The 5th annual Vancouver International Black Film Festival is back from december 5 to 9, 2025

Celebrating Cultural Diversity and Creative Excellence with 35 films from around the globe!

#VIBFF25 celebrates Black creativity with powerful, diverse, and innovative programming – an inspiring showcase of stories that push boundaries and spark dialogue.

#VIBFF25 Opens with Jean-Gabriel Leynaud’s OF MUD AND BLOOD

All Access Passes and Individual Tickets are on Sale Now at VancouverBlackFilmFest.com

Vancouver, November 12, 2025 – After four successful editions, the 5th Vancouver International Black Film Festival (#VIBFF25) returns in person and online to amplify Black voices.

Founded by the Fabienne Colas Foundation and co-presented by Global BC, VIBFF is pleased to announce its official hybrid program and events lineup, running December 5 to 9, 2025. The in-person screenings and events will take place at the VIFF Vancity Theatre and Studio Theatre. On Friday, December 5, at 9 p.m. PST, all films will be accessible online.

#VIBFF25 is proudly supported by Vancouver Foundation, Canadian Heritage, Telefilm Canada, the City of Vancouver, the Government of British Columbia, and Festwave Institute.

Marking its fifth edition, the  Vancouver International Black Film Festival features 35 films, insightful panels, creative workshops, and community events that promote connection and dialogue. It celebrates the vision and resilience of creators from diverse backgrounds, providing a powerful space for their voices and stories to be heard.

This fifth edition highlights the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s award-winning BEING BLACK IN CANADA short film series, the VIBFF Black Market, special in-person screenings of: Of Mud and Blood, Sierra’s Gold and Snake, as well as a Special Canadian Spotlight of 9 feature films.

“Celebrating five years in Vancouver is a powerful milestone – not just for us, but for the city and for Black storytelling in Canada. The Vancouver International Black Film Festival (VIBFF) continues to shine a light on bold, authentic, and necessary voices that are too often overlooked on screen. We are proud to amplify Black talent from here and around the world, championing diversity in front of and behind the camera. This 5th edition promises thought-provoking films, inspiring conversations, and unforgettable artistic experiences. We invite everyone – audiences, partners, and communities – to join us, support these stories, and be part of a movement that is changing the cultural landscape. When Black stories rise, we all rise.” – Fabienne Colas, President and Founder of the Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver Black Film Festivals.

“Global BC is excited to showcase its support to the Vancouver International Black Film Festival. It’s important to empower unique voices and promote Black talent in the international film and television industry.” – Bhupinder S. Hundal, Global BC News Director & Station Manager.

OPENING EVENING RED CARPET GALA

The opening night promises to be a star-studded, red-carpet event, taking place on Friday, December 5 at 7 p.m. PST, and it opens with Jean-Gabriel Leynaud’s Of Mud and Blood, available only in person. Set in Numbi, a remote Congolese village, Of Mud and Blood exposes the harsh realities of coltan mining—the “grey gold” that powers our modern technology. Through intimate storytelling, the film captures the daily struggles and fragile hopes of miners and villagers caught in a cycle of exploitation, conflict, and dreams of a better future.

CENTRAL PIECES

As part of this year’s feature film selections, Sierra’s Gold, directed by Adze Ugah and awarded Best South African Feature Film at the Durban International Film Festival, is a sharp mix of dark comedy, satire, and social commentary. Set in Johannesburg, the film follows Sierra, an eccentric young visual artist who, after a bizarre medical procedure intended to terminate her pregnancy, discovers she can excrete gold. With absurdist flair reminiscent of Pulp Fiction, the film transforms this surreal idea into a biting critique of greed, exploitation, and bodily autonomy, turning heavy themes like abortion and resource extraction into a provocative and unforgettable cinematic experience.

Winner of Best Feature Film at the Florence International Film Festival in Italy, Snake is a haunting adaptation of South African novelist Tracy Farren’s acclaimed work. The story, told from a child’s perspective, unravels the deep psychological scars of a community grappling with its shameful past. Combining the intensity of Cape Fear with the emotional depth of South African storytelling, Snake is a gripping exploration of trauma, guilt, and redemption.

CANADIAN SPOTLIGHT (ONLINE ONLY)

The Canadian Spotlight is a special showcase created by the Vancouver International Black Film Festival to highlight outstanding cinematic works that explore Black realities through a Canadian lens. This selection celebrates essential films whose relevance and impact deserve to be shared with the public.

• Subjects of Desire — 2021 by Jennifer Holness — Online Only Dec 5–9
• Someone Like Me (Une Personne Comme Moi) — 2021 by Sean Horlor & Steve J. Adams — Online Only Dec 5–9
• Il n’y a pas de faux métier (There are no false undertakings) — 2020 by Olivier Godin — Online Only Dec 5–9
• Rumba Rules, Nouvelles Généalogies (Rumba Rules, New Genealogies) — 2020 by David N. Bernatchez et Sammy Baloji — Online Only Dec 5–9
• Zo Reken — 2021 by Emanuel Licha — Online Only Dec 5–9
• Kite Zo A: Leave the Bones — 2022 by Kaveh Nabatian — Online Only Dec 5–9
• Stateless — 2023 by Michèle Stephenson — Online Only Dec 5–9
• Dope is Death — 2021 by Mia Donovan — Online Only Dec 5–9

The #VIBFF25 All Access Online Pass gives access to the entire ONLINE film programming and can be purchased on the Festival’s website for $45 (+ tx/fees). The All Access In-Person Pass gives access to the entire IN-PERSON film programming and can be purchased on the Festival’s website for $39 (+ tx/fees) IN-PERSON, single tickets for films are available for $12, and $20 for the Opening Night film. Both can be purchased on the Festival’s website.

SPECIAL EVENTS

FABIENNE COLAS FOUNDATION’S BEING BLACK IN CANADA

Part of Fabienne Colas Foundation’s Festwave Institute, presented by NETFLIX, in collaboration with the National Bank, supported by Telefilm Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts.

December 6 | Vancity Theatre | 5 p.m. and Online (Vancouver, Halifax, and Toronto cohorts; Ottawa, Calgary, and Montreal cohorts’ films are available only online)

The FCF’s Being Black in Canada supported 30 Black Canadian Filmmakers, aged 18 to 30, in Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver, in the creation of their first documentary short films (8 to 10 minutes). The filmmakers received professional coaching for each stage of the audiovisual production process and then made a short documentary film under the tutelage of industry professionals. A unique project that inspires emerging artists from culturally diverse backgrounds.

This year’s line-up consists of remarkable films highlighting important topics such as women’s issues/empowerment, murder/mystery, social issues, politics/resistance, migration/displacement, and family.

THE VIBFF BLACK MARKET

Presented by Festwave Institute | December 6 | VIFF Studio Theatre & Free on Facebook

The VIBFF Black Market space is dedicated to the cinema industry and to raising awareness of today’s social climate with powerful & FREE panel discussions.

In-Person Discussions: December 6, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

At the VIFF Center Studio Theatre – 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver

• 11 a.m. – Spotlight Stories: Film Industry Q&A Series
• 12:30 p.m. – Action Beyond Awareness Forum: From Barriers to Breakthroughs: Black Voices in Vancouver Cinema
• 2 p.m. – Welcome to Visionary Productions Inc.

Online Discussions December 7, 2025

(will be live on the Festival’s Facebook Page)

• 3 p.m. – WORKSHOP – Insuring Your Vision: A Practical Workshop on Film Production Insurance for Black Filmmakers
• 5 p.m. – Action Beyond Awareness Forum Q&A: Success Stories of Black Creatives.

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About the Vancouver International Black Film Festival #VIBFF25

The Vancouver International Black Film Festival (VIBFF), a local not-for-profit organization created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, is about discovery and inclusion. VIBFF aims to amplify more Black voices and showcase the most relevant Black films from here and abroad while creating a space to debate major cultural, social, and socio-economic issues. VIBFF is dedicated to giving unique voices in cinema the opportunity to present audiences with new ways of seeing the world. VIBFF’s ambition is to encourage the development of the independent film industry and to promote more films on the reality of Black people from around the globe.

About the Fabienne Colas Foundation

The Fabienne Colas Foundation (FCF) is Canada’s largest Black cultural organization. Created in 2005, the FCF is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Cinema, Art and Culture in Canada and abroad. Along with Zaza production, the Fabienne Colas Foundation is also the creator of 12 Festivals, including the highly successful Montreal Black Film Festival, the hugely popular Toronto Black Film Festival, the Halifax Black Film Festival as well as several other successful Festivals in Canada, the USA, Haiti and Brazil. These initiatives/festivals have showcased and supported over 10,000 artists and attracted over 2 million festivalgoers. The Foundation is also the creator of the FCF’s Being Black in Canada program, Canada’s largest incubator dedicated to Black Filmmakers and Festwave Institute, created to empower the next generation of Black & underrepresented film & TV professionals.

About Vancouver Foundation

Vancouver Foundation is dedicated to creating healthy, vibrant, equitable, and inclusive communities across BC. Since 1943, our donors have created more than 2,200 endowment funds, and together we have distributed over $1.5 billion to charities. From arts and culture to the environment, health and social development, education, medical research, and more, we exist to make meaningful and lasting improvements to communities in BC.

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