The first Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) was held in 2000 for six days, and was attended by 8,000 people. Now, attendance had more than quadrupled to over 35,000 for the expanded 11-day festival. The 11-day Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) has grown to be the biggest film festival in Alberta and the sixth largest in Canada. It has been named one of the “Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MovieMaker Magazine in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020. This year, the 21st edition of Calgary Film Fest takes place from 23 September to 3 October. We had a chance to interview the festival’s artistic director, Brian Ownes, to know more about the festival.
Interview conducted by Amir Ganjavie for UNIVERSALCINEMA.CA