our philosophy
The Edmonton International Film Festival... international, independent and eye-opening. Our Festival is about 'discovery'. We strive to uncover cinematic gems and celebrate unique new voices in independent filmmaking. EIFF is about films and the people who make them.
Just a couple hours drive from the majestic Rocky Mountains, Edmonton is THE heart of the Canadian Prairies, the northernmost big city in North America. And with a population of more than one million people, this is a city that loves movies.
For nine days each autumn, Edmontonians feast on all things cinematic. It's a veritable buffet of the best new indie filmmaking from around the globe. Our schedule includes 55 feature-length slots, and 110 short films programmed into feature-length packages. All films screened at EIFF must be Edmonton premieres.
EIFF loves to welcome veteran and up-and-coming filmmakers and actors to the festival. Over the years, we've had the pleasure of hosting John Waters, Patrick Warburton, Norman Jewison, Carl Bessai, Richard de Klerk, Deepa Mehta, Jorgen Leth, Arthur Hiller, Gabriel Sunday, Stuart Gordon, Anne Wheeler, Werner Herzog, Don McKellar, Stephen McHattie, Allie MacDonald, Rita Chiarelli, Bruce McDonald and many, many more. And EIFF is quickly becoming known as the most filmmaker-friendly festival in the country.
Check out what folks are saying about EIFF!
programming strands
The Edmonton International Film Festival showcases the finest filmmaking into the following programming streams:
CONTEMPORARY INDEPENDENTS. The very best in contemporary independent cinema from our neighbours to the south -- from pitch-black comedies, to nail-biting thrillers, to heart-wrenching drama... you name it. This is the cream of the crop of American Indie Cinema, and in years past, we’ve showcased films such as Wristcutters: A Love Story, The Scenesters, My Suicide, Dakota Skye, Lovely Still, Howl, Barry Munday, and our 2010 Winner for Best Indie Feature, The Rock 'n' Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher.
WORLD CINEMA. We search the globe for the very best in acclaimed, international filmmaking. Culled from overseas submissions, and curated by our programming committees from the international film circuit, we want to bring the best the world has to offer right here to Edmonton. EIFF has presented Alberta premieres of some of the biggest international hits of the last few years, films such as The White Ribbon, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, Departures, Another Year, Made in Dagenham, and The Illusionist...as well as independent gems like Kenny, Station of the Forgotten, One Hundred Mornings, Crying With Laughter, and One Day Removals.
DOC CENTRAL. Documentary filmmaking continues to grow in popularity, and our audiences love 'em. We're looking for documentaries that are passionate, provocative, or life-affirming – in other words, films that get audiences talking! In the past few years, EIFF has premiered such highly acclaimed docs as Man on Wire, Best Worst Movie, Winnebago Man, American: The Bill Hicks Story, The People vs George Lucas, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, and our 2010 Doc Winners, Roll Out, Cowboy (Best Indie Doc), and Music from the Big House (Best Canadian Doc).
EDGE OF NIGHT. This series is lovingly tailored to the more 'adventurous' festival-goer. Bizarre, scary, or just plain shocking (or shockingly funny!) these films push the envelope and have been known to blur the lines of good taste…which is exactly why they're programmed ‘at the edge of night’. EIFF has been THE place to see Alberta premieres of Repo: The Genetic Opera, Stuck, Frozen, The Last Lovecraft, [REC], Let the Right One In and Let Me In.
OH, CANADA! Made in our own land of maple syrup and toques, these films salute the innovative work being produced by a new generation of Canadian filmmakers. This is the new golden age of Canadian filmmaking, and EIFF audiences have packed the house in recent years for films such as One Week, Passenger Side, Cole, Pontypool, SCORE: A Hockey Musical, GravyTrain, Summerhood, Fubar II, and our 2010 Best Canadian Feature Winner, Fathers & Sons.
INTERNATIONAL SHORTS. The cornerstone of this Festival, International Short films are programmed into the crowd-pleasing, must-see, event series: Lunchbox Shorts. Over the past 6 years, thousands of people from all walks of life have 'checked out of work' and 'checked in' to these 45-min, lunchtime packages. Heck, lunch is even included in the price of admission!
OUR OWN BACKYARD. An all-day marathon of short films, this is a celebration of the finest filmmaking created by Albertans, and people who grew up here.
a bit of history
This is a festival with a rich history and a loyal following of thousands that continues to grow with each passing year. Known as the Edmonton International Film Festival since 2002, EIFF is a 'must-attend' stop on the Canadian festival circuit each September.
All film festivals are in heavy competition with each other to woo the world’s top filmmakers to their event, and Edmonton is no exception. So we’ve decided to do it one filmmaker at a time. EIFF organizers are committed to making each and every guest filmmaker -- whether they’re presenting a feature-length film or a short -- feel like gold.
And the comment we hear most often is that ours is among the warmest, friendliest, best-organized film festivals they’ve ever attended – a quiet little festival in the heart of Canada that packs a programming punch!
governance
The Edmonton International Film Festival Society (EIFFS) is a non-profit, charitable organization which is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, selected by a community-based steering committee.
If you would like to donate your time as a member of our Board, please send your resume and an introductory paragraph telling us how your experience can benefit EIFFS to: board@edmontonfilmfest.com. All communications will be kept confidential. Board terms are 2-years in length. Election of new Board members takes place in February each year during the organization’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The Edmonton International Film Festival Society was registered in the province of Alberta on September 8, 1999 under the Societies Act of Alberta (Charity number 87156-9984-RT0001).
