25 Years of CIFF: Our Watchlist Essentials for the Silver Anniversary

The new-look Calgary International Film Festival is here and we’ve narrowed down some of our must-sees.

by Liam Dawe

Published on September 16, 2024

Since unveiling designs for the organization’s future earlier this year, the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) has been busy preparing for its first iteration away from Eau Claire Cinemas in over 10 years. Stretching from the Chinook Cineplex to Contemporary Calgary, Globe Cinema, and the Plaza Theatre, CIFF25’s West Constellation corridor will deliver everything from world premieres to screenings of older classics like The Blair Witch Project and A Goofy Movie.

Of the 190-plus screenings during the festival’s 10-day run, 31 feature films and 47 short films will make their world, North American, international or Canadian premieres. If you’re keeping count, that’s 78 total films that attendees in Calgary will have the opportunity to view for the very first time in Canada, in addition to the dozens of others that will make their provincial premiere at CIFF. With so much programming being offered, there’s truly something for everyone at this year’s festival. To help you make the most of it, we’ve curated a viewing guide of our most anticipated screenings at CIFF25.

LINDA PERRY: LET IT DIE HERE (Canadian Premiere)

United States – Director Don Hardy

As a partnering sponsor, RANGE is excited to present the Canadian premiere of Linda Perry: Let It Die Here. Tribeca director Don Hardy showcases unprecedented and intimate access to the life of legendary recording artist Linda Perry as she navigates meaning and purpose within her personal and professional selves. The former Non-Blonde has since made moves within the industry penning hits for some of the biggest stars, all while maintaining presence as a mother, daughter and musical pioneer.

Sep 24th, 8:30 PM @ Chinook 14 Sat and Sep 28th, 6:45 PM @ Chinook 15

ANORA (Alberta Premiere)

United States – Director Sean Baker

CIFF alumnus Sean Baker returns to the festival with perhaps his best work to date. Decorated with the Cannes 2024 Palme d’Or award for best feature, Anora situates the unconventional relationship between a Brooklyn sex worker (Mikey Madison) and her client-turned-husband (Mark Eydelshteyn). Their evocative honeymoon phase comes crashing down when Anora’s betrothed turns out to be the son of a Russian oligarch, whose loyalists have set out to New York to annul the marriage.

Sep 24th, 8:00 PM @ Chinook 16 and Sep 29th, 6:30 PM @ Chinook 12

SECRET MALL APARTMENT (Alberta Premiere)

United States – Director Jeremy Workman

Twenty-one years after the clandestine abode of eight Rhode Island art students was discovered inside a Providence shopping mall comes Jeremy Workman’s interpretation of the bizarre story, told through original video captured by the artists themselves. Having debuted to a wowed audience earlier this year at SXSW, Secret Mall Apartment delves into the fascinating lore behind the covert existence that went undisturbed for more than four years.

Sep 23rd, 7:00 PM @ Globe Down and Sep 28th, 2:15 PM @ Chinook 10

RUMOURS (Alberta Premiere)

Canada, Germany – Directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson

The first Johnson Brothers-Guy Maddin feature in seven years comes in the shape of Rumours, which, after world-premiering at Cannes this year, screens for the first time in Alberta at CIFF. Equal parts political satire, apocalyptic horror, and soap opera, the film follows the events of a G7 summit in the German backwoods amidst a global crisis – and things turn, well, macabre.

Sep 28th, 4:30 PM @ Chinook 10

WILFRED BUCK (Alberta Premiere)

Canada – Director Lisa Jackson

His name is He Has Dreamt a Dream and Keeps It, but many recognize him as Wifred Buck: the Manitoban Cree Elder known for collecting and sharing astrological knowledge cross-generationally. Adapted from Buck’s own memoir, I Have Lived Four Lives, Lisa Jackson’s documentary film weaves together archival footage, cinematic reenactments, and recent interviews to tell a story of past, present, and future.

Sep 22nd, 1:30 PM @ Contemporary Calgary Dome and Sep 29th, 1:45 PM @ Chinook 12

ADULT BEST FRIENDS (International Premiere)

United States – Delaney Buffett

Amid the intriguing, the melancholy, the introspective, and the range of other emotions sure to be provoked at a film festival like CIFF, it’s important to have a palate cleanser, and Adult Best Friends is exactly that. The debut feature from producer-actors and IRL besties Delaney Buffett and Katie Corwin demonstrates their on-and-offscreen chemistry seamlessly, offering up a comedic trip full of nostalgia, divergence, and full-circle laughs.

Sep 26th, 6:00 PM @ Globe Up and Sep 29th, 11:30 AM @ Chinook 14

THE TRAGICALLY HIP: NO DRESS REHEARSAL (Alberta Premiere)

Canada – Director Mike Downie

Captured and portrayed by Mike Downie – brother of the late, great Hip frontman Gord Downie – The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal is an emotional ride and the definitive portrait of Canada’s (unofficial) national rock band. Utilizing never-before-seen footage and brand new access to the band’s surviving members, Downie takes us down a celebratory journey of the Canadiana zeitgeist of several decades.

Sep 18th, 6:00 PM @ Globe Up and Sep 18th, 6:30 PM @ Globe Down

LUCKY STAR (World Premiere)

Canada – Director Gillian McKercher

Closing out CIFF25 is the world premiere of Lucky Star, the sophomore feature from Calgarian writer/director Gillian McKercher. The follow-up to her debut film Circle of Steel, the audience award winner at CIFF in 2018, was developed in residency at the Canadian Film Centre and tells a story of family drama, fatherly love, and a glimpse of Chinese-prairie diaspora.

Sep 28th, 7:15 PM @ Chinook 10

The Calgary International Film Festival takes place from Sept. 19 to 29, 2024.

Visit ciffcalgary.ca for more information.