By Connor Ollive on May 25, 2026 Verified by Google

Acting program is a waste of time and money and when I was there was actively toxic and damaging to mental health and relationships

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By J H on April 8, 2026 Verified by Google

Staff openly making fun of tragic/sensitive information obtained from students, the blonde woman with curly hair and a woman with darker hair were openly laughing about a student asking for support due to their parent passing away…. In what world is that okay? I overheard this walking from the elevator to the classroom in the back of the second floor and was shocked not only how insensitive they were being but also that they did so without care near the main stairwell EVERYONE walks up/down…. Just that alone makes me say you should avoid this place with a 1,000 foot pole but also my general experience with the school as well has been horrific noticing quite the decline in care for the buildings since the start of this year… it’s just dirty and uncomfortable additionally to that the school is falling behind technologically… in a “state of the art” film school that has nothing that’s state of the art.

Please do yourself a favour and go somewhere else at least until they fix things with their staff, buildings, and tech.

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By Yuri on March 29, 2026 Verified by Google

I studied at Vancouver Film School and worked on a film where I was both the director and the lead actor. The camera operator took all the footage and ran off with it.

The rest of the team couldn’t be bothered to get involved and refused to help, even though I spent 8 months fighting to recover my own work.

The school’s management and department head didn’t support me—instead, they told me to give up my image rights and sided with the person who took the footage. Why? Because he was paying them more money in another program.

It’s disgusting how money-driven and irresponsible this environment is. They protect people who do the wrong thing and pressure the victim to give up. It’s honestly sad that students are paying so much to be part of this kind of system.

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By Adventurer on December 30, 2025 Verified by Google

There's been a lot said of this place. Some of it is exaggerated, some of it isn't. I recently graduated from their flagship program, Film Production. Was it worth 37 thousand dollars? Short answer, no. But, I'll provide more information.

For starters, the program moves very fast. It's honestly too much to pack in one year and really benefits those with previous education and experience. In my class, the students who did well in cinematography literally all had either professional experience or degrees in film. It definitely surprised me that a lot of people from foreign countries who go to VFS already have careers and use this program to get started in North America.
Beyond that, so much of your success in this program is based on how much you vibe with your class. There's new intakes every two months so it really is a dice roll. Your class only does 5-6 final projects and you and your classmates vote on which ones to do. From there, the students who get their pitch get to choose all the roles. There's literally no checks and balances from the teachers if you want a certain role and want to get your money's worth out of this THIRTY SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLAR program. There's also very little to do in the final term. I just wanted some more lectures to potentially learn something after the finals had fizzled out.
Some positives are that you get a lot of experience with professional equipment. You get to sub through every role in the first two terms. I did learn a lot, honestly. But like, I've already directed more outside of VFS than I did in that entire year (and it has cost me a lot less!).

Due to the speed of the program, you'll "learn" one type of software for one assignment and then you're already onto a new one for the next assignment. I thought I'd be covered by purchasing the entire Adobe Suite. Nope! We used Premiere Pro for Term 1 but for Term 2 we switched to Avid and that's what we used for the remainder of the course. Why? I think it's as simple as VFS wanting to include both in their course sequence. On top of that, you're expected to use a strange software called Movie Magic for budgets and schedules, because it's "industry standard". And yep, Movie Magic certainly isn't free so of course I was restricted to using the computers at school. VFS is in Gastown and it's NOT a nice area of town. It's really quite appalling what you see around there and I did not personally want to stay at school long hours into the night.

If you look at how much less tuition costs in University programs like UBC, CapU, Concordia etc. I just can't imagine that they wouldn't be more value for your money. Learning this stuff over years will also just give you so much more time to develop your own ideas and projects outside of the classroom. Overall, I just cannot recommend VFS.

The backpack actually is pretty nice though.

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By Leon Gritsyuk on September 16, 2025 Verified by Google

I managed to learn more in a years worth of education what I couldn't in 4. Being able to do so many hands on experiences has allowed me to rack up my skills as a filmmaker, and made me comfortable stepping out into the industry.

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By Youngju on July 24, 2025 Verified by Google

Vancouver Film School does not protect creators and even defends unethical behavior.
I wrote, directed, and acted in a short film, but another student kept all the footage and uses it as if it were theirs.
When I asked the Head of Department for help, they dismissed it as an outside matter and suggested I give up my image rights to get my work back.
I cannot trust this school and hope no other student has to face this.

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By Anmol Sandhu on December 31, 2024 Verified by Google

As someone who took the acting course, School is way overpriced for what you learn. Most of the things you can learn online. They talked a lot about experience, but from what I can remember no one in the class still thought the price was justified and one year isn't enough time. School is pretty libreal in how It runs which looking back I wasn't a big fan of the politics getting into education.

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By Niloofar Mozafari on August 21, 2024 Verified by Google

As a Film production alumni to anyone who wants to go to film production program. DON'T!
Don't waste money.
You can easily do some youtube search and get couple of PA positions to get to the industry and learn.
There are no pathways or faster way to get or industry if you go to this program as they marker it.
Don't get fooled.

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By Graeson Bunag on December 13, 2023 Verified by Google

The Acting for Film and Television program exceeded my expectations on many levels. Every teacher aims to guide you through your journey not matter what level of acting skill you have and they do it with lots of love. Everybody, including the students are very passionate about the craft and want nothing more than the best for you. If you are looking for a place to hone your skills and network, VFS is the place for you. (Omari Newton is the goat)

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By Gavin Etmanski on October 19, 2023 Verified by Google

VFS 1 Year Acting Program is the pinnacle of what an amazing school should be. On top of the school CONSTANTLY staying up to date on whats happening in the industry and adapting the program to it such as MoCap and Intimacy Coordination classes to working on self tapes and a business class that covers aspects not usually touched on they also have world class teachers who all have real world experience in the industry. The teachers that I had the pleasure to work with and be taught by were nothing but loving, encouraging and caring while also pushing you to explore your skills and grow in new ways and there insights and advice that they passed onto me is something I truly value. I have made lifelong friends and colleagues here and am proud to be a graduate of this great program!

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By André Coêlho on December 2, 2018 Verified by Google

I have recently started Game Design, and so far my impressions on the program and the institution as a whole are mostly positive. The program sure is intense - their recommendation of not working in parallel with studying is not exaggerated in the slightest - but it is very much oriented towards the industry, and even though I am not new to the area as a whole, I admit I have been learning some pretty valuable stuff since I started the program - and that's been just a little more than one month. The instructors are great - they are definitely interested in helping out the students and in providing them guidance through the industry, and the fact all of them have actually worked directly in the industry is a huge bonus. In short, it's been a challenging experience for me so far - especially having to deal with serious time management - but, on the other hand, I actually feel like I am gathering valuable knowledge, and I feel that is what matters the most in the end. If you are still unsure about the idea of giving VFS a go - and if you are okay with working hard as long as it is fulfilling - I think it definitely deserves your attention.

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By Victor Platon Jr on May 9, 2017 Verified by Google

A small disclaimer before I begin... There are probably many former students that have provided testimonials and thoughts on the program, and have focused on the knowlege they gained from the course materials in the Digital Design program at VFS. My testimonial differs slightly. I'm going to tell you about the life lessons I learned at VFS.

Make no doubt about it, the Digital Design program at VFS is very challenging.

The curriculum comes fast and hard, and requires a keen mind and disciplined approach to catch it all. In my opinion, the true challenge is that, as a student, VFS really forces you to look at what you want to do with your life and design career after graduation.

Here's why; when I attended VFS, there were two specializations: Interaction Design and Motion Design. Both were very appealing and taught by engaging and extremely knowledgeable instructors. So from the outset, you are confronted with that classic fork-in-the-road decision.

I had great difficulty choosing which stream to commit to. On the one hand, I was naturally inclined to do well in Motion, but on the other, learning about Interaction Design was exciting and challenging as it was completely new to me.

I knew that the choice would dictate what I would learn over the next 12 months, but I also had to remember that these would be the first few steps towards a life and career that I wanted to be rewarding and fulfilling. It was a choice that I couldn't take lightly as it not only affected me but also my young family.

I took a long hard look at myself. I asked, what did I truly enjoy in life? What things really irked me about the current state of the world? What personal strengths do I have that will make me a more objective designer? What professional strengths can I leverage to help me get a job once I graduate? And of course... what topics did we discuss that will get me up in the morning and keep me up at night?

So what did I choose? For me, it was Interaction Design, and I couldn't be happier. Why? Because I took the time to really question what I wanted out of that year, and what I wanted in the years to follow. I took the time to do the heavy lifting in the beginning, to make the rest less difficult. I made the right decision for me, based on the tough questions I asked myself.

If you are a prospective VFS student, your story might be different. You might know exactly what you want to do, and that's great! However, I'm hoping that my insights help shine a light on the less talked about aspects of student life like: personal growth, life assessment and self reflection. You'll need to do that for your entire career after VFS, so thinking that way in advance is a good habit to get into.

My opinions on VFS?

Yes, you will learn from some of the industry's best. Yes, you will learn to become an amazing designer, and look at the world with a new set of eyes. Yes, you will make life long friends and make memories that will last a lifetime... and Yes I do highly recommend this school if you are thinking of becoming a Digital Designer.

Just know that the knowledge you will gain here does not begin and end with your scheduled classes. It happens at all moments... in the interactions you have with your classmates, the life lessons you gain from your instructors, and even the random moments on your way to school or on the way home.

Always have an eye and ear open, be a good person, and try to leave things a little better than when you got there.

You do that, and I'm sure you'll do great at VFS... and everywhere else.

Stay inspired.

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