Calgary International Film Festival 2015
It’s that time of year in Calgary where the buzz starts building for the full schedule announcement of the 16th AnnualCalgary International Film Festival (CIFF). The opening gala film,I Saw the Lightabout infamous country music legend Hank Williams, screens Wednesday September 23, 2015 at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Just over 10 days away, I was able to catch up with Steve Schroeder,CIFF’sexecutive director to discuss 5 things different about this years festival that make it better then ever! The first and most exciting thing about this year’sCIFFis that it is presented byATB Financial. Having a presenting sponsor commit to the festival for three years is a big deal and it allows the festival to propel to greater heights having the security of being back by a great local financial institution. “We’re excited to partner withATBgiven their belief in the power of strong communities and the role that the arts play in creating them,” said Steve Schroeder. “We believe that shared cinematic experiences reflect, enrich and broaden our world. WithATB’ssupport we’ll be able to continue that work.”
Secondly, this years festival seems a little more light hearted than previous years with films likeFunnily Enough-Shorts SeriesMy Internship in Canada, andHip Hop-eration. Is it a sign of the times…maybe? But for those people who crave drama there are plenty of heavier more dramatic films to chose from, likeFreeheld,RoomandBrooklyn.
The third thing differentiating this year’sCIFFfrom previous years is there a lot more music films, 6 to be exact.Born to be Blue,The Glamour and the Squalor,Keep in Touch,Made in Japan,Mavis!andThey Will Have to Kill Us First.
The fourth funCIFF 2015fun fact is that there is more Alberta content in this years festival than there was in any previous year. This year’sCIFFhas 6 Albertan films!!!
Fifth, and last but certainly not least, is there has been a great evolution with filmmakers who submitted shorts in past year’sCIFF, now showing feature length films like directorTrevor Smith whose film will be closing out the festival this year with The Smalls: Forever is a Long Time. There has been enormous growth in the film community in Calgary and with all the new genres of film festivals popping out throughout the year, it is growing audience sizes atCIFFto make for cozier screenings we can all enjoy together.
CIFFruns September 23-October 4, 2015 visitwww.calgaryfilm.comfor schedule and to purchase you pass/tickets
