Laurier’s Vancouver Film School Pathway provides Film Studies students a direct route to industry experience

May 12, 2025

Callum McKean (BA ’23) originally came to Wilfrid Laurier University to study Kinesiology and play football for the Golden Hawks, but the 6-foot-5 defensive lineman had to hang up his pads early due to a neck injury.  

“I realized that I had to do something other than football for the rest of my life,” says McKean. “I’d always enjoyed film and writing scripts as a kid, but it took a backseat once I became focused on football.”   

After a conversation with English and Film Studies Professor Russell Kilbourn, McKean decided to pursue Laurier’s Film Studies program.  

The program combines rigorous theoretical and analytical study – focusing on international film history and the cinematic medium – with practical training in areas including animation, editing, screenwriting and directing.  

For students interested in working in film production, Laurier has created a pathway program with Vancouver Film School (VFS). The pathway offers an opportunity for students interested in combining their comprehensive education in Film Studies or English with direct experience in film production, writing, acting, animation, or digital design. Students earn an Honours BA in Film Studies at Laurier and a diploma from VFS in just four years.

“We have a unique undergraduate program that goes beyond experiential learning,” says Kilbourn. “If you choose the VFS pathway, you're going get this whole other experience of actual film production. It’s the real deal.” 

It was this unique pathway program that most appealed to McKean. During his third year, he traveled to Vancouver, where he built on a strong theoretical foundation with valuable on-set experience.  

“Laurier did a great job of teaching me how to represent depth in characters,” says McKean. “And working behind the camera on a film set at VFS was pivotal to my development as a filmmaker.” 

Students at VFS bring a film to life, from words on a page to the big screen, preparing them for careers in film or television production.  

The pathway was a selling point for Isabel Bidlofsky, a fourth-year Laurier Film Studies major. 

“I always wanted to go to a film school,” says Bidlofsky. “It was also important to me and important to my family that I get a bachelor’s degree. This program just felt like the right fit.” 

Bidlofsky chose the film school’s production stream and worked as an assistant director on a short film called The Red Jacket, which has been shown at the Tokyo International Short Film Festival in Japan and Wrap Short Film Festival in the United Kingdom. As assistant director, she managed all operations and logistics for the film.  

“I didn’t know how important an assistant director was before I went to VFS,” Bidlofsky says. “This experience has been completely transformative and really clarified what I want to do.”  

Bidlofsky plans to return to Vancouver after graduation and continue working in the industry. She hopes to eventually join the Directors Guild of Canada, a union that represents over 7,000 working professionals.  

“I met a lot of lifelong friends and made great network connections,” says Bidlofsky. “I think there’s a great opportunity in Vancouver for me.” 

After graduating in 2023, McKean created his own production company, Wolf Crest Media, and has recently been selected to participate in the “Run N Gun” film festival, an annual filmmaking competition where participants have 48 hours to write, shoot, edit and submit a short film on a given theme.  

McKean says Laurier and the VFS Pathway helped prepare him for the challenge.  

“Being on film sets, understanding the camera and its capabilities, and then applying the theory and analysis I learned at Laurier to bring it all together is the big difference this pathway offered,” says McKean.