Atlantic International Film Festival rolls from Sept. 11-18
Festival brings back music component, offers interesting panels and co-hosts Indiescreen Awards
AIFF 2024 celebrates the accomplishments of a booming Atlantic Canadian film and television industry, and the program reflects the diverse stories coming out of Atlantic Canada, alongside award-winning cinema from around the world.
What's new at AIFF this year?
"For the first time ever, AIFF is co-hosting the Canadian Media Producers Indiescreen Awards, a national awards ceremony for emerging and established producers. This event will take place at the Lord Nelson Hotel on Thursday, Sept. 12, and is part of our Industry conference, AIFF Partners."
"We're also excited to re-launch a beloved event called Festival Music House, through a partnership with Music Nova Scotia, which unites the music and film industries through an evening showcasing local musicians aRENYE, Loviet and Rich Aucoin. This event is open to pass holders only, so it's another great reason to purchase a full Festival Pass."
"Lastly, we're proud to highlight the diverse line-up of films we're playing this year which includes close to 100 films, of which approximately 61% were directed and made by women, non-binary and BIPOC filmmakers. Additionally, we are proud to celebrate Atlantic Canadian talent and to maintain a strong presence of Atlantic-made film, comprising 30% of the program."
"One film creating buzz right now is our epic four-part series, THE TRAGICALLY HIP: NO DRESS REHEARSAL. We're showing all four parts of this docuseries back to back (with an intermission) for the price of a single screening. The series includes never before seen footage of the band, unreleased music and tells the story of their early days of their friendship and musicianship."
"I'm always drawn to the Narrative New Waves section, which includes emerging filmmaking voices from all over the world. This section is full of bold and risk-taking work and reveals perspectives on the world which are new and impactful. One film from this section that really resonated with me this year is called TO A LAND UNKNOWN, which is the debut feature from Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel. The film tells a dark story about refugee cousins in limbo in Athens waiting to get fake passports to start their life and reunite with their families. It features first-time performers in incredibly moving roles and asks the question, how far would you go to save your family?"
UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE by Matthew Rankin, is a stand-out screening. Set in a fictional hybrid of Winnipeg and 1980s Tehran, this film premiered at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes where it won their inaugural Audience Award and was just recently announced as Canada's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. We're also hosting a featured interview with Rankin during the festival, which should be a real treat. That event is hosted by CBC journalist Nicola Seguin on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. at Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane.
This is your third year as executive director, what was your greatest challenge?
"As a team we got a bit leaner in the aftermath of Covid, and now this year there's a lot of attention and energy around the festival that's bringing in new events and partnerships. But our core team is still small, so there are some growing pains there. And I've got to congratulate the staff on all that they've accomplished, it's a truly impressive lineup of films and industry offerings this year. We look forward to welcoming people to the festival very soon."
Gala Presentations
Not in Halifax, screen AIFF online
For those outside Halifax, select Atlantic Canadian features and shorts will be available to stream in Atlantic Canada via AIFF Online from Sept. 18-22, giving online patrons an extra five days after the in-person festival is over to catch up on any films they may have missed. Tickets can be purchased for individual feature films, while the shorts can be accessed with the AIFF Online Shorts Pass.