WIFF unveils lineup, tickets on sale
Take vacation, call in sick, do whatever it takes, because there are lot of movies to watch. Tickets went on sale Thursday for the 2018 Windsor International Film Festival.
The 14th edition of WIFF boasts 143 films, from family fare such as a sing-along presentation of Disney’s Frozen to controversial picks including Rafiki, which is banned in the country where it was produced.
“It’s around the clock,” said Vincent Georgie, WIFF’s executive director and chief programmer. “Last year, our record holder, saw 49 films. We have people take vacation days and sick days. We bring in people from Southwestern Ontario, and more and more the GTA and eastern Ontario, coming in, taking vacation and catching a whole bunch of films.” The seven-day festival runs from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4. There will be 218 screenings of 143 films from 21 countries. Along with the Chrysler Theatre and Capitol Theatre, films will also screen this year at the University of Windsor’s School of Creative Arts. The Opening Night film is Capernaum, a story that follows the plight of a 12-year-old Beirut boy, which was submitted as Lebanon’s Oscar entry.
The Closing Night film will be Cold War, from Poland. It chronicles a couple’s entire relationship, from their “enchanted first meeting in 1949 to the aching denouement of their marriage in the 1960s.”
WIFF will once again host celebrity guests such as Steve Young, the former head writer for Late Night with David Letterman. Young is the subject of the documentary film Bathtubs Over Broadway. The festival will also continue some beloved traditions, including a Midnight Madness screening of The Room, often referred to as the worst movie ever made, and the Mark Boscariol 48-hour Flick Fest. Along with renaming the 48hour Flick Fest, Georgie said there will be other efforts to honour WIFF founder Mark Boscariol, who died suddenly in July. Another highlight film will be The Russian Five, about Russian hockey players who defected to the U.S. to join the Detroit Red Wings in the 1980s. Organizers have scheduled it for three screenings and expect it to bring out the crowds.
“We knew right away, this will be a thing,” said Georgie.
He’s also excited about Rafiki, a story following young lesbians in love. It’s banned in Kenya, where it was made.
“To this day in Kenya, the act of a homosexual relationship is jailable for 14 years,” said Georgie.
“So the fact that this film exists, let alone is in Canada and let alone being screened in Windsor, is a bit of a miracle. We’re really proud to show that film. It’s the first Kenyan film we’ve ever shown. It reminds us that it’s incredible that, in a country that made this film, it’s illegal to show it. We’re proud to do it.” He said the critically acclaimed foreign films being screened are a testament to WIFF’s reputation. It now receives submissions from around the world.
“It’s astonishing,” said Georgie. “It’s not just submitting a film. It’s people saying we know the festival, we love it, we hear great things, we really want to screen there.” The crowds are growing with the reputation.
“In terms of our audience, we’re hearing much more from the whole province,” said Georgie. “That’s very clear to us in inquiries we get and confirmations from hotels in the area and that type of thing. It’s turning into much more of a provincial festival, that’s no question.” Georgie expects ticket sales will hit 24,000 this year. WIFF sold about 22,000 tickets last year. When Georgie came on board a decade ago, he said the festival was selling about 2,500 tickets. Despite the festival’s increasing popularity and growing reach, Georgie said it still belongs to Windsor.
“To imagine that it’s grown 10 times in size is astonishing,” he said. “The best thing about WIFF is that it’s been built locally. This is ours. It’s been built at our kitchen tables and in our garages and our basements. It couldn’t be more local if you tried.”
For tickets and more information, go to WIFF’s new and improved website.
It’s the first Kenyan film we’veever shown . ... It’s incredible that, in a country that made this film, it’s illegal to show it. We’re proud to do it.