Year-Round Volunteer Resources and FAQs

Reviews and Film Notes Submissions

Do you want to share a film note or review? Send us an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Review for Newsletter” and we’ll do our best to include it before the newsletter deadline!

Review Submissions:

• Reviews have a maximum word count of 250 words and must be about a film that has played or will be playing at the VIFF Centre or VIFF Festival
• Please note, reviews that reveal plot details that spoil the film, or that are generally mean-spirited about the film and/or filmmaker will be edited or excluded entirely from submissions

Film Notes:

• Film notes must be 2-3 sentences maximum
• Film notes must be about a film you have seen and can be in the form of a brief review or recommendation — think of these as shout-outs to films you want to highlight for your fellow volunteers!
• Please note, film notes that reveal plot details that spoil the film, or that are generally mean-spirited about the film and/or filmmaker will be edited or excluded entirely from submissions

FAQs

Year-Round Volunteer Passes

A year-round volunteer pass is a card that fits into your wallet, permitting you to book up to two complimentary tickets to any event at the VIFF Centre that does not appear on the monthly No-Fly list. To view the most recent list of events on the No-Fly list, please refer to the most recent monthly newsletter.

Year-round passes are renewed every January and July. Once you’ve hit 32 hours on the front of house team, you’re eligible for one!

Each renewal period, the volunteer department will issue and renew passes for everyone who has volunteered at least 32 hours in the past three months.

Think you’re already there? Reach out to the volunteer department to check your eligibility!

What is the difference between a Year-Round Pass and Vouchers?

A voucher is one-time use to exchange for a volunteer ticket at VIFF Centre. These are transferable and are valid for one year. You can confirm the expiration date on the voucher itself.

A year-round pass is valid for one Volunteer and a guest to attend screenings at the VIFF Centre and Cinematheque. Your year-round pass also provides you access to free drip coffee, sodas, and popcorn at the VIFF Centre concession, as well as 20% off all other purchases at the VIFF Centre concession (including alcohol). Show your physical year-round pass at concession to redeem these perks. Please note that concession attendants require your physical pass to apply your perks. Verbalizing your pass status is not valid proof of your pass.

Online Volunteer Passes

Online passes come with all the same great perks as the physical Year-Round Pass, plus the added convenience of redeeming one of your tickets online!

Every January and July, the Volunteer Department issues an online pass to volunteers who have reached 96 hours of volunteering over the past 6 months (about one shift per week). Keep in mind that online passes are only issued during renewal periods and are reserved for current, active volunteers.

Did you know you can check your hours anytime in Shiftboard? Just click “My Account” under your name in the top right, then find “My Hours” under the Account Toolbox on the right of your profile. Set your date range, hit “Refresh”, and you’ll see your total hours at the bottom of the pop-up!

Booking Tickets with a Pass

To give everyone a chance, year-round passes can only be redeemed in-person starting one hour before the event’s start time. In the VIFF Cinema, year-round volunteers are allocated 5 seats per screening. Due to the limited capacity of the Studio Theatre, year-round volunteers must contact the box office the day of to ask about remaining seats.

Have an online Year-Round Pass? You can redeem it anytime it at viff.org! The VIFF Cinema sets aside 5 seats per screening for online passholders. Simply log into your account and you’ll see a free ticket option available to select.

If those seats are already taken, don’t worry – you can still redeem your pass in person one hour before the event starts. Just note that screenings and events on the No-Fly list won’t have a free ticket option available online or in person.

I Have an online pass — do I need a physical one?

Yes — to receive your perks at the VIFF Centre concession or attend screenings at The Cinematheque, a physical year-round pass is required. Staff are not at liberty to take your word for it, we appreciate your understanding.

Changed your plans?

No worries — simply email [email protected] any time before your screenings start time to return your online ticket so another volunteer can enjoy the screening.

We want this perk to work for everyone, so please do let us know if your plans change. Should we notice a pattern of online tickets being booked and going unused, we may need to revisit a volunteer’s online access to ensure the allocation remains available to all.

Ready to book your online volunteer ticket?

Head to viff.org and log into your account to get started. Your online access to volunteer tickets is attached to your Shiftboard email, so make sure that you are logged in with that email address, and you’ll see your free ticket option available to select.

If no online volunteer tickets appear, don’t panic! Email [email protected] and we’ll make sure the correct email is associated with your pass and online access.

What happens when I go on vacation?

No worries — please reach out to [email protected] and [email protected] to let us know the dates you are absent. We ask that you simply make up the hours before or after you return from your vacation. Please see the Year-Round Volunteer Pass requirements above to maintain your pass eligibility.