CALGARY -- Movie buffs can now enjoy some Calgary International Film Festival selections while in self-isolation.
CIFF has partnered with the distributor Film Movement to make movies available for home viewing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Like many distributors, they have movies that are supposed to have a theatrical window before they go to standard video-on-demand, so rather than just go straight to on-demand they've been working with festivals and independent theatres to develop this program, so you have exclusive opportunities to see them and support organizations while they're shuttered," said CIFF artistic director Brian Owens.
Two titles are currently available — Jan Komasa's Oscar-nominated Corpus Christi (best international feature), and Diao Yinan's noir thriller, The Wild Goose Lake.
Once viewers are registered with Film Movement, which can be done through the CIFF website, movies cost $12 each and are available for 72 hours, with 50 per cent of the proceeds going to support CIFF.
"We just felt it was a natural partnership to give people these exclusive opportunities to watch festival-style films, or films from our series, at home and first," said Owens.
"You can't just go through your standard cable VOD or iTunes to find these films, so it's trying to recreate the exclusivity of the theatrical experience, even though you are at home. It's streaming but different."
New movies will be brought in if interest in the first two wanes.
CIFF is scheduled for Sept. 24 to Oct. 4 and organizers are "cautiously optimistic" the event will be able to go ahead, said Owens.
