The 30th anniversary edition of Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, which runs Sept. 15-23, brings audiences on a wild ride.
Get ready to go anywhere from indigenous communities to a hostage situation to underwater with sharks to 1850s Oregon — without leaving your comfy chair at Silver City Cinemas, of course.
This year's Cinéfest features more than 130 films, some starring Hollywood A-listers.
Several films were shot right here in Greater Sudbury, and two of those films, “The New Romantic” and “Through Black Spruce," even have gala slots.
With Cinéfest celebrating its 30th anniversary, there was some pressure to go above and beyond in programming the festival, said Cinéfest executive director Tammy Frick, speaking with Sudbury.com at a press conference in August.
“Of course, our focus is always to bring the best quality programming to the north,” she said. “That's the mandate itself. But with the 30th anniversary, we definitely went after those little gems.”
For Cinéfest superfans who just can't wait for the festival to start, the screenings actually today — Friday, Sept. 14 — with “Mandy,” an over-the-top horror flick starring Nicolas Cage.
Check out our interview with “Mandy” filmmaker Panos Cosmatos here.
Cinéfest officially kicks off Saturday, Sept. 15 with the gala film “The Grizzlies,” about a group of Inuit students who learn to play lacrosse.
The next evening, Sunday Sept. 16, the gala is “What They Had,” a film starring the likes of Hilary Swank and Blythe Danner about a woman returning home to deal with her ailing mother.
The Monday, Sept. 17 gala film “Colette” also features an A-lister in the form of Keira Knightly, who plays a woman who ghost-writes novels for her husband. Upon their success, she fights to make her talents known, challenging gender norms.
On Tuesday, Sept. 18, watch the gala film “1991,” featuring Ricardo recounting the adventures of his 21-year-old self, when he went to Italy following love.
“The New Romantic,” which is the Wednesday, Sept. 19 gala film, was shot in Sudbury. It's about a college senior who gives up on dating for love to date an older man in exchange for gifts instead.
The Thursday, Sept. 20 gala film is “Bel Canto,” about a world-renowned opera singer (played by Julianne Moore), who becomes trapped in a hostage situation.
“Through Black Spruce,” which screens Friday, Sept. 21, was also filmed in Sudbury. Directed by Don McKellar and based on an adaptation of Canadian author Joseph Boyden's book of the same name, it's explores the impact of the disappearance of a young Cree woman.
Sudbury.com has done an interview with McKellar and producer Tina Keeper about this film, so watch out for our feature story in the days to come.
“Sharkwater: Extinction” is the Saturday, Sept. 22 gala film. By filmmaker Rob Stewart, who drowned in 2017 while shooting the film, it exposes how sharks are being hunted to extinction.
The festival closes out Sunday, Sept. 23 with “The Sisters Brothers,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal and John C. Reilly.
The film is set in 1850s Oregon, where a gold prospector is chased by the infamous duo of assassins, the Sisters brothers.
Of course, beyond the gala films mentioned above, Cinéfest features many other film screenings on a diverse subject matter.
To check out the full lineup and schedule, and for tickets, visit cinefest.com.
