Festival Data:

• Established: 1986
• Genre: General
• Attendance: 30000
• Media Attendance: 25
• Accredited Industry Attendance: 60
• Total Number of Films Submitted: 600
• Total Number of Films Screened: 165
• Total Screenings: 65
• # of Shorts Screened: 110
• # of Features Screened: 55

• Competitive
• Students Section
• Has Panels

Festival Website:

Festival Description:

The Edmonton International Film Festival is about 'discovery'. It strives to uncover cinematic gems and celebrate unique voices in moviemaking. For nine days and nights, movie fans and filmmakers from across Canada and around the globe gather to eat, sleep and breathe all things cinematic! EIFF presents a fascinating mix of feature-length films, documentaries and short films gathered from all corners of the world. its goal is to nurture a better understanding of other nations through the art of cinema, to expose the people of greater Edmonton to movies and stories they might not ever have the opportunity to see again, and to inspire the motion picture industry in Alberta.

Alberta is just a couple hours drive from the majestic Rocky Mountains, Edmonton is known for its big sky, endless sunshine, and its glorious crown jewel - The River Valley (which contains the largest stretch of urban parkland and trail systems in North America). Located east of Vancouver and west of Toronto, Edmonton is THE heart of the Canadian Prairies, the northernmost big city in North America. And with a population of more than one million people, this is a city that loves movies.

The Edmonton International Film Festival showcases the finest filmmaking into the following programming streams which includes films submitted and solicited:

Contemporary Independents: This is the cream of the crop of American Indie Cinema, and in years past, EIFF has showcased films such as Wristcutters: A Love Story, The Scenesters, and our 2009 People’s Choice Winner for Best Film, My Suicide.

World Cinema: Culled from overseas submissions, and curated by its programming committees from the international film circuit. EIFF has presented Alberta premieres of some of the biggest international hits of the last few years, films such as The White Ribbon, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, and Departures, as well as independent gems like Kenny, Bomber, and Under the Bombs.

Doc Central: EIFF looks for documentaries that are passionate, provocative, or life-affirming – in other words, films that get audiences talking! Films such as Man on Wire, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, and its 2009 Independent Documentary Winner, Winnebago Man, are past examples of documentaries EIFF audiences have loved.

Edge of Night: Bizarre, scary, or just plain shocking (or shockingly funny!) these films push the envelope and have been known to blur the lines of good taste…which is exactly why they're programmed ‘at the edge of night’. EIFF has been THE place to see Alberta premieres of Repo: The Genetic Opera, The Snake, Let the Right One In, and [REC].

Oh, Canada!: These films salute the innovative work being produced by a new generation of Canadian filmmakers. This is the new golden age of Canadian filmmaking, and EIFF audiences have packed the house in recent years for films such as One Week, Passenger Side, Cole, and Bruce McDonald’s internationally acclaimed sensation, Pontypool.

International Shorts: The cornerstone of this Festival! A series that combines juried films, solicited films and visiting filmmakers for screenings. All short film submissions must be 30-minutes or less. International Short films are also programmed into the crowd-pleasing Sobeys Lunchbox Shorts. More than 1,200 people attended these five (5) unique short film packages during the 2009 EIFF.

Our Own Backyard: An all-day marathon of short films, this is a celebration of the finest filmmaking created by Albertans, and people who grew up here.

Film Submissions:

• Submission formats: VHS, DVD
• Call for Entry: http:/ / www.edmontonfilmfest.com/ participate.html#entries