The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is a film festival held annually in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for twelve days in late September and early October.
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The festival began in 2000, with the premiere event being a screening of the locally-produced film Waydowntown. Growing steadily over the years, in 2016 the festival welcomed 36,693 people to 211 films, shorts, and other industry events. Next year, CIFF will celebrate its 18th edition, from September 20 to October 1, 2017.
Festival Venues
As of September 2016, CIFF films were screened at the following venues in Calgary. Most are located in the downtown core, with several others in nearby neighborhoods:
Categories
As is typical with film festivals, there are a number of different categories of films screened, with the films being grouped into series by genre or country of production. These are: Galas, Headliners, Canadian Cinema, New American Cinema, World, Documentaries, Late Shows (horror/sci-fi/thrillers), Music on Screen, Alberta Scene (focusing specifically on Alberta-made productions), and Short Films.
In 2016, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences named the festival as an Oscar qualifier for short films. This means that the winner of the "Best of Shorts" award is eligible to be considered for an Academy Award.
The festival places strong importance on local Albertan filmmakers, and much of its content is curated from the province. New this year, 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.