Calgary International Film Festival will go ahead this year with some changes to screenings - Action News
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Calgary International Film Festival will go ahead this year with some changes to screenings

The Calgary International Film Festival is a go for fall screenings, but, of course, it might look a little different this year.

Capacity limited to 30% for in-theatre screenings, tickets available for online viewing

People sit in a theatre.
The Calgary International Film Festival will look a little different this year, with in-theatre screenings at 30 per cent capacity. The festival is also offering online viewings. (Calgary International Film Festival)

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,istaking on a partly in-person, partly onlineformat.

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.

Thoughthe 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 feature documentary John Ware Reclaimed, based on the life of a Black cowboy who settled in Alberta, will have its world premiere in the Alberta Spotlight section at the Calgary International Film Festival in September. (Shaun Robinson)

The festivalincludes 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 20thcentury. The filmlooks atwho the figure might have been, along with whathis 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.