Location | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
---|---|
Founded | September 2000 |
Most recent | 2023 |
Website | ciffcalgary.ca |
The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is a film festival held annually in Calgary, Alberta, in late September and early October. [1]
CIFF is the largest international film festival in Alberta and the sixth largest in Canada. [2]
In 2020, their festival screened 180 films including the world premiere of John Ware Reclaimed , by Cheryl Foggo from the NFB. [3]
As of September 2016, Calgary International Film Festival films were screened at the following venues in Calgary. Most are located in the downtown core, with several others in nearby neighbourhoods:
The festival began in 2000 with a screening of the locally produced film Waydowntown, and brought in an attendance of 8000 people over six days. [2] Growing steadily over the years, in 2016, the festival welcomed 36,693 people to 211 films, shorts, and other industry events. [4]
In 2016, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences named the CIFF a qualifying festival for the Best Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film awards. CIFF Executive Director Steve Schroeder stated that the status was a “testament to the strength of CIFF’s short film section, and especially the talent of the filmmakers.” [5]
Since 2016, [6] CIFF has made MovieMaker Magazine's annual list of “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, [7] following their place on the list in 2009. [8] The annually complied list provides a guide for independent filmmakers to inform them which festivals they should submit to and attend.
For its 20th anniversary the festival showcased over 180 multi-genre films from Canada as well as 50 other countries [2] [9] and welcomed esteemed filmmakers, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman [10] for an In Conversation appearance.
In 2020, their festival expanded to a hybrid model, offering in-cinema experiences and at-home streaming for audiences in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. [11]
As is typical with film festivals, there are a number of different sections of films screened, with the films being grouped into series by genre or country of production. These are: Official Selection, Special Presentations, Alberta Spotlight, Generation Next, Emerging Canadian Narrative, Late Shift (horror/sci-fi/thrillers), International Narrative Competition, International Documentary, Canadian Documentary, and Short Films. [12]
Since 2016, [13] the festival is an Academy Award qualifier for short films. This means that the winner of the CIFF "Best of Shorts" award is eligible to be considered for an Academy Award. [14]
The festival places strong importance on local Albertan filmmakers, and much of its content is curated from the province. New in 2016, the Alberta Scene series includes an event titled Showcase Alberta: in 2016, this was a screening of the 10th-season premiere of the CBC hit drama series Heartland. Hundreds of fans from all over the world visited Calgary for the event. [15] In 2017, the festival did a Q&A with the cast and creator of the Alberta filmed show Wynonna Earp. [16] [17]
As part of their Behind the Screen section, the Calgary International Film Festival holds Q&A sessions, as well as opportunities to meet the film creators, in addition to the regular film screenings. [18] Their 2020 festival guests include:
At the 2020 festival, CIFF distributed $24,500 in cash prizes [19] to feature and short filmmakers.
In addition to hosting the Film Festival in the fall, CIFF hosts a monthly documentary series called Top Docs, [20] a monthly international film series called Global Perspectives, and a monthly Music on Screen series.
The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, founded in 1976 and taking place each September. It is also a permanent destination for film culture operating out of the TIFF Lightbox cultural centre, located in Downtown Toronto.
The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June 2020. In addition to the annual festival, Hot Docs owns and operates the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, administers multiple production funds, and runs year-round screening programs including Doc Soup and Hot Docs Showcase.
Jeff Chiba Stearns is a Canadian independent animation and documentary filmmaker who works in traditional and computer-based techniques.
The Camden International Film Festival, stylized as CIFF, is an annual documentary film festival based in Camden, Rockport, and Rockland, Maine, in the United States that takes place mid-September.
Charles Officer was a Canadian film and television director, writer, actor, and professional hockey player.
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world's largest Indigenous film and media arts festival, held annually in Toronto. The festival focuses on the film, video, radio, and new media work of Indigenous, Aboriginal and First Peoples from around the world. The festival includes screenings, parties, panel discussions, and cultural events.
The Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) is a film festival held annually in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for 7 days at the downtown Globe Cinema. Founded in 2003, Calgary Underground Film Festival is a not-for-profit organization screening films that defy convention.
The Canadian Screen Awards are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media productions. Given annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, the awards recognize excellence in cinematic achievements, as assessed by the Academy's voting membership.
North Country Cinema is a Canadian media arts collective based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) is a cultural, charitable organization whose mission is to recognize and celebrate the art of cinema by showcasing Canadian and International films and filmmakers. When the festival first took place, it had 1,000 people in attendance and screened 20 films over the course of 2 days.
Elle-Máijá Apiniskim Tailfeathers is a Blackfoot and Sámi filmmaker, actor, and producer from the Kainai First Nation in Canada. She has won several accolades for her film work, including multiple Canadian Screen Awards.
Andrew Phung is a Canadian actor, improviser, and comedian. He played the character Kimchee Han on the CBC Television sitcom Kim's Convenience. For this role, he has been a five-time Canadian Screen Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He is also the co-creator of the sitcom Run the Burbs on which he plays Andrew Pham.
Cheryl Dawn Foggo is a Canadian author, documentary film director, screenwriter and playwright.
Ian Foster is a Canadian singer-songwriter, producer and filmmaker, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Adam Scorgie is a Canadian documentary film producer based in Edmonton, Alberta and is the founder of Score G Production Films.
Francheska: Prairie Queen is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Laura O'Grady and released in 2022. The film is a portrait of Francis Yutrago, a gay immigrant to Canada from the Philippines who performs as a drag queen under the name Francheska Dynamites in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Tank Standing Buffalo is a Canadian artist from Calgary, Alberta. He is most noted for his 2023 animated short film MONSTR, which was included in HBO Max's animation anthology Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection.
Jen Markowitz is a Canadian film and television director and producer, whose feature documentary film debut Summer Qamp was released in 2023.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Activities at...CIFF include film screenings, question and answer sessions with local filmmakers, and post-screening events with live performances by local musicians and dancers.