Calgary International Film Festival

Calgary, AB T2R, Canada, North America

24 Sep, 2020 - 04 Oct, 2020

Academy Award ® Qualifying

Keywords

student, feature film, animation, academy award qualifying, short film, alberta, narrative feature

Category

Feature, Short

Genre

Documentary, Animation

Calgary International Film Festival logo
Calgary International Film Festival

Calgary, AB T2R, Canada, North America

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General Information

founded

1979

edition

21st

organizers

D'Arcy Levesque

president, Board of Directors

Stephen Shroeder

executive director

Brian Owens

artisitic director

Brenda Lieberman

lead programmer

Adam Keresztes

program administrator & shorts programmer

Contact details

Suite 260, 999 8th Street SW Calgary, AB T2R 1J5 Canada

215

programming@ciffcalgary.ca

403-209-4957

Web & social

Audience

35000 people

About the festival

Going into its 21st year, the 12-day Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) has grown to be the biggest film festival in Alberta and the sixth largest in Canada.

Offering over $20,000 in cash and prizes, the festival awards outstanding films selected by the audience and esteemed juries. Showcasing an average of 200 short and feature length multi-genre films, from Canada and around the world, CIFF is a qualifying, accredited festival for the Academy Awards® and the Canadian Screen Awards.

Located on the edge of North America’s most dynamic filming locations, the festival is known for its hospitality and has been named one of the “Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MovieMaker Magazine in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Eligible for audience awards, CIFF 2020 non-juried competition sections include: Late Shows (Genre Films), Music on Screen, Generation Next, Special Presentations and Galas.

COVID-19 Update: The CIFF programming team, with the help of our previewers, are currently reviewing and selecting films for the 21st edition of the fall festival. As COVID-19 restrictions may impact this year’s operations, we are working on a number of contingency plans to deliver the festival to our audience and continue to champion Canadian and International cinema. All advertised awards will be presented regardless of what shape the festival takes. Additionally, we acknowledge the pandemic has also impacted production and post-production schedules.

Should filmmakers require extensions or have questions, they can contact us at programming@ciffcalgary.ca.

Waivers: We provide fee waiver codes for festival alumni & Alberta productions. Please contact us if needed.

Mission

The Calgary International Film Festival's mission is “to entertain and engage audiences by curating the most innovative and compelling films, and creating remarkable festival experiences.”

Achieving our mission includes hosting a large number of participating filmmakers – both locally and from abroad – and connecting them with the audience through interactive post-screening question and answer periods, networking at our events, and through panels and film talks open to the general public.

We aim to be a place where filmmakers and fans can find each other, discuss and appreciate films, and discover not only new talent and audiences, but new ways to connect over their love of film, and get one-of-a-kind interactive viewing experiences that go beyond the screen.

We seek the most compelling, innovative, and noteworthy films, and present them in a festival format that is interesting, distinctive, and unique. Each year’s line-up is presented in sections that group the Festival's offerings into easily identifiable categories – Canadian Narrative Feature, Canadian Documentary, International Narrative, International Documentary, Special Presentations, Late Shift, Music on Screen, Official Selection, and Shorts. We present a number of awards to outstanding films selected by our audiences and esteemed juries with cash and prizes totaling over $24,000.

The festival is an experience that takes place outside the theater as well as in it, and we are constantly implementing new ideas to do that. From the Opening night to the final weekend, we have something for everyone – and whether you’ve attended before or you’re brand new to The Festival, we invite you to take part.

About

Going into its 21st year, the 12-day Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) has grown to be the biggest film festival in Alberta and the sixth largest in Canada.

Offering over $20,000 in cash and prizes, the festival awards outstanding films selected by the audience and esteemed juries. Showcasing an average of 200 short and feature length multi-genre films, from Canada and around the world, CIFF is a qualifying, accredited festival for the Academy Awards® and the Canadian Screen Awards.

Located on the edge of North America’s most dynamic filming locations, the festival is known for its hospitality and has been named one of the “Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MovieMaker Magazine in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Eligible for audience awards, CIFF 2020 non-juried competition sections include: Late Shows (Genre Films), Music on Screen, Generation Next, Special Presentations and Galas.

COVID-19 Update: The CIFF programming team, with the help of our previewers, are currently reviewing and selecting films for the 21st edition of the fall festival. As COVID-19 restrictions may impact this year’s operations, we are working on a number of contingency plans to deliver the festival to our audience and continue to champion Canadian and International cinema. All advertised awards will be presented regardless of what shape the festival takes. Additionally, we acknowledge the pandemic has also impacted production and post-production schedules.

Should filmmakers require extensions or have questions, they can contact us at programming@ciffcalgary.ca.

Waivers: We provide fee waiver codes for festival alumni & Alberta productions. Please contact us if needed.

Mission

The Calgary International Film Festival's mission is “to entertain and engage audiences by curating the most innovative and compelling films, and creating remarkable festival experiences.”

Achieving our mission includes hosting a large number of participating filmmakers – both locally and from abroad – and connecting them with the audience through interactive post-screening question and answer periods, networking at our events, and through panels and film talks open to the general public.

We aim to be a place where filmmakers and fans can find each other, discuss and appreciate films, and discover not only new talent and audiences, but new ways to connect over their love of film, and get one-of-a-kind interactive viewing experiences that go beyond the screen.

We seek the most compelling, innovative, and noteworthy films, and present them in a festival format that is interesting, distinctive, and unique. Each year’s line-up is presented in sections that group the Festival's offerings into easily identifiable categories – Canadian Narrative Feature, Canadian Documentary, International Narrative, International Documentary, Special Presentations, Late Shift, Music on Screen, Official Selection, and Shorts. We present a number of awards to outstanding films selected by our audiences and esteemed juries with cash and prizes totaling over $24,000.

The festival is an experience that takes place outside the theater as well as in it, and we are constantly implementing new ideas to do that. From the Opening night to the final weekend, we have something for everyone – and whether you’ve attended before or you’re brand new to The Festival, we invite you to take part.

Gallery

Awards & Winners

2020

RBC Emerging Canadian Artist Award (Winner)

Honourable Mention Emerging Artist (Winner)

Best Canadian Documentary Award (Winner)

Best Canadian Documentary Award (Winner)

Best International Narrative Feature (Winner)

Best International Narrative Feature (Winner)

Best International Documentary Feature (Winner)

Best International Documentary Feature (Winner)

Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short (Winner)

Best Live Action Short Film Award (Winner)

Best Documentary Short Film Award (Winner)

My Father The Mover (2020) Director(s): Julia Jansch

Best Animated Short Film Award (Winner)

Best Alberta Short Film Award (Winner)

Best Student Short Film Award (Winner)

Chen Chen (2020)  Director(s): Kargo Chen

Best Student Short Film Award (Winner)

Terms and rules

Eligibility:

1) The film must have been completed after June 1, 2019 and not previously submitted to the Calgary International Film Festival.

2) FEATURE FILMS MUST be at minimum a Calgary premiere (i.e. the film cannot have been screened publicly in Calgary prior to the 2020 Festival, including broadcast versions of any length, other local film festivals and cast/crew screenings.

3) FEATURE FILMS MUST NOT be or have been available online in any form within the province of Alberta (e.g. iTunes, VOD, Netflix).

4) SHORT FILMS - Priority is given to films that have not yet screened in Calgary and are not yet available online. We do accept competition-based created shorts, where screening online is part of the process (e.g. Telus STORYHIVE).

5) All applicable licenses and waivers of copyrights, moral rights, trademarks and other such intellectual property rights have been secured by the filmmaker(s) .

6) Films not in the English language must be subtitled in English.

7) Films previously submitted to the Festival in any stage of completion (i.e. films that were submitted as rough cuts) will not be reconsidered.

8) Submission fees are NON-REFUNDABLE.

9) Submission deadlines are at 11:59 PM MST of the posted date.

10) Generally, we aim to preview each film a minimum of two times. Some films may only be viewed once if by a programmer or member of programming staff or Artistic Director.

Waivers: We provide fee waiver codes for festival alumni & Alberta productions. Please contact us if needed.

Alberta Short Films: Films must meet the Alberta point requirements to qualify. (Total of 5 points required). In order for the fee to be waived filmmakers must contact the programming department to request a waiver PRIOR to submitting their film. Please contact programming@ciffcalgary.ca.

Albertan location (2 points)
Resident Albertan principle cast member (1 point)
Resident Albertan writer (1 point),
Resident Albertan producer (1 point),
Resident Albertan director (1 point),
Albertan funding source (2 points)

Student Short Film: Must be enrolled in or recently graduated from a post-secondary institution. Must send a copy of student i.d., transcript or signed letter from a professor on university letterhead to programming@ciffcalgary.ca OR upload a copy to FilmFreeway.

Ratings & Reviews

Categories and fees

Canadian Narrative Feature
Early Bird (13th January, 2020) $45
Regular (29th May, 2020) $60
Late (19th June, 2020) $60

The most engaging stories from our home country. Films in this section will compete for a $10,000 CAD juried prize, and an audience award.

Canadian Documentary Feature
Early Bird (13th January, 2020) $45
Regular (29th May, 2020) $60
Late (19th June, 2020) $60

Compelling Canadian non-fiction cinema. Films in this section will compete for a $5000 (min) CAD juried prize, and an audience award.

International Narrative Feature (Outside Canada)
Early Bird (13th January, 2020) $45
Regular (29th May, 2020) $60
Late (19th June, 2020) $60

The best narrative cinema from around the globe (U.S. & International). Films in this section will compete for a juried cash prize, and an audience award.

International Documentary Feature (Outside Canada)
Early Bird (13th January, 2020) $45
Regular (29th May, 2020) $60
Late (19th June, 2020) $60

Compelling non-fiction cinema from around the globe (U.S. & International). Films in this section will compete for a juried cash prize, and an audience award.

Late Show Feature
Early Bird (13th January, 2020) $60
Regular (29th May, 2020) $60
Late (19th June, 2020) $60

The very best in genre film and things that go bump-in-the-night. Films will be eligible for awards from any of the other feature categories as well.

Live Action Short Film
Early Bird (13th January, 2020) $30
Regular (29th May, 2020) $40
Late (19th June, 2020) $40

International competition for Live Action narrative films under 40 minutes. Films in this section will compete for a $1000 CAD category prize, and are eligible for a $2500 CAD grand jury prize and Academy Award® consideration.

Animated Short Film
Early Bird (13th January, 2020) $30
Regular (29th May, 2020) $40
Late (19th June, 2020) $40

International competition for Animated films under 40 minutes. Films in this section will compete for a $1000 CAD category prize, and are eligible for a $2500 CAD grand jury prize and Academy Award® consideration.

Documentary Short Film
Early Bird (13th January, 2020) $30
Regular (29th May, 2020) $40
Late (19th June, 2020) $40

International competition for Documentary films under 40 minutes. Films in this section will compete for a $1000 CAD category prize, and are eligible for a $2500 CAD grand jury prize.

Alberta Short Films
Early Bird (13th January, 2020) $30
Regular (29th May, 2020) $40
Late (19th June, 2020) $40

Provincial competition for films under 40 minutes. Films in this section will compete for a $1000 CAD category prize, and are eligible for a $2500 CAD grand jury prize and Academy Award® consideration. See rules for eligibility requirements.

Student Short Films
Early Bird (13th January, 2020) $20
Regular (29th May, 2020) $30
Late (19th June, 2020) $30

Post-Secondary Student competition for films under 40 minutes. Films in this section will compete for a $1000 CAD category prize, and are eligible for a $2500 CAD grand jury prize and Academy Award® consideration. See rules for eligibility requirements.

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