CIFF announces plan to tackle lack of downtown Calgary cinemas

The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is rolling with the punches and reinventing itself as it prepares for its 25th anniversary.

The festival has come up with, not one, but many new spots to screen films with the loss of the Eau Claire Market cinemas. Eau Claire has served as the festival hub for over a decade.

The organizers are calling it “constellation” — with the idea to connect venues and activities throughout downtown Calgary. CIFF will be activating cinema capacity in arts and multi-purpose spaces, theatre venues, public plazas and other partner spaces.

Executive Director Katherine Penhale says they will also be buying six high-end projectors to allow them more freedom to create unique experiences.

“Like when we did ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ with Chad VanGaalen being able to do a live score in front of it,” she says. “These projectors will allow us to do more experimental, cross-collaborative programming with other organizations.”

The plan will help boost cinema capacity downtown, which has dropped by more than 85 per cent since the festival first started 25 years ago. Penhale says the “constellation” will be ready for the 2026 version of the festival.

“The idea of being able to light up all of these venues in unison by September 2026 and create a really, really special experience for Calgarians, and for those who want to visit Calgary — it’s a pretty exciting plan,” she says.

This year CIFF will screen films out of Contemporary Calgary, Globe Cinema, and The Plaza Theatre. Cineplex Scotiabank Chinook Theatre will be the fourth venue in 2024 to facilitate the screening capacity CIFF needs to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the festival.

The 2024 version of CIFF runs from Sept. 19 to Sept. 29. More information can be found here.