Vancouver International Black Film Festival Adds Vicky Plancher and Mamadou Baila Ba to Its Board
The Vancouver International Black Film Festival (VIBFF) is adding two Vancouver voices to its board of directors ahead of its December 2026 edition. The new appointments bring film production and human rights advocacy into the same conversation.
In a November 4 announcement, the festival named Haitian-Canadian filmmaker Vicky Plancher and Senegalese-Portuguese human rights advocate Mamadou Baila Ba as board members. Both live in Vancouver. They join Réal Barnabé, the board’s president and treasurer, and vice-president Fabienne Colas.
For Canadian film audiences, the move also connects to a wider network of Black film festivals, including one in Toronto. The new directors bring different perspectives to the work of supporting Black filmmakers and the stories they tell.
Vancouver International Black Film Festival 2026: Quick details
- Dates: December 11–15, 2026
- Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
- Venues: VIFF Studio Theatre and Vancity Theatre are among the locations named by the festival
- Program: Film screenings, short-film selections, filmmaker Q&As, workshops and industry sessions
- Tickets and full program: Check the official festival website for current details
Vicky Plancher brings Haitian storytelling and production expertise
Plancher has spent more than 20 years helping Haitian stories reach audiences beyond Haiti. She is a producer, screenwriter and director, a McGill University graduate, and the founder of Mare Rouge Entertainment.
Her short film Dorsin & Brown is part of that work. The festival’s announcement credits the project with several awards, including a Best Producer – Short Film honour at the 2026 Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival. It also cites recognition at the Canadian Black Screen Awards and Miami’s Urban Film Festival. The short is being used as a starting point for a television series.
Plancher has also produced two short films for CBC’s Creators Network. Beyond her own projects, she mentors younger Black filmmakers in Canada and Haiti. She serves on the board of Vancouver’s Union of Black Artists Society.
Those roles place her on both sides of the film industry: making work herself and helping other creators build their careers. Her appointment gives VIBFF a director with practical production knowledge and an ongoing commitment to Haitian filmmaking.
Mamadou Baila Ba brings a background in racial justice
Ba’s career follows a different path. A human rights defender, researcher and public policy specialist, he has worked on anti-racism and migrant rights issues for nearly three decades, largely through organizations in Portugal and Europe.
His work includes leadership responsibilities with SOS Racismo, service with the European Network Against Racism from 2010 to 2020, and advisory roles linked to the Lisbon municipality and the Portuguese Parliament. He has also contributed to policy discussions on racial discrimination.
In 2021, Front Line Defenders named Mamadou Ba a regional award recipient for his human rights work. The festival’s release also notes that he pursued graduate studies in communication at Simon Fraser University.
Ba’s appointment brings a policy and community-rights perspective to a festival that often screens films addressing identity, discrimination and social change. That background differs from a traditional film industry résumé, but it fits the subjects VIBFF aims to put on screen.
How the two appointments fit VIBFF’s direction
Board president Réal Barnabé described the two backgrounds as complementary in the festival’s announcement. Plancher’s work centres on film production and Haitian stories. Ba’s work focuses on rights, representation and anti-racism.
The appointments do not come with announced changes to the festival’s programming or ticketing. Instead, they add two people with direct ties to Vancouver and different forms of community leadership to the organization’s governance.
That distinction matters for a festival built around independent Black cinema. Screenings are the public-facing part of the event, but support for filmmakers, industry conversations and long-term relationships also shape its work.
The Toronto connection through the Fabienne Colas Foundation
VIBFF is part of the festival network created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation. The organization is also behind the Toronto Black Film Festival, along with festivals in Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa and Calgary.
That shared foundation gives Toronto readers a useful point of reference. The festivals operate in different cities, but each creates space for Black filmmakers and films that may receive limited attention in mainstream distribution.
The Foundation also runs Being Black in Canada, a mentorship and training program for emerging filmmakers. According to the Vancouver festival’s announcement, work connected to that program will be part of the December event.
What audiences can expect in December 2026
The sixth Vancouver International Black Film Festival is scheduled for December 11 to 15. The festival plans screenings at venues including VIFF Studio Theatre and Vancity Theatre, alongside online viewing opportunities.
Its announced format includes short-film programs, Spotlight Stories conversations with Q&As, workshops and industry gatherings. These sessions are intended for viewers as well as people working in film or considering a career in the industry.
The board news arrives ahead of the December festival, but the appointments are separate from the film lineup. Audiences looking for screening times, passes or individual titles should use the official VIBFF website for the latest public details.
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