Described by Trade Forum producer Melanie Friesen as VIFF’s ‘pride and joy,’ the new Vancouver International Film Centre aims to be the top destination for the B.C. film industry, hosting a variety of screenings and Trade Forum-like events year-round.

Built by VIFF’s nonprofit society at a cost of $5 million, the 14,000-square-foot building on downtown Seymour Street houses the Vancity Theatre, a multipurpose gallery and exhibition space, a cafe, an atrium for receptions and displays, a production area for events and filmmaking, and VIFF’s administrative offices. Festival director Alan Franey foresees the number of full-time staffers required to keep the facility running climbing to 12 from its current eight.

The new VIFC is home to this year’s 20th anniversary Trade Forum series of panels and speakers, and will also host a number of VIFF screenings, including Guy Maddin’s new short My Dad Is 100 Years Old, featuring Isabella Rossellini.

Franey says the venue is intended to serve not just the film community but also all related arts communities, including music, theater and fine arts.

‘We won’t just hang art on the wall,’ he says. ‘We’ve got the ability for installation work and we’ll be commissioning work.’

Installations can be incorporated not only into the gallery space but also with the building’s facade and a park to be built across the street. The center plans to project images out into the park, which, he says, ‘adds another programming option.’

The center’s annual operating budget will be approximately $1 million, according to Franey, and will be added to VIFF’s current annual budget of $2.5 million. Franey emphasizes that the biggest advantage to the new facility is that it allows the fest to continue its mandate throughout the year.

‘We’re hoping that the film center will allow us to have access to a lot of the best films that simply would not otherwise come back,’ he says.