Calgary International Film Festival will go ahead this year with some changes to screenings
Capacity limited to 30% for in-theatre screenings, tickets available for online viewing
The Calgary International Film Festival is a go for fall screenings, but, of course, it might look a little different.
The event, which heads into its 21st year in September, is taking on a partly in-person, partly online format.
There will be about 80 to 90 screenings in theatres — compared with the usual 200 or so cinema screenings — and people will also be able to buy online tickets to watch from home.
Admissions will be limited to 30 per cent capacity for in-theatre screenings, with extra time between shows for thorough cleaning.
Though the pandemic has made the logistics a bit more complicated, it won't dampen the quality of films, CIFF programmer Brenda Lieberman told CBC.
Lieberman says it's been an incredibly strong year for local film, with 111 Alberta film submissions — by far the largest number the organization has had to consider.
"Some of these films have been in production for a while.… It's just a lot of creativity from the teams involved with them to bring it together," Lieberman said.
The festival also created an Alberta spotlight section to recognize some of the local feature and short films.
"It was just a great, stand-out year for quality of Alberta films," Lieberman said.
"My biggest take away from where we're at with the film festival is it's an incredible lineup. Nothing has been compromised with this year's festival in terms of quality of content. We've got award-winning films, films from all over the place."
The festival includes the premiere of a feature documentary, John Ware Reclaimed, by Cheryl Foggo, an award-winning and Calgary-born filmmaker.
The documentary is about an iconic Black cowboy who settled in Alberta before the turn of the 20th century. The film looks at who the figure might have been, along with what his legacy means for anti-Black racism, both past and present.
The festival is set to run from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4.
A full listing of films along with ticket information can be found on the organization's website.