richmond international film and media film festival
Richmond, Canada
74
Tier BScreenings
Festival dossier
Vancouver Women Film Festival
Vancouver, Canada · Est. 2018 · High structural score (80–100) for legitimacy and industry clout — not limited to Oscar-qualifying festivals
Tier ATrusted
Vancouver, Canada
98
Legitimacy ScoreShould I submit?
Strong legitimacy signals
Tier A score for legitimacy and industry clout. Still confirm deadlines, fees, and categories on the festival site before paying.
- 8 years of verifiable history
- Physical screenings at Dunbar Theatre
- 4 verified pro signals
Overview
The Vancouver Women Film Festival, formerly known as Phoenix Shorts and later the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival, is a Vancouver-based festival dedicated to celebrating women’s voices, visions, and creativity in cinema. It is notable for showcasing films by women, as well as films by men that explore women’s stories, across narrative, documentary, experimental, animated, and student categories, while also supporting emerging filmmakers and offering professional screening opportunities.
Last updated Oct 1, 2026
Legitimacy Analysis
Positive Indicators (+48 pts)
- 8 years of verifiable history
- Physical screenings at Dunbar Theatre
- 4 verified pro signals
- Verified trusted status
- Legitimacy signals outweigh concerns (4 vs 0)
Red Flags (-0 pts)
No red flags found
Trust Signals
Positive Signals
- FilmFreeway Gold festival
- Has FilmFreeway community ratings
- Named venues with external verification
- Documented history with archived programs
Festival Details
Founded
2018
Venue
Dunbar Theatre
Screenings
Physical screenings confirmed
FilmFreeway communityGold festival
Avg. rating
4.9/ 5
Reviews
407
Synced 4 days ago
- Antonia TongJul 2022
We highly recommend this festival to all filmmakers, Phoenix Shorts' fest is amazing! Everything in this film festival is very organized and supportive, 5 stars! Thank you very much for honoring our film " Mad Scientist" with the "Best Trailer" award!
- Lars Magnus HolmgrenJul 2022
happy to be a semi-finalist for this festival
- Robby KendallAug 2022
Felt taken advantage of as a first-time filmmaker. On a positive note, my experience with them helped make me more selective of film festival submissions. Hopefully others had a great experience with them.
- Corrado MenegattiSep 2022
Thanks for the best poster award and for the online screening!
- Eric AyalaSep 2022
We are ecstatic and so very grateful for the Best Actress win for our project. It not only spoke to the caliber of the talent, but for the body of work as well. We are filled with gratitude to have been recognized in this way by Phoenix Shorts.
FilmFreeway reviews are filmmaker opinions, not our score. Cross-check red flags before paying fees.
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At a glance
How scoring works
Scores are calculated from structural indicators: accreditations, physical screenings, award category count, submission frequency, and acceptance rate. Higher scores reflect more verifiable legitimacy signals.
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