In its second year operating under the Constellation format, CIFF is bringing a premiere-packed lineup to both traditional venues and transformative spaces across town. The 26th iteration of the festival is here, and we’ve charted a roadmap to help you navigate the sleeper hits, red carpets, and must-see screenings worth clearing your schedule for. 

 

Mile End Kicks  (Alberta Premiere)
Canada – Director Chandler Levack

In the great tradition of music films like Almost Famous and High Fidelity, Chandler Levack’s Mike End Kicks (starring Barbie Ferreira) follows a young music critic in 2011 Montreal who dedicates herself to writing the next great entry in the 33 1/3 book series. Her book will centre on the now-legendary Alanis Morissette opus, Jagged Little Pill. Scurrying through frenzied concerts, wine-drunk poetry sessions, and a love triangle with members of the same rock band, Mile End Kicks is armed with enough cultural references to become the definitive music-fuelled romantic comedy of our time.

Sept. 22, 9:00PM @ Globe Up and Sept. 28, 6:45PM @ Chinook 12

Presented by RANGE Magazine

 

Bif Naked
Canada – Director Pollyanna Hardwicke-Brown

Canada’s defiant, authentic, badass, platinum recording artist, best-selling author, actor, singer and icon, Bif Naked, detonates the opening of CIFF in the World premiere Bif Naked. Through her fearless determination in forging her own path, this documentary shines on Bif’s raw and unfiltered journey, from surviving cancer, health conditions, addictions and heartbreak, to the trials and tribulations of a male-dominated punk scene. Bif Naked drops the veil to offer an intimate submersion into her story. A live Q&A and acoustic session with Bif and guitarist Peter Karroll, follows the screening on September 18th, offering the chance to engage with this legacy of Canadian music. (NG)

Sept. 18, 6:30PM @ Globe Down, Sept. 27, 9:00PM @ Chinook 14

Read our interview with Bif Naked

 

THE MASTERMIND (Alberta Premiere)
United States – Director Kelly Reichardt

Kelly Reichardt trades the Oregon woods for small-town Massachusetts in The Mastermind, a slyly funny, slow-burn art-heist film that doubles as a critique of the myth of “male genius.” Josh O’Connor, hot off Challengers, plays a soft-spoken carpenter whose amateur scheme to lift priceless paintings spirals far beyond his control. Reichardt surrounds him with the perfect supporting cast, including Alana Haim (of HAIM), Hope Davis and frequent collaborator John Magaro, each sharpening the film’s off-kilter humour and tension. Premiering in competition at Cannes, The Mastermind arrives at CIFF as one of the buzziest titles, and a perfect way to kick off the festival.

Sep 18, 6:00 PM @ Globe Up and Sep 24, 9:45 PM @ Chinook 10

 

NIRVANNA: THE BAND – THE SHOW – THE MOVIE (Alberta Premiere)
Canada – Director Matt Johnson

After years of rumour and false starts, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol finally bring their Viceland cult TV misfits to the big screen in Nirvanna: The Band – The Show – The Movie. Winner of the Midnighter Audience Award at SXSW 2025, the time-travel mockumentary doubles down on the duo’s self-aware, hyper-local humour while steadily mining a very Canadian nostalgia. At CIFF, it’s poised to be a raucous, inside-joke-laden crowd pleaser for longtime fans and a surprisingly accessible entry point for the uninitiated.

Sept 20, 9:30 PM @ Globe Up and Sept 26, 4:00 PM @ Chinook 10

 

SIKSIKAKOWAN: THE BLACKFOOT MAN (Alberta Premiere)
Canada – Director Trevor Solway

Siksika filmmaker Sinakson Trevor Solway gives CIFF his latest and perhaps most vulnerable work to date with Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man—an unflinching yet tender portrait of Blackfoot men negotiating identity, kinship and the weight of expectation. Shot across sweeping prairie landscapes, the documentary is both a celebration of strength and a meditation on vulnerability, offering a rare, intergenerational view of masculinity. Solway himself will be in attendance for the September 24 screening at Chinook 14.

Sep 24, 7:15 PM @ Chinook 14 and Sep 28, 12:00 PM @ Chinook 16

 

ARCO (Alberta Premiere)
France – Director Ugo Bienvenu

Fresh from its Special Screenings premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, Arco marks a bold animated leap into science-fiction fantasy from writer-director Ugo Bienvenu, with Natalie Portman producing. Set in 2075, the film centres on Iris, a 10-year-old who shelters a mysterious boy in a rainbow jumpsuit who’s fallen from the sky — a traveller from a distant, idyllic future where time travel exists. With its lush hand-drawn aesthetic and emotionally rich world-building, Arco is one of the festival’s most anticipated animated features.

Sep 21, 8:30 PM @ Globe Up and Sep 27, 11:00 AM @ Chinook 10

 

CLUELESS
United States – Director Amy Heckerling

Clueless follows Cher, a posh Beverly Hills teen, as she plays matchmaker, navigates drama, and discovers that even the most fabulous girl has a lot to learn. Take in this ’90s classic with the September air at CIFF’s free outdoor screening outside the Plaza Theatre in Kensington—just don’t forget to bring your own chair!

Sep 20, 8:30 PM @ Kensington Plaza  

 

LOVE, HAROLD (World Premiere)
Canada – Director Alan Zweig

Filled with the raw honesty and quiet empathy of a group therapy session, Love, Harold is a profoundly moving documentary from one of Canada’s most distinctive filmmakers, Alan Zweig. When an old friend dies by suicide, Zweig seeks out others grappling with similar losses, giving voice to 23 friends and acquaintances willing to share their experiences of grief, resilience, and remembrance. Partially shot in Calgary, Zweig’s unflinching yet compassionate approach turns deeply personal stories into a universal meditation on love, loss, and healing. He will be in attendance for the September 21 screening at CIFF, offering audiences a rare opportunity to engage directly with the filmmaker behind this unforgettable work.

CONTENT ADVISORY: This film contains discussions of suicide and the effects on survivors of suicide loss. If you need support services, please call your local Distress Centre. If you need immediate help, please call or text 9-8-8.

Sep 21, 7:30 PM @ Contemporary Calgary Dome and Sep 25, 4:15 PM @ Chinook 13  

 

FUCKTOYS (Alberta Premiere)
United States – Director Annapurna Sriram

Fucktoys is a wildly imaginative, 16mm hallucinatory spiral that blends pastel skies with grimy industrial landscapes in a pre-millennium alternate universe. The tarot-infused dark comedy follows AP, a spirited young woman cursed and promised salvation by a motley crew of psychics. Into the neon-soaked backstreets of Trashtown, she navigates a parade of outrageous characters and absurd situations, each more unhinged than the last.

Sep 26, 9:30 PM @ Globe Down and Sep 28, 5:15 PM @ Chinook 15

 

SPACE CADET (Alberta Premiere)
Canada – Director Kid Koala (Eric San)

Adapted from his acclaimed graphic novel, Space Cadet marks the animated feature debut of legendary Canadian artist Kid Koala (Eric San), who will be in attendance for the screening on September 19. The film follows a devoted guardian robot grappling with purpose and loneliness after his ward, Celeste, a bright young astronaut, embarks on a solo mission into space. A tender journey soundtracked by none other than Kid Koala himself, Space Cadet explores memory, connection, and the emotional landscapes of love and grief across generations.

Sep 19, 8:30 PM @ Contemporary Calgary Dome and Sep 28, 2:45 PM @ Chinook 15

 

THE BALTIMORONS (Canadian Premiere)
United States – Director Jay Duplass

On Christmas Eve, newly sober comedian Cliff finds himself in the care of Didi, a no-nonsense dentist, after a cracked tooth sets off a night of unexpected misadventures. As the pair navigate family estrangements and personal fears, an unlikely connection begins to form. Jay Duplass directs his first feature in over a decade, and delivers a rom-com brimming with heart, charm, and gentle humor—anchored by performances from Mark Strassner and Liz Larsen. The film charmed audiences at SXSW, earning the coveted Audience Award and looks to close out CIFF in feel-good fashion. 

Sep 25, 9:00 PM @ Globe Up and Sep 28, 7:45 PM @ Chinook 15

 

After the Hunt
Director – Luca Guadagnino

The powerhouse of a film, After the Hunt, led by visionary director Luca Guadagnino, makes its Canadian premiere this year at CIFF. Centering around Academy Award-winner Julia Roberts as philosophy professor, Alma, the tense psychological drama masterfully pulls us through an accusation made from her star pupil against her adoring colleague. With sharp and insightful performances by Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield and Michael Stuhlbarg, After the Hunt threads through the themes of controversy, generational gaps, cancel culture and trust. Scored by Academy Award-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, this incredibly layered film pulses with, and in-between, every frame in perfect Guadagnino style. (NG)

Sept. 27, 9:00PM @ Globe UP and Sept. 28, 11:00AM @ Chinook 10