Photo: Still from How We Stand, directed, written and produced by alum Marie Clements.

The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is running September 24 to October 4, bringing filmmakers and audiences together for screenings and industry events.

This year, National Screen Institute alum have work screening throughout the festival, with contributions to feature films, documentaries and shorts. Alum are also taking part in the festival’s industry conference, sharing perspectives on completing and releasing a first feature film.

Please join us in celebrating the following alum and their work:

Festival screenings

• BID16 – produced by Ryan Bobkin (Telefilm Talent to Watch)
• Ceremony – directed and produced by Banchi Hanuse (NSI Art of Business Management)
• (Haboolm Ksinaalgat) Soul Catcher – co-directed, executive produced, produced and edited by Amanda Strong (NSI IndigiDocs) and co-written by Bracken Hanuse-Corlett (NSI IndigiDocs)
• How We Stand – directed, produced and written by Marie Clements (NSI Storytellers, Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program, Elevate) and produced by Trish Dolman (NSI Features First)
• I Come Home – directed and produced by Glen Wood (NSI Features First) and executive produced by Paula Devonshire (NSI Features First, Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program, NSI Totally Television)
• In Alaska – featuring Zorga Qaunaq (TikTok Accelerator for Indigenous Creators)
• In the Heart of the South – produced by Laura Perlmutter (NSI Drama Prize) and featuring Rob Ramsay (NSI Totally Television) and Zorga Qaunaq (TikTok Accelerator for Indigenous Creators)
• Lumi – produced by Scott Lepp (NSI Features First)
• Middle of Nowhere – co-directed, executive produced, produced and co-written by Alex Eskandarkhah (Access BIPOC Producers)
• Nitassinan – co-written by Emilie Porry (Access BIPOC Producers)
• Pocket Mirror – produced by Priscilla Galvez (Telefilm Talent to Watch)
• Strong Son – directed, produced, written and co-edited by Ian Bawa (NSI Totally Television, NSI Business for Producers, Telefilm Talent to Watch) and executive produced by Kyle Bornais (NSI Features First)
• The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony – produced by Amar Lohana (Access BIPOC Producers) and directed, produced and written by Habiba Nosheen (Access BIPOC Producers)
• The Snake – directed and executive produced by Jenna MacMillan (Telefilm Talent to Watch), produced by Sharlene Kelly (Telefilm Talent to Watch) and written and executive produced by Susan Kent (Telefilm Talent to Watch), who also appears in the film
• The Stunt Driver – directed, produced and written by Michael Dowse (NSI Drama Prize)
• The Wind’s Thirst – directed, produced and written by Alejandro Valbuena (Telefilm Talent to Watch), who also served as cinematographer
• Where the River Begins – directed and written by Juan Andrés Arango (Access BIPOC Producers)
• WWW: The Women’s Group – directed, produced and written by Wendy Hill-Tout (DramaLab)
• Yolkless Press – cinematography by Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi (Access BIPOC Producers)

Industry conversations

Megan Shott (Telefilm Talent to Watch) will moderate “From Dream to Debut: Completing Your First Feature” on September 27 at 1 p.m. in the Delta Hotel’s Selkirk Room. The panel brings together first-time feature filmmakers to discuss the challenges of completing and releasing a debut film. The conversation will explore festival strategy, distribution, marketing and reaching audiences, with speakers sharing lessons from their own experiences.

Congratulations to all National Screen Institute alum represented at CIFF this year.

If you have a project or event at this year’s festival that is not listed here, we’d love to hear from you. Please email ashna.sharma@nsi-canada.