Still from Bagworm | www.bagwormfilm.com
Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) / Film Reviews / Interviews

Inside the Rot: Oliver Bernsen on Bagworm, Family, and Making the Movie You Can Make

The day before our interview, my partner asked me the most normal question in the world: "What is this one about?" I had an answer, sort of, but not a clean one. There is the surface-level premise that you can find on the internet, of course. A sexually frustrated hammer salesman named Carroll steps on a rusty nail and begins moving through an increasingly warped physical and psychological spiral. The world around him seems to decay as quickly as his body does. Ultimately, though, the film is difficult to pin down in any meaningful way.

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April 29, 2026
ERUPCJA Still | Courtesy of Pete Ohs
ERUPCJA Still | Courtesy of Pete Ohs
Film Reviews / Interviews / SXSW Film & TV Festival

At the Edge of the Volcano: Pete Ohs, Jeremy O. Harris, and Will Madden on Erupcja and Charli xcx

On the surface, the obvious talking point is Charli xcx. Of course it is. She has become a household name in a way that few artists do, and Erupcja was shot during the strange cultural detonation of Brat summer. But the more interesting question is not simply how Pete Ohs ended up making a movie with Charli xcx. It is why someone like Charli would be drawn to this kind of low-budget, independent film in the first place.

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April 20, 2026
Bethany Brown and Tandia Mercedes in A Safe Distance | Photo Credit: Devan Scott
Bethany Brown and Tandia Mercedes in A Safe Distance | Photo Credit: Devan Scott
Interviews / SXSW Film & TV Festival

A Safe Distance Interview | Gloria Mercer, Aidan West, Cody Kearsley, and Tandia Mercedes on SXSW, Intimacy, and Building a Feminist Thriller

A Safe Distance had its world premiere at the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival on Thursday, March 12, and it is a film that naturally invites conversation. Directed by Gloria Mercer, the Canadian feature follows Alex, a woman abandoned in the forest by her boyfriend, who soon finds herself pulled into the orbit of a fugitive couple living off the grid. 

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March 22, 2026
Jake Holley and Connor Storrie in RILEY
Jake Holley and Connor Storrie in RILEY | Image Courtesy of Windsor Film Company
Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) / Interviews

Essential Connor Storrie Viewing: Why ‘Heated Rivalry’ Fans Need to Watch ‘Riley’ Immediately

Connor Storrie is currently monopolizing a specific corner of the cultural conversation via Heated Rivalry. While his portrayal of Ilya Rozanov is the catalyst for this recent attention, viewing it in isolation ignores the groundwork laid by his earlier indie appearances. To understand the mechanics of Storrie’s current performance, one needs to look back at Benjamin Howard’s 2023 drama, Riley.

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January 23, 2026