CALGARY -- The India Film Festival of Alberta has announced the program for their sixth annual event, which includes online and drive-in showings.
This year's lineup consists of award-winning and independent films from both India and Canada, and will highlight the works of Indian actors and filmmakers who passed away in the last year.
Calgary will host three days of drive-in showings at the Big Rock Brewery, 5555 76 Ave. S.E.:
- Thursday, Sept. 10: Chhichhore
- Friday, Sept. 11: Golkeri and The Lunchbox
- Saturday, Sept. 12: Amar Akbar Anthony
Films will start at 8 p.m., with the lot opening at 7 p.m. All tickets are free, however guests are asked to register online in advance.
"This is part of Alberta Culture Days, and we wanted to make it all family friendly," explained Madhan Selvaraj, executive director of IFFA, "We understand the pressure people are going through with the economy, so this is a great opportunity for people who may be worried about money"
Drive-ins will also be held in Edmonton, Sherwood Park, and Fort McMurray.
Additional films will be available online for the entire month of September, and can be streamed across Canada at any time. Tickets are $20 for a full festival pass, or $2 for individual movies.
The IFFA has also scheduled two of India's top award-winning cinematographers — Ravi K. Chandran and R.D. Rajasekhar — to teach a master class to aspiring filmmakers.
"They will be sharing their experiences and how cinematography works in different industries," said Selvaraj, "Right from lighting to lenses, and all the technical details."
A short film competition will also run throughout the festival, with the winner receiving a cash prize. All films will be posted online for the public to vote on. Entries to the competition closed Tuesday.
"Our mandate is always 'how can we nurture and motivate emerging filmmakers'," said Selvaraj "This kind of motivates them to think bigger, they can think about maybe going into feature films."
To register to attend a drive-in showing or to review a complete list of films visit IFFA.
Correction:
The original version of this story indicated the drive-in films started at 9 p.m. Organizers have since changed the showings to 8 p.m.
