Virginia Film Festival

Volunteering for the VAFF is a wonderful way to give back to your community, meet new friends, and see amazing films and filmmakers. Each year, we look for volunteers to fill the roles listed below:

• Office Support (Pre & Post-Festival)
• Outreach & Promotions
• Panel Volunteer
• Party Volunteer (21+)
• Screening Usher
• Standby Line Volunteer
• Venue & House Managers

Volunteer Requirements:

• Regardless of whether you’ve volunteered before, you will need to complete a volunteer interest form every year. 
• Age: The minimum age to volunteer at the VAFF is 15.
• Training: All volunteers are expected to attend a volunteer training session held prior to the Festival over Zoom on Thursday, October 24, 2024.
• Party Volunteers: All party volunteers must be at least 21 years old.

The VAFF is dedicated to ensuring that our programs are accessible, including volunteer opportunities. We strongly encourage applicants who represent diverse abilities and intersecting identities to apply. You will find descriptions of the physical demands for our volunteer roles in the document linked below. If you are interested in becoming a VAFF volunteer and have questions or accommodation requests, please reach out to our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@virginiafilmfestival.org.

To facilitate the process of matching volunteers to the Festival needs this year, we ask all potential volunteers, even returning volunteers, to complete our yearly interest form. We ask you for your contact information, which roles you are particularly interested in, and your availability during the Festival weekend, October 30-November 3, 2024. Armed with your Interest Form answers, our Volunteer Coordinator, Jenny Gardiner will be in touch with you beginning the week of October 7, 2024 as we begin to assign roles.

Please note the following:

• Pay special attention to entering your email address correctly on our volunteer interest form. After submitting this form, you will receive an automatic confirmation from us. If you do not receive this confirmation within 24 hours of submitting your form, then you likely entered your email address incorrectly and we suggest you either re-apply or contact our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@virginiafilmfestival.org. Given the volume of applications we receive, if we receive an interest form with an invalid email, we will delete the entry from our database.
• Submitting an interest form does not guarantee you will be offered a role, as we tend to receive more applications than positions each year.

Once you have received confirmation that you will be a VAFF volunteer, you can use the Festival’s Volunteer Portal via the button below to check your schedule, record your volunteer service hours, and much more…anytime, and from any device.

Additional Volunteer Resources:

• VAFF Volunteer Training Manual
• Description of our Volunteer Roles
• List of VAFF venues with addresses and parking options

VAFF Volunteers rock! As a way to say thank you, all of our  volunteers will receive:

• Uniform: A complimentary VAFF Volunteer T-Shirt, volunteer badge, and lanyard.
• Thank You Event: Celebrate with fellow volunteers after the Festival wraps at a special private screening!

Please note: You are not considered a volunteer, thus do not qualify for the benefits above, until you are scheduled to work a shift.