The Vancouver International Black Film Festival announces the appointment of Vicky Plancher and Mamadou Baila Ba to its board of directors

Vancouver, November 2, 2026 — The Vancouver International Black Film Festival (VIBFF) announces the appointment of Vicky Plancher and Mamadou Baila Ba to its board of directors. Vicky and Mamadou are both residents of Vancouver.

The other board members are Réal Barnabé, president and treasurer, and Fabienne Colas, vice-president.

“I am delighted by the arrival of Mamadou Baila Ba and Vicky Plancher on our board of directors. Their paths are different and complementary — one in the defence of human rights and the fight against racism internationally, now in Canada, the other in the production and highlighting of Haitian stories — embody the values we uphold. Their presence will strengthen our festival and the voice of Black filmmakers, in Vancouver and beyond.”

— Réal Barnabé, president of the board of directors of VIBFF

Vicky Plancher

Vicky Plancher

Vicky Plancher is a Haitian-Canadian producer, screenwriter and director, a graduate of McGill University and founder of Mare Rouge Entertainment. For more than twenty years, she has worked to promote Haitian stories on the international stage.

Her short film Dorsin & Brown won awards at the Canadian Black Screen Awards (Best Thriller Short Film), the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (Best Producer – Short Film 2026, with 8 nominations) and the Urban Film Festival in Miami (Best International Short Film). It now serves as a springboard to a television series. She also produced two short films for CBC’s Creators Network.

In parallel, she mentors young Black filmmakers in Canada and Haiti and sits on the board of directors of the Union of Black Artists Society in Vancouver. Recognized as a ‘Promising Producer’ by WebOuest and named among the 50 Model and Inspiring Haitian Women by the Network of Haitian Women for the Inclusive Movement (REFEHMI) in 2026, she believes that cinema is the living memory of a people. And that those who make up this memory must not only be seen. They must hold the pen.

Mamadou Baila Ba

Mamadou Baila Ba

Mamadou Baila Ba is a Senegalese-Portuguese human rights defender, anti-racist activist, public policy expert and researcher based in British Columbia, Canada. For nearly three decades, his commitment has brought together the fight against structural racism, the defence of fundamental rights, racial justice and criticism of colonial legacies.

A figure of the Portuguese and Afro-diasporic anti-racist movement, he has held leading responsibilities within SOS Racismo since 1997 and other human rights defence organizations. Administrator of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) from 2010 to 2020, then a public policy expert, he was also an adviser to the Lisbon municipality and the Portuguese Parliament. He also sat, as an expert, on two working groups established by the Portuguese State to develop public policies to combat racial discrimination. Since 2022, he has collaborated with the Equinox Racial Justice Initiative.

Winner of the Front Line Defenders Award in 2021, he received, in 2025, the academic distinction Notório Saber from the Federal University of Pará, Brazil, comparable to a Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.).

Holder of a bachelor’s degree in humanities from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar and a Portuguese-French translation diploma from the University of Lisbon, he pursued master’s studies in communication at Simon Fraser University.

About the Vancouver International Black Film Festival (VIBFF)

The Vancouver International Black Film Festival (VIBFF) is an annual event dedicated to amplifying Black voices in cinema. A cultural platform, it highlights Black stories, filmmakers and perspectives from around the world, promotes independent Black cinema, fosters dialogue with the industry and highlights the social and cultural realities affecting Black communities.

Created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, VIBFF is part of a network of Black film festivals founded by the Foundation, also present in Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa and Calgary, as well as in Brazil.

Its mission: to promote independent films from Canada and elsewhere, encourage cultural and cinematic diversity in British Columbia, support emerging Black filmmakers, facilitate networking and co-productions, and strengthen the Black film industry, locally and internationally. The festival is recognized for championing socially relevant films and giving visibility to underrepresented stories.

Its 6th edition will take place from December 11 to 15, 2026 in Vancouver, notably at the VIFF Studio Theatre and the Vancity Theatre, with workshops, conferences and industry events, series of short films in theatres and online, Spotlight Stories sessions with Q&As, as well as screenings from the Being Black in Canada mentorship program. The launch of its programming is scheduled for November 9th.