Calgary International Film Festival 2017 Coverage

The Calgary International Film Festival 2017 was definitely an exciting event that saw growth in attendance and brought a couple hundred films to the city. It was great to see a wide range of films be available for attendees and it was all really well shown. I was honestly a tad occupied during our initial setup for the event due to Pax West this year, but still got in for some screenings. While our short list didn't quite come in for pre-event home viewings, it was nice to travel out to view a couple films. To start off I got to enjoy Room for Rent which is a nice mix of borderline horror and comedy as one man deals with a crazed tenant.

This was followed by a somewhat early evening showing of Everfall. I was very impressed by the film as I had no expectations going in and was pleasantly surprised by its mind bending focus. For my finale I went to see Racer and the Jailbird, definitely did not enjoy that sadly. That's just how it goes for films though, as with regular screenings throughout the year you get a nice mix. Not everything grabs your attention and that's just how it is.


It would have been ideal to see some more films, but again with Pax and that game rush that happens during the fall season I was quite busy. Our other reviewer will have thoughts on Bad match which he enjoyed and I look forward to reading about that. Aside from just playing a massive list of films and shorts groupings, the festival also has a number of events going on during the event. These range from special panels on the industry to some behind the scenes looks on spotlighted entries. I was able to check out a special Karaoke type mixer which was interesting though was pre-occupied with a LEGO Ninjago screening during the opening gala which I imagine was great, the 2016 opening was rather awesome and this year probably followed suit.

I was impressed with the setup this year for the film festival and it's great to have such a large and growing event that focuses on movies in the city. We rarely get large events like this and the organization behind it definitely provides a smooth experience. It was simple to select a movie, get there and be lined up easily without issues. Hopefully we'll be able to expand our coverage next year or at least be better prepared in advance.

Read our Everfall Review
View our Calgary Film 2017 Hub