Passes for the Creemore Film Festival are going on sale Monday.
The inaugural film festival, an endeavour launched by Steve Lucas, will be held in January when 34 Canadian films will be screened over three days.
He promises a chance to see the best in new Canadian cinema in a range of genres including comedies, dramas, and documentaries in long and short formats. All three of the primetime evening films were awarded people’s choice awards at this year’s TIFF.
Lucas said he received a total of 114 submissions and describes them all as phenomenal, making the selection process very challenging.
“I’m super excited about it,” said Lucas. “It’s all coming together. I stand behind every one the films. People are going to love them.”
Although the official festival selections won’t be announced until Dec. 10, people will be able to purchase passes in advance, guaranteeing access and at a discounted rate.
Screenings cost $15 each with a pass, available in bundles of two, four, six, eight, 10 or 12, which is the all-access pass. When single tickets go on sale they will be priced at $20, or $25 at the door.
Filmmakers are expected to be in attendance at the Jan. 22 red carpet gala, and a few stars.
The primetime screenings will be at the Legion, the matinees will be at Station on the Green, and the shorts will be shown in bundles at a purpose built 25-seat micro cinema in the Model A room at Creemore Springs Brewery. Each 90-minute block of shorts will include six films in what Lucas describes as a tasting menu of cinema. Each block is screening four times over the three days.
Lucas said none of the films are available on streaming and none have played in theatres, yet.
The Creemore Film Festival runs from Jan. 22-24. Tickets via creemorefilmfestival.com.
Sneak peek
For a sneak peek Lucas has announced three titles.
Mila Aung-Thwin’s The Ultra Runner will be part of a double feature at the opening night gala on Jan. 22. It is a documentary about Tiberiu Uşeriu who competes in the 6633 Arctic Ultra, an infamously brutal footrace across over 600 kilometres in the Canadian north. The film combines documentary footage with reenactments of Uşeriu’s checkered past, growing up in Romania and the downward spiral that led to serving time in a high-security German prison where Ușeriu finds a way out of his darkness.
A local selection is If You’re Reading This..., a film produced and directed by Dunedin resident Andrew Murray. It is about The Robb Nash Project, a charity that works with schools and communities throughout Canada to support youth mental health. Over more than a decade Nash has spoken to hundreds of thousands of teens and more than 900 have handed over their suicide notes, indicating they would no longer be needing them.
Turn it Up! by writer/director Sam Scott and the Collingwood Film Company will be the late night Howl at The Moon horror feature in which a struggling indie band steals a cursed melody that opens a portal between dimensions. Then they begin to find success... at a cost. It is filmed in the Owen Sound area and London with a cast and crew from Simcoe and Grey counties.
Lucas said, in order to maximize the line-up, he has created some double features. Without divulging the titles, he said two movies about bookstores were submitted and will be shown together. He has also booked a musician who is featured in one of the films for a live performance.
Image: Turn It Up!: Directed by Sam Scott. With Justine Nelson, Gwenlyn Cumyn, Jonathan Craig, Xavier Lopez. A struggling indie band steals a cursed melody that opens a portal between dimensions.
