Dear Film Fan,
We're so thrilled to welcome you to the 12th annual Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF)! With the brightest and freshest international films to choose from, we look forward to sharing some of the best in world cinema with you this year. Featuring films for foodies, fashionistas, geeks, bookworms and lovers - plus a good cross-section for both the lighthearted and the serious - the 2011 CIFF programming team has crafted a menu of the finest selections to suit the tastes of Calgarians and visitors alike. And because we know a night out at the movies is much more than that, we’ve got some great event experiences lined up for you this year as well!
Here are just a few of the things you should keep your eye out for this year.
WORLD CLASS PROGRAMMING
The 2011 festival program will present Canadian and international films from around the world categories like Late Shows, American Indie, World Cinema, and the cheeky Hump Night collection of risqué filmmaking, to name a few.
Every year we choose a different spotlight, and this year it’s all about home, sweet home! With a record number of Alberta-made feature films submitted for consideration this year, we’re shining our spotlight on our homegrown talent. The 2011 Alberta Spotlight will not disappoint film fans or proud Albertans!
As you may recall, in 2009 we launched the internationally renowned Mavericks brand, and are thrilled to continue this acclaimed international competition with a fresh slate of brave, renegade, emerging feature filmmakers who will vie for the coveted Mavericks Award. Plus, you asked for it, we made it happen: more encore screenings! Movie lovers will have more opportunities to see the films they want to see.
LIFESTYLE LOUNGE
As there’s so much at the festival to take in, we’ve launched a new initiative this year to get up close and personal with our dedicated fans – and hopefully create some new ones. We’ve moved our living room into Chinook Centre and hope you’ll drop by Lifestyle Lounge for a visit. Throw your feet up alongside fellow movie lovers, industry insiders, visiting filmmakers and CIFF programmers, or just stop by to catch a trailer or two for CIFF’s upcoming screenings. Lifestyle Lounge is your one-stop festival shop, not only for tickets and passes, but for filmmaker interviews, scheduling information, newsy developments and conversations around all things CIFF. You don’t have to be a critic, expert or industry insider – Lifestyle Lounge welcomes one and all, swinging open its doors in Centre Court at Chinook Centre on September 9th, and remaining open during mall hours right through to September 30th.
THE RETURN OF HOT SPOTS
Back by popular demand, CIFF Hot Spots are the most social film fest stops in town, where food, drink and film lovers collide in vibrant venues sure to be hopping from noon ‘til night. Pre- or post-screening, pop by one of our 2011 Hot Spots for a guaranteed good time.
COMMUNITY MAVERICKS
As CIFF endeavors to further establish its brand locally and internationally, we need you more than ever. Your support helps us bring the best contemporary films and filmmakers on the planet together with Calgary audiences year after year. Cinema is art, culture and everything in between, and if you love what we do, please show your support by purchasing tickets, becoming a Community Maverick, or just telling your friends about the fantastic experience they too could enjoy at CIFF. We can’t do this without you, nor would we want to!
Now, get ready to kick up your heels, make some new friends, and get fired up about film in the city where culture grows, creativity rules, enthusiasm abounds, and anything is possible.
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| Jacqueline Dupuis Executive Director |
