CIFF lineup includes 20 Canadian feature premieres, including lots of Alberta content

This year's Calgary International Film Festival lineup includes 20 Canadian feature premieres, including plenty of Alberta content.

Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life, will kick off the festival. It's a documentary about the Calgary-born and raised artist.

The film won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas.

 "I don't know who I would be if I hadn't grown up in Calgary. I am so grateful to be able to open the film in a place I owe so much to,” said McFetridge, who has worked with Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze among others, in a release

A second Canadian film, Hey Viktor! will close out the festival. Directed by Cody Lightning, it's about an Indigenous child star who sets out to recapture his former glory by making the sequel to the film that originally made him famous, 20 years earlier.

CIFF's artistic director Brian Owens said he's especially looking forward to celebrating Alberta filmmakers.

"We've got 10 feature films and more than 10 short films made by creators from Calgary and across the province," Owens said. "And celebrating with them, it's just always so much fun and always so exciting."

Tickets for CIFF 2023 go on sale Sept. 7. The festival runs from Sept. 21 through Oct. 1.