Western Canada’s biggest genre festival, Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) returns for it’s 15th anniversary with its boldest and most eclectic lineup yet, with 43% of the festival’s feature films by female filmmakers. AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN starring Aubrey Plaza, Jemaine Clement, Emile Hirsch and Craig Robinson will open the festival on Monday, April 16. Director Jim Hosking in attendance.
“I remember the day we started this festival and our vision was to grow within our means, screen provocative, boundary-pushing independent film, build a solid community, and to really make sure we were creating a festival as fans, for fans,” said Co-Founder & Festival Director Brenda Lieberman.
With humble beginnings using fold-out chairs at The Venue (now called HiFi Club) attended by a few hundred fans over three-days; today, CUFF is a seven-day internationally-recognized festival presenting 55 films to nearly 7,000 attendees.
“I’m excited we’ve reached 15 years, continually growing, and achieving what we set out to do! I love this festival, and what we’ve become so far!”
The Calgary Underground Film Festival runs April 16 to 22, 2018 at Globe Cinema; and highlights of this year’s festival include:
The psychological thriller KNUCKLEBALL from local director Mike Peterson, and the international premiere of FREAKS & GEEKS: THE DOCUMENTARY from Alberta filmmaker Brent Hodge, just days after it premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Three more world premieres including THE SECRET POPO from CUFF alumnus Sean Pierce (MEATHEAD GOES HOGWILD); PAPER YEAR, the feature directorial debut from Canadian Rebecca Addelman, a prominent Hollywood screenwriter of the hit TV shows NEW GIRL and LOVE; and SLAVE TO THE GRIND, a documentary about grindcore from DIY filmmaker Doug Brown featuring the local band Wake.
The return of the FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL: VOLUME 8, a one-of-a-kind CUFF-favorite event that showcases footage from videos that were found at garage sales and thrift stores and in warehouses and dumpsters across the country. Curators Nick and Joe will be back at CUFF for the first time in four years.
Big hits fresh off their premieres on the film festival circuit including the French-thriller REVENGE (Dir. Coralie Fargeat), a documentary about the history of roller-dancing in Venice Beach ROLLER DREAMS (Dir. Kate Hickey), and Lynne Ramsay’s latest YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE will be presented alongside a retrospective of her past work.