The 30th annual Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), September 27 to October 12, broke previous revenue and attendance records.
Festival director and CEO Alan Franey announced yesterday that admissions to the festival topped 152,000, up from 148,000 in 2010.
Ticket sales also reached a new high of $1,178,811, up from $1,074,025 last year.
Franey told Business in Vancouver,“I think there are many factors [for the growth]. The concrete reason was a slightly higher number of screenings, particularly on the final day where we added extra screenings.”
VIFF had 633 public screenings this year and showed 386 films. Another factor in the festival’s success this year was increased capacity, according to Franey.
He noted that moving marquis events from the Park Theatre to the Vogue Theatre, which seats 1,100 and was often sold out, was also a benefit.
As a registered charity, VIFF relies on ticket sales to help cover its $3.5 million annual expenses.
The balance is covered by government support (about 10%), private sector sponsorship, personal donations and approximately 30,000 hours of volunteer labour.
Jennifer Harrison
@JHarrisonBIV