Purpose
The festival's purpose is to encourage the understanding of other nations through the art of cinema, to foster the art of cinema, to facilitate the meeting in British Columbia of cinema professionals from around the world, and to stimulate the motion picture industry in British Columbia and Canada.
Founded in 1982.

The program aims to include approximately 300 feature films representing over 50 countries.
Main Sections
Cinema of Our Time - featuring the best new cinema from around the world.
Canadian Images - one of the biggest showcases of Canadian film in the world.
Dragons and Tigers: The Cinemas of East Asia - the largest annual exhibition of East Asian films outside Asia
Nonfiction Features - Vancouver film fest-goers love documentary films -  this series is perennially one of our most popular.
Spotlight on France - This annual sidebar celebrates the unique achievements of France's strong national cinema.