Cinéfest has received somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 submissions this year alone.
Since May, festival organizers have been watching the flicks to determine which ones are worthy of playing on the big screen.
In the past 23 years, the local festival has grown from a one-film show to ranking in the country's top five film festivals.
Patrick O'Hearn, managing director of Cinéfest, attributes it to supportive audiences coming out to watch quality films.
“We pride ourselves on accessibility, on making sure were making available films that reach diverse interests and tastes, different genres and subject manners, and also different styles of film making,” he said.
Since northern Ontario has a “booming film production industry,” O'Hearn said it's important to bring in movies that stand up to the expectations of a knowledgeable crowd.
This year's lineup is sure to have “something for everybody,” he said.
On July 27, O'Hearn and Tammy Frick, festival director, announced some of the films screening at Silver City from Sept. 17 to 25.
Among the highlights are:
-A double bill featuring Beat the World and High Chicago, both created by Greater Sudbury-born brothers Alfons and Robert Adetuyi
-Screenings of Special presentation films La Sacrée (starring Greater Sudbury's own Marc Marans), the documentary Senna, The Skin I Live In and Take Shelter
-Gala films Restless, screening Sept. 20 and Take This Waltz, screening Sept. 25 to close the festival
-Cinema Summit films that are “animated and aboriginal,” including The Visit, Lummajuuq, Tungijuq, Quite an Ugly Frog, Choke, Spirit of the Bluebird, Canned Meat/Immobilized and How People Got Fire
-Screenings of Canadian films Cloudburst, Eco-Pirate: The Paul Watson Story, In Darkness, La Vérité (Guilt) and Running Mates
-Screenings of world films 180 Degrees, 22:43, Boy, Les femmes du 6ème étage, Loose Cannons, Potiche and The Tree.
Cinéfest has also launched a new, more interactive website. It is expected to be online in the coming days. As of Aug. 2, the community is welcome to purchase advances tickets from the website.
For more information, visit www.cinefest.com.
