Vancouver Film School is a private entertainment arts college in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, offering 15 post-secondary programs.
Vancouver Film School opened its doors for the first time in 1987 to a class of 12 Film Production students. The school offers 15 signature post-secondary programs spanning the entertainment arts, developed and taught by award-winning industry professionals. It was founded on the philosophy that one year of concentrated work, balancing industry-led theory and hands-on production, gives students the skills to craft a professional-level portfolio or reel.
VFS launched its Classical Animation program in 1994 and its Writing for Film & Television program in 1999. In 2004, it opened its first international Admissions office in Mumbai, India. In 2014, VFS launched the Shanghai-Vancouver Film School in Shanghai in cooperation with Shanghai University.
VFS offers 15 programs to more than 1,000 students across eight campuses. Approximately 75 per cent of games created at VFS are made in Unity. In 2020, Dell Technologies provided 900 Dell Precision 5820 workstations to the school's labs.
VFS is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver. On campus, students train in a 64,000 cubic ft. performance and motion capture volume, a 280-degree green screen studio, and 7 fully independent film studios, along with 6 pro editing suites. Listed facilities include large black box studios, theatre and screening spaces, classrooms, and the VFS Café.
The administration and admissions office is at 198 West Hastings St., Vancouver, BC. Admission routes include an advisor-guided application, program-specific portfolio and audition requirements, and an English language proficiency test. Applicants may also use the English for Creative Arts (ECA) English language requirement, and conditional acceptance is available. Student Services is located at 198 West Hastings Street, 2nd Floor, open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm.
VFS holds a designation certificate under the Private Training Act, issued by the B.C. Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit (PTIRU) of the Ministry of Advanced Education. The school also holds the British Columbia Education Quality Assurance (EQA) designation, which attests to the standard of the educational services provided to students.