Lights, camera, action… It’s time for the 37th annual Edmonton International Film Festival (EIFF)!
EIFF is an 11-day festival running from September 21st to October 1st across four different theatres in Edmonton: the Ledcor Theatre at the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA), the Metro Cinema at Garneau Theatre, the Muttart Theatre at Stanley A. Milner Library (EPL) and the IMAX Theatre at Telus World of Science (TWOS).
Established in 1986, EIFF has been welcoming emerging and veteran filmmakers to Alberta for over 30 years. Their mission is to celebrate diverse cinema for audiences by presenting the film festival in theatres across the city. EIFF has had the honour of showcasing some of the most popular films before their big breaks, including Moonlight, Parasite and Triangle of Sadness, which were all Best Picture winners at the Oscars in 2017, 2020 and 2023 respectively.
The festival has been greatly impacted by the SAG-AFTRA strikes that began in the US on July 14th. This led to a decrease in available films as actors cannot attend events that promote their work, as stated in the guild strike rules. EIFF also saw a decline in filmmakers by around 40% between this year and last.
This year, EIFF will be showcasing over 25 feature-films and 90 short films from local and international filmmakers over the 11-day festival. Some productions of note are the 2023 Palme d’or Winner Anatomy of a Fall as well as Close to You, which is Elliot Page’s first leading role in a feature-film since 2017. Select performances are followed by a filmmaker Q&A where you can learn more about the creative process behind the piece.
There are a variety of ticket options available. One full-length film ticket runs for $15, while six packs are $75 and the all-access pass is $199. Witness a collection of shorts over a meal with their Lunchbox Shorts package, running September 25th to 29th for $20 each. For the same price, you can also attend the closing night gala on October 1st at the Art Gallery of Alberta after a showing and Q&A of Cody Lightning’s Hey Viktor! Tickets can only be purchased online through Eventive.
Mark your calendars, grab your tickets and watch what could be the next Oscar-winning film.