GEMFest 2026

Start: Thursday, March 5, 2026 10:30AM
End: Sunday, March 8, 2026 4:00PM

Entering its 21st year, the Gender Equity in Media Festival (GEMFest), formerly Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (VIWFF), showcases an impressive line-up of short and feature-length films (narrative, documentary, experimental and animation) by established and emerging women and gender diverse filmmakers from around the world. 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 and 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.