Winners Have Been Announced for the Luanna Gondim Freire In Memoriam Scholarship

 

The Luanna Gondim Freire Scholarship is now closed. Thank you to all who applied.

Luanna Gondim Freire studied Film Production at Vancouver Film School. Her tragic passing was felt by all her teachers and peers, and her significant impact on the VFS community did not go unrecognized. A gregarious, bright, and talented filmmaker in the making, Luanna traveled all the way from Brazil to Vancouver to pursue her dreams. And, according to her father, she loved every moment of her journey.

Congratulations to the winner of the full-tuition scholarship: Maria Clara Falcão Coehlo!

 

 

Partial scholarship winners:

  • Daniela Garcia Juarez
  • Enrique Kevin Chaires Hernández
  • Faride Khalil
  • Leonardo Tovani

If you are interested in furthering your film production education, we have part-time courses available online through VFS Connect! To learn more about these courses, including our ‘Film Production Online Certificate Courses’ starting October 19, click here.

 

A Message from Luanna Gondim Freire’s Parents

The dream of studying cinema began in Fortaleza, a hot sea coastal city in northeastern Brazil.

Her friends and teachers from that time highlighted Luanna’s sympathy, good humour, creativity, and altruism. Inventive, she always found a way of handling the camera in an unusual way and extracting disconcerting angles.

Her dedication and creativity made her quickly get a good job in the largest communication conglomerate in her state, Ceará. She was a video editor, but produced, filmed, and did everything that came her way.

But her dream was much larger. She wanted to conquer the world, to go far above the equator, almost to the North Pole, in far away Canada. But she wanted a city with a beach, and with the best cinema course, where she intended to continue improving her art. Vancouver was the dream place.

So, she started to save money and maker her dream come true. She paid for college alone, without needing anyone’s help. It was supposed to arrive in 2020, but the pandemic didn’t let it. Delayed for a year. On August 6, 2021, she got on the plane and left to be (more) happy.

She loved Vancouver as soon as she arrived, every little corner. From the colourful staircase near the subway station, where she sat studying outdoors in the Canadian autumn, to the wide, quiet streets of the peaceful city. But what she really liked was college. “I thought I was coming to study cinema, but I came to medical school!!” she joked in front of the marathon of studies, tasks, and texts to read. She became accustomed after a while as an up-and-coming professional. She was happy always.

She was fulfilling her dream. And in this dream, she left seeds of dreams along the way (which she had many to spare), which are already beginning to sprout in the heart of each of the new friends she made in these two short months in the city that loved her so much and wanted her forever.

“It is with great sadness that the VFS community mourns the loss of Luanna Gondim Freire. Luanna was gregarious, bright, and talented and her passing has had, and continues to have, a significant impact on the VFS community, especially those who got to know her. Our deepest condolences to Luanna’s family on this tragic loss.”

- James Griffin, President of Vancouver Film School

About VFS Film Production

VFS’s 12-month Film Production program allows students to pursue their choice of two of five specializations: Directing, Producing, Cinematography, Production Design, and Post-Production. Over six terms, students explore a wide range of filmmaking techniques, working with their fellow classmates as well as students from VFS’s Writing for Film & Television program to create a final project for their professional portfolio.

Recognized as a Leading Film School Worldwide by both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, the program is continually updated to remain in lockstep with the industry.

About Vancouver Film School

Established in 1987, VFS is Canada’s premier post-secondary entertainment arts institution, offering an immersive curriculum in film, animation, design, and beyond. VFS is known for providing high-quality education in accelerated time frames and offers 15 industry-integrated programs in which students graduate in 12 months as an in-demand, industry-ready creative professional. In 2021, alumni were credited on 8 of the 12 best-selling games, 5 of the 15 top-rated TV shows, and all 10 of the highest-grossing films grossing over $2.3 billion.

Downtown Vancouver

  • One (1) full-tuition scholarships (100%) for VFS’s Film Production program (12 months)
  • Two (2) partial-tuition scholarships (50%) for VFS’s Film Production program (12 months)

 

  • A clear copy of a government-issued photo ID indicating your date of birth and legal name.
  • Acceptable proof of your proficiency in English which can include any of the following:
     
    • TOEFL score of 550 (213 Computer-Based Test)
    • TOEIC score of 785
    • IELTS Band 6.5
    • LPI Level 5
    • FCE Cambridge "First Certificate in English" Level B2
    • Transcripts from an English-speaking high school or an accredited English- speaking post-secondary institution. Transcripts can be in your native language.
    • Duolingo English test score of 105 or higher. The Duolingo test is accepted 5 to 7 business days before the contest closes.
      Certificates must be valid and within expiration dates.
  • A current resume that details your education and work history
  • Transcripts from any institution you attended within the past five years. Transcripts can be in your native language.
  • Two recommendation letters. Letters from instructors or academic advisors are preferred, and all recommendation letters must be in English and include the reference’s contact information. Your references may be contacted for verification.
  • Applicants must be at least 19 years old or have graduated from high school on or after 2014.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Scholarship winners must pay a $150 CAD application fee to accept the scholarship.

IMPORTANT NOTE: These requirements are mandatory, without exception. All documents may not exceed 10MB.

  • The deadline to apply is August 31, 2022 at 11 p.m. CDT. Late submissions or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
  • All full and partial Film Production scholarships are only valid for the May 1 OR June 26, 2023 start dates
  • If selected, the student must complete an online application and meet the application requirements for VFS’s Film Production program, which includes a portfolio OR completion of VFS’s Foundation Visual Art & Design preparatory program.
  • If selected, students must cover all other expenses, including flights, accommodation, meals and international insurance. Please be aware that these costs may exceed $25,000 CAD.
  1. Each applicant must prepare a video in English, with a maximum duration of 60 seconds, including the following:
    1. You must begin by mentioning your name, current grade/semester OR graduation year (if you have already graduated), and that you are applying for a Film Production scholarship.
    2. A brief statement of why you want to study Film Production at VFS and how this program will help your career.
    3. A visual display of your best creative project(s); please describe your work(s) while being displayed; if any of these samples were team projects, clearly specify your role on it, either verbally or through subtitles.
    4. The video must be posted on YouTube or Vimeo and be accessible by a direct link.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All documents (except transcript and ID) must be in English and total files cannot exceed 10MB.

  • Winners will be notified on September 22, 2022.
  • The committee’s decision regarding all winners is final.

Vancouver Film School reserves the right to cancel this competition at any time, at its sole discretion, in the event of any administrative conflict or error. Vancouver Film School reserves the right to modify the rules of this contest in any way or at any time as long as reasonable notice is given. This competition is void where prohibited by law and is subject to all applicable Federal, Provincial, State, and local laws and regulations.

Acceptance of a scholarship allows Vancouver Film School to use your name, photograph or likeness and testimonials in print, broadcast or online media in perpetuity, in any manner in which VFS may deem appropriate in connection with promoting this competition or any other competition or promotion sponsored by VFS, without further compensation.

By participating in this competition, you agree that Vancouver Film School, members of the Selection Committee and those involved in the development, production, implementation and distribution of this competition and their respective parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, service providers, and agencies and their directors, officers, agents, employees, attorneys, and any other person or entity associated with such entities and/or this compassion (hereafter collectively called the “Sponsors”) are not liable for any claims, damages, losses or injuries, including third party claims, arising from or relating to, in whole or in part, this competition, including your entry and participation in this competition, the submission of your application package, the evaluation of your application package, acceptance, use or misuse of the scholarship or any injury to you or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from downloading or receiving via return e-mail any part of this competition information.

You further agree that you will not hold Vancouver Film School, their affiliates, subsidiaries, directors, officers, agents, employees, attorneys, and any other person or entity associated with Vancouver Film School liable for any claims, losses, damages or injuries, arising from or relating to their use of your name or address for mailing and any other promotional materials. You also agree that in the event of any third-party claims, damages, losses or injuries arising from or relating to this competition, you will indemnify Sponsors from any and all such claims, including the attorney’s fees related thereto. Sponsors shall not be liable for applications that are delayed, lost, misdirected, mis-delivered, marked postage-due, illegible, mutilated, incorrect or incomplete and such entries will not be eligible for this competition.

This scholarship has no cash value.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to apply to VFS. The amount of effort demonstrated in submitting this application tells us that you are dedicated. We wish you the best of luck!

 

 

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