Browse films

The Meaning of Vanlife

Jim Lounsbury
Australia, 2019, 88 min.

In English.
Includes adult language.

AIFF Award Winner:
Best Foreign Documentary

The Meaning of Vanlife is an adventurous, revealing look into the Vanlife community through the eyes of nomads who have chosen to live a life of freedom on the road. A documentary about a movement that exemplifies a deeper societal trend towards minimalism and authentic community building.

Director's Statement

Is Vanlife just a fad, driven by social media, hashtags and photographs of beautiful couples in pristine locations? Or is it a community dealing with the current economic pressures by leaning toward minimalism and simpler living? A group of people redefining their expectations for life by valuing things like community, acceptance and renewal? When asking "˜Vanlifers' why they chose this alternative lifestyle, the most common word within their answers was freedom. This documentary was a chance to discover what that freedom looks like, and what resonant beliefs, philosophical truths and new ideas can be gleaned from these modern-day nomads.

Category: Documentary, Award Winner.
Themes: Community, Lifestyle, Road Trip, World Cinema.

More in Documentary

  • Becoming Benjamin Lay

    Becoming Benjamin Lay

    Tony Buba
    United States, 2026, 55 min.

    In the documentary Becoming Benjamin Lay, director Tony Buba and historian Marcus Rediker explore the life and ideas of an unknown radical Quaker... more ›

  • Red Girl Rising

    Red Girl Rising

    Kim Stadfeld
    Canada, 2025, 12 min.

    Joyce Jonathan Crone, Mohawk matriarch, retired teacher, activist, humanitarian reaches forward into her community of Huntsville, Ontario, opening hearts and... more ›

  • Desert Passages

    Desert Passages

    Laurence Durkin
    Ireland, 2026, 75 min.

    The Colorado River is drying up. Reservoirs are falling to record lows and drought continues to ravage the borderlands of the United States and Mexico. The... more ›