5 Must-Watch Canadian Movies at CIFF 2024
Canadian Movies at CIFF 2024 | The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is an underrated gem in the film festival circuit, known for showcasing high-quality films before they achieve global acclaim. Notable examples in recent years include Parasite, Women Talking, and Anatomy of a Fall, all of which played at CIFF before wide release, helping to cement the festival’s reputation as an important stop for Oscar contenders. Outside of these larger international films, CIFF is also unique in its emphasis on holding space for Canadian, and more specifically, Albertan filmmakers. Every year, the festival is home to new and emerging filmmakers from right next door.
As CIFF celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2024, the festival is embracing a transformative new direction to sustain cinema in Calgary’s downtown core. With the closure of Cineplex Eau Claire Market Cinemas, which served as the festival’s primary venue for years, CIFF is implementing a “Constellation” model. This strategy introduces a network of flexible and mobile venues throughout the city, including key locations like the Globe Cinema and Plaza Theatre. This approach aims to enhance cinema access by using various arts venues, theaters, and public spaces, ensuring the vibrancy of Calgary’s cinematic arts amid shrinking theater capacity. By expanding into multiple community-focused locations, CIFF is adapting to the challenges in the industry while capitalizing on the rapid growth of Alberta’s film sector.
The list below highlights the must-watch Canadian movies at CIFF this year. Stay tuned for reviews of some of these films throughout the festival.
5. 7 Beats Per Minute
Director: Yuqi Kang
Cast: Jessea Lu
Release Date: Not yet announced
What It’s About:
7 Beats Per Minute is an intimate documentary that follows Jessea Lu, a Chinese freediver who holds several national records and survived a near-death experience during a world record attempt in 2018. After reaching 93 meters, Lu suffered a blackout and was rescued after being lifeless for four minutes. Instead of abandoning the sport, Lu found new purpose and continued to push her limits. Yuqi Kang, the film’s director, bonds deeply with Lu as they explore themes of fear, trauma, and the human desire to overcome both physical and emotional boundaries. The documentary offers a visually stunning journey into the depths of the ocean, while delving into both women’s personal stories, making it a powerful meditation on vulnerability and self-discovery.
4. Seeds
Director: Kaniehtiio Horn
Cast: Kaniehtiio Horn, Dallas Goldtooth, Graham Greene
Release Date: Not yet announced
What It’s About:
Seeds is a tense, eco-thriller centered on Ziggy (played by Kaniehtiio Horn), a Toronto-based influencer who returns to her Kanien’kehá roots to house-sit for her aunt. While juggling her career as a content creator for an agrochemical company, Ziggy becomes entangled in a battle for her family’s ancestral seeds—seeds that hold powerful cultural and environmental significance. As a shadowy figure begins stalking her, Ziggy must protect both herself and her heritage. Dallas Goldtooth provides comic relief as Ziggy’s cousin, while Graham Greene plays a mentor figure who comes to her in dreams. The film explores themes of Indigenous identity, land sovereignty, and environmentalism through a thrilling narrative that blends cultural reverence with moments of suspense and horror.
3. 40 Acres
Director: R.T. Thorne
Cast: Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Greyeyes, Kataem O’Connor, Leenah Robinson
Release Date: Not yet announced
What It’s About:
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, 40 Acres follows the Freeman family, descendants of Black farmers who settled in Canada after the American Civil War. Danielle Deadwyler stars as Hailey, a former soldier fiercely protecting her family and their land from organized militias desperate to take it. The film delves into themes of survival, generational trauma, and community, as Hailey’s son Emanuel grapples with his mother’s strict survivalist mentality and his desire for human connection. Tension escalates when Emanuel meets a wounded outsider, challenging the family’s isolationist strategy. 40 Acres combines action with emotional depth, offering a socially conscious thriller that emphasizes Black and Indigenous resilience in the face of overwhelming adversity.
2. Paying For It
Director: Sook-Yin Lee
Cast: Daniel Beirne, Emily Lê, Andrea Werhun
Release Date: Not yet announced
What It’s About:
Paying For It is an autobiographical adaptation of Chester Brown’s 2011 graphic novel, which explores the dissolution of his relationship with longtime partner Sook-Yin Lee and his subsequent journey into transactional sex. Set in Toronto’s late-1990s artistic scene, the film candidly portrays the challenges and emotional turbulence that arise when Sonny (played by Emily Lê) proposes an open relationship to Chester (played by Daniel Beirne). As their relationship unravels, Chester explores sexual liberation through paid encounters, while Sonny navigates her own romantic experiments. Paying For It reflects on love, sex work, and shifting cultural norms, blending humor and humanity as it portrays two people redefining their views on intimacy.
1. Universal Language
Director: Matthew Rankin
Cast: Pirouz Nemati, Rojina Esmaeili, Matthew Rankin
Release Date: Not yet announced
What It’s About:
Universal Language is a satirical comedy set in an alternate Canada where Farsi and French are the official languages. The film centers on Massoud (played by Pirouz Nemati), a flustered tour guide in Winnipeg, as he navigates an eccentric city full of oddities. In Montreal, Matthew (played by Rankin himself) quits his government job and returns to Manitoba, only to find his family has changed in unexpected ways. Blending influences from Iranian cinema and absurdist comedies, Rankin explores themes of cultural identity, disconnection, and the humor in everyday absurdity. Universal Language offers a whimsical, cross-cultural reflection on loneliness, belonging, and the quirky fabric of Canadian society. | Canadian Movies at CIFF 2024
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