Gender Equity in Media Festival GEMFest Vancouver
The 21st annual Gender Equity in Media Festival (GEMFest) in Vancouver features 35 films from 13 countries all screening at the VIFF Centre from March 5 to 8, 2026. The lineup also includes 18 Canadian films and 11 BC-based creators spotlighting bold, urgent storytelling by women and gender-diverse filmmakers working across form, genre, and geography.
Gender Equity in Media Festival GEMFest Vancouver
- Dates: March 5 to 8, 2026
- Location: VIFF Centre and Studio Theatre (1181 Seymour St, Vancouver)
- Tickets: Available now from $18–$22, with low-barrier access options available.
“Subverting and disrupting mainstream media messaging, which is increasingly pushing a patriarchal agenda, is incredibly important now—perhaps more than ever,” says Anaïsa Visser, Executive Director of GEMS. “We must bring forward the voices of those who challenge hegemony and misogyny, and those who value collective action over individual gains.”
At a moment when film industries worldwide are reckoning with who gets to control the camera—and whose stories continue to be marginalized—this year’s program platforms films that subvert dominant narratives, disrupt power structures, and interrogate the systems shaping what we see on screen.
Program Highlights
GEMFest kicks off on Thursday, March 5, with an Opening Night Reception and a screening of the TELUS originals feature Hearse Chasing, preceded by the TELUS STORYHIVE short Burcu’s Angels, at the VIFF Cinema. The evening will conclude with a live performance by singer-songwriter Cassidy Waring.
Additional festival highlights include Indigenous feature films from Canada, the United States, and New Zealand, five curated short film programs, and Acts of Vision, a dedicated series spotlighting Black-led films from Canada and abroad.
Tristin Greyeyes’ A Cree Approach, a film that documents the life of Freda Ahenakew, a Nehiyaw (Cree) woman, who dedicated her life to saving the once-dying Nehiyawewin language, will have its world premiere at the festival. Other film highlights are the Canadian and hometown debuts from BC filmmakers Ariel Bond with Rupture, Omorose Osagie with Lost Wax and Amanda Wandler with W7éyle (Moon’s Wife). Canadian premieres from international filmmakers including: Fire Within, Your Email Has Not Found Me Well, Naaz, Don’t be late, Myra, Yáamay: An Ode to Blooming and many more.
Film Industry Events
A focused industry program will feature panels, conversations, and networking events that address community storytelling, discovery and promotion, funding realities, and navigating the Canadian feature film landscape.
Highlights include Who Holds the Story?, a conversation with community elders, knowledge holders, and producers on consent and cultural stewardship; Getting Seen, a discussion with local programmers and publicists on discovery in advance, during and after production; and Funding Realities, a candid town hall with funders and producers.
The industry program culminates in the Pitch Forum on March 8th. Follow GEMFest on Instagram for updates.
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