Five things: Calgary International Film Festival
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Ten days, 211 films and 11 screens will turn Calgary into a cinematic love-in starting Wednesday night as the Calgary International Film Festival kicks off.
The festival begins with a screening of the opening gala film, Maudie, at the Jack Singer Concert Hall.
But there will be plenty of things to do during those 10 days, and not all of them have to do with sitting in a theatre.
Here are five things to look out for.
The Youth by Youth Cinema: Local filmmakers have always had a home at the film festival, but this long-running program catches fledgling auteurs in their formative years. On Saturday afternoon, dozens of young filmmakers from Calgary and abroad will be competing for prizes at Telus Spark, offering everything from animated tales about lonely polar bears and ninjas, to a documentary about the end of Seattle’s “gum wall,” to a silent film about a child evacuee during the Second World War. If past programs are any indication, these filmmakers all produce work well beyond their years. Check it out, Saturday at 1 p.m. at Telus Spark.
Conversations and classes: As part of its newly expanded Behind the Screen series, CIFF invites filmmakers to impart their wisdom with special events sprinkled throughout the 10 days. This will include master classes with Cree filmmaker Alex Lazarowich and Fort McMurray aboriginal director Kelton Stepanowich. Their films — Cree Code Talkers and Gods Acre, respectively — are part of the Alberta Spirit series (Sunday, Sept. 25 at 5:30 p.m. at Theatre Junction Grand) and they will hold their talk Monday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. at Mount Royal University. Alanis Obomsawin, an 84-year-old member of the Abenaki Nation and acclaimed documentary filmmaker, will also hold a master class on Tuesday at Mount Royal’s Owen Kelly Theatre. She is at CIFF to screen her latest documentary, We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice (Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. at the Globe Theatre). On Friday, directors Kim Nguyen and Calgary’s own Robert Cuffley will discuss Canadian cinema and at the Globe at 5 p.m. Nguyen, best known for his Oscar-nominated film 2012 film Rebelle (War Witch), will screen his new film Two Lovers and a Bear as the Canadian gala on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Theatre Junction Grand. Cuffley’s film, Chokeslam, closes the festival on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Grand.
Field trips: For those feeling adventurous, the festival will be offering more chances than ever to get out of the dark theatres and into the wonderful world of the Alberta film industry. That will include a trip to the new Calgary Film Centre on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 11:30 a.m., which will be followed by a presentation by Andrew Simpson, an Alberta animal trainer whose trained wolves have been seen in The Revenant and Game of Thrones. On Sunday, Oct. 2, cinephiles will be invited to take a tour of Solid Green at 12 p.m., a local boutique that specializes in visual effects. Visit calgaryfilm.com for more information.
Galas: Maudie, a biopic of Canadian painter Maude Lewis, won raves at the Toronto International Film Festival and will open the festivities here in Calgary on Wednesday at the Jack Singer Concert Hall, with director Aisling Walsh among those walking the red carpet. On Thursday, director Kim Nguyen will be on hand for the Canadian Gala and screening of his newest film, Two Lovers and a Bear at Theatre Junction Grand. Bugs on the Menu, which is about exactly that, is this year’s environmentally themed Green Carpet on Sept. 27 at the Globe Cinema. The Black Carpet Gala, on Sept. 29 and also at the Globe Cinema, will feature the stars and producers behind the Vancouver-shot series Van Helsing; and Calgary filmmaker Robert Cuffley will help close the festival on Oct. 2 at the Theatre Junction Grand, where he will screen his pro-wrestling comedy Chokeslam.
Last-minute addition: As proof that film programmers never sleep, the festival was able to nab Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight in the 12th hour, a coming-of-age film about a gay African-American boy that has floored critics at TIFF. This makes it the 211th film programmed for CIFF 2016. It will screen Sunday, Oct. 2 at Eau Claire at 7:15 p.m.
For a full schedule visit calgaryfilm.com
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