The 4th Calgary International Film Festival (Sept. 26 to Oct. 5) will open and close with a bit of local flavor. CIFF’s opening gala is The Cooler, produced by local-gone-Hollywood Michael Pierce, who is bringing the film’s star William H. Macy to town for the screening. The festival will close with Calgary director Gary Burns’ The Problem with Fear.

Festival director David Marrelli says it is fitting that Burns’ film has such a prominent spot in the fest, since his waydowntown was the first film ever screened at CIFF.

‘With Gary’s film as the closer, I’m sure we’ll have a great part of Calgary’s film industry out for that, and to salute the end of the festival,’ says Marrelli.

This year, the festival has been expanded from six days to 10, which Marrelli says is a leap in the right direction in terms of the festival’s growth, allowing for two weekends of screenings and events rather than one.

The two strongest programs in the festival, he says, are the Contemporary World Cinema and Canadian Film Works, and although neither program had been firmed up at press time, an impressive list of flicks has been confirmed by CIFF.

Canadian Film Works screenings include The Barbarian Invasions (by director Denys Arcand), The Bread Maker (Anita McGee), Emile (Carl Bessai), 19 Months (Randall Cole), Defining Edward (Corey Lee), The Event (Thom Fitzgerald), Hollywood North (Peter O’Brian), The Saddest Music in the World (Guy Maddin), The Republic of Love (Deepa Mehta), On the Corner (Nathaniel Geary), The Wild Guys (William Gereghty), The Girl Who Married a Ghost (Sandra Sawatzki), Goldirocks (Paula Tiberius) and Love, Sex and Eating the Bones (Sudz Sutherland). Also screening are the Calgary-shot Don’t Call Me Tonto, starring David Hasselhoff and directed by the prolific Alan Smithee, and Burns’ 1995 flick The Suburbanators.

Other programs include the Reality Reels documentary showcase and the self-explanatory Films for Families, Action! Sports on Film and Blues on Film.

-www.calgaryfilm.com

TOFF to welcome Burgess

THE 3rd annual Toronto Online Film Festival will open with a showcase of work done in Flash, with Macromedia chairman and CEO Rob Burgess in attendance.

According to TOFF cofounder Zubin Hooshangi, the festival’s diverse program will also feature the Canadian premiere of Scott Miller’s controversial documentary Direct Order and the world premiere of Miller’s Raven Warrior. The near-legendary short Venus Pussytrap from Vancouver director Kyle Davison will also screen at the fest.

The festival will also launch the next round of the Digital Gun Awards, whereby participating filmmakers have 24 hours to shoot a digital film on a theme to be announced at the fest (with additional time to edit). According to Hooshangi, the awards, which he refers to as a celebration of ‘spontaneous creativity,’ attract participants from around the world.

Another event sure to be popular is an HD effects demonstration to be presented by Panasonic and Apple.

TOFF runs Sept. 15-19 in Toronto locations such as the Bloor Cinema and the Ontario Place Cinesphere.

-www.torontoonlinefilmfestival.com

Cosmic Africa opens enviro fest

Planet in Focus: Toronto International Environmental Film & Video Festival’s opening-night gala will be the Canadian premiere of Cosmic Africa by Damon and Craig Foster of South Africa. It is one of 53 films accepted into the festival, which runs Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 at the University of Toronto’s Innis College.

PIF will host 14 world premieres, including Jane Castle’s Sixty Thousand Barrels, Nico Clark’s Summertime, Susan Rynard’s Bug Girl and Journey to Sovereignty from directors Neil Diamond and Tracey Deer. Among the 21 films receiving their Canadian premieres are Philippe Grand’s Toni: Between Heaven and Earth, Jackie Watson’s On Durwood’s Pond, Sam Easterson’s Little Red Riding Hood and Franny Armstrong’s Drowned Out.

-www.planetinfocus.org

Resfest comes to Toronto

The Toronto stop for Resfest will feature some Cancon not available on the rest of the traveling digital film festival’s stops around the world. This is the festival’s seventh year, and its first stop in Canada.

Resfest showcases feature and short films, animation pieces and music videos. The Cancon program will screen 75 minutes of Canada’s best in music videos and shorts, with an award to be presented for the best project. Entries will be accepted on VHS NTSC or DVD until Sept. 15.

The Toronto portion of the festival will take place at the Royal Cinema Oct. 24-26. Resfest will have already visited several U.S. cities before arriving in Toronto, and will hit London, Osaka, Melbourne and other destinations before wrapping up in Rio near year’s end.

-www.resfest.com