WIFF finds permanent home in Windsor's Capitol Theatre building

The Windsor International Film Festival will have a permanent location in downtown Windsor, inside the Capitol Theatre building. 

The Windsor Symphony Orchestra operates the city-owned building and announced WIFF would be moving into the ground-floor space which the organization has been using "for nearly a decade."

It's also where Bike Windsor-Essex was formerly located before the group was evicted from the storefront spot — located at Pelissier Street and University Avenue West — in June. 

"We've been considering a downtown space for awhile," said Vincent Georgie, executive director and chief programmer at WIFF. "When the space became available in July, we thought, 'This makes sense.'"

WIFF will move in for festival preparations in the middle of October, said Georgie, who is delighted with the move. 

"We're thrilled. We're really thrilled for what it means for downtown," he said. "It's really ideal for us. The Capitol Theatre is our home."

Georgie said WIFF is the biggest tenant of the Capitol Theatre outside of the symphony, and a permanent space will make it easier for the group to expand its programming and collaborations with other arts groups.

"As we keep expanding our programming, we want it to play a key role in building a cultural and entertainment hub right in downtown. Us being in the thick of things is a really big opportunity to build something strong downtown," he said. 

This year's festival runs from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4.