
Projects may take the form as a Short-film, webseries or TV pilot , or a documentary and must:
Projects with any hate, political or religious propaganda will not be considered. Likewise, projects with only one lead Asian character under circumstances where that character is the antagonist will not be considered.
In terms of production:
Please refer to the OFFICIAL FILM FUND VAFF² GUIDELINES and official Rules for more details.
rules
The OFFICIAL 2024-25 VAFF FILM FUND GUIDELINES with complete details is available to download.
Note: VAFF reserves the right to make minor adjustments to the rules and regulations without informing applicants.
jury
PRODUCER
Kevin K. Li is a Vancouver based unscripted producer who focuses on stories of Asian Canadians. His passion is producing content that highlights contemporary Asian Canadian culture and fighting the model minority stereotype.
Kevin’s work includes Agent Unbreakable, Canadianize Me, Ultra Rich Asian Girls, Brotherhood’s Clans and Secret Societies of Vancouver’s Chinatown and other related productions. His work has been reported by the New Yorker, Dateline, Al Jazeera, The National Post and many other news organizations.
Kevin is the creator of Mission: Red Pocket, a collaboration with Chinese Canadian artists to make red pockets more accessible to the next generation of Chinese Canadians like his daughter.
Filmmaker
Lalita Krishna is a multiple award winning filmmaker whose work has been broadcast in Canada on all major networks, and featured at film festivals around the world.
An early adopter of new platforms for storytelling, Lalita produces games, apps and websites which complement and enhance the documentary viewing experience. She brings community involvement and user engagement strategies to the projects she develops and produces. Her projects have been acclaimed for their unique approach to building audiences.
Lalita is the winner of the 2013 Crystal award for Mentorship. She is the recipient of the 2012 Trailblazer award given by Reel World Film Festival and was honoured to receive the Dreamcatcher award given by the Hopes and Dreams festival, New Jersey for using her craft to better humanity.
Lalita is Co Chair of the Board of North America’s premier documentary festival Hot Docs and is the Co Chair of Ontario Chapter of the Documentary Organization of Canada.
Cinematographer, Filmmaker
Brian Cheung is Vancouver based Asian Canadian Cinematographer / Director with over ten years experience in commercial, corporate, and documentary work. He has been lucky enough to work with some of the best creative agencies and production houses to deliver outstanding visual results for their clients and such brands as A&W, BC Hydro, Cactus Club, Coast Capital Savings, Telus, and Shaw etc…
Brian is a RED Dragon-X DSMC2 6K Cinema Camera owner/operator and also a fully licensed Transport Canada Certified Advanced Drone Operator. His passion for filmmaking and cinematography stems from his desire to craft beautiful and emotive images with cutting-edge technology.
Brian began his humble filmmaking roots by picking up a DSLR camera and asking his friends to help him in several Vancouver Asian Film Festival’s MAMM competitions. He directed Papergirl (2011) for VAFF 17 which placed 3rd place, and Stasis (2012) starring Ludi Lin (Power Rangers, Aquaman, Black Mirror, and Mortal Kombat) for VAFF – MAMM 8 which won 1st place. Brian also directed the “Red Pockets” Music Video which won 1st place at the VAFF Red Packet Challenge Micro Challenge in 2015.
One of the previous RWFF recipients in 2021: TRAILBLAZN by Brian Cheung and Gerry Sung aka Scope G.
resources
Interested filmmakers who would like to learn more about how to put together their application can refer to these resources:
past event
Co-Directors/Writers: Nikita Zhangare and Yvette Sin both graduates of TMU’s RTA Media Production program. Their thesis film “The Time You Left” is an official selection for VAFF’s 2022 program.
Nikita Zhang – Writer / Director
Nikita Zhang is an aspiring writer and filmmaker in pursuit of translating her daydreams and curiosities into screenplays and films. A 2022-2023 participant of the BIPOC Episodic TV Writers Lab, she aspires to bring honest immigrant stories to screen. Nikita is always looking for stories that can authentically express experience and capture the imagination— and striving to bring those stories to life however she can.
Yvette Sin – Writer / Director
Yvette Sin is a Toronto-based writer, filmmaker, and journalist. Born from the intersections of race, gender, sexuality and belief, she’s always been drawn to stories exploring the messy human experience. She is currently an Associate Producer at the CBC. Through her work, Yvette hopes to continue to collaborate with her community, to uplift honest stories, and to make as many new friends as possible.
VAFF Lifetime Benefactor
Richard K. Wong was inspired to partner with VAFF to create this challenge when he learned the story of little known Canadian Chinese war hero Frederick Lee. Mr. Wong chaired the National Committee of the Canada Day Drumming Celebration. The Celebration features simultaneous drumming across 13 Canadian cities to promote diversity, multicultural harmony, peace and love for a better world. It also established the Guinness World Record for the most nationalities in a drumming circle. Mr. Wong is the founding president of the Chinese Entrepreneurs Society of Canada and won the international competition to bring the fourth World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention (WCEC) to Vancouver in 1997. The WCEC provides opportunities for networking, sharing of information, traditions and cultures, allowing friendships and prosperous relationships to be developed that can benefit the greater community and the world. Mr. Wong was awarded with the Medal of Merit, the International Lions Club’s highest honor to a non-Lion. We are so grateful for Mr. Wong’s support of this project.
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Vancouver Asian Film Festival 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Vancouver Asian Film Festival 2024. All Rights Reserved.