The Calgary International Film Festival's mission is “to entertain and engage audiences by curating the most innovative and compelling films, and creating remarkable festival experiences.”

Achieving our mission includes hosting a large number of participating filmmakers – both locally and from abroad – and connecting them with the audience through interactive post-screening Q&As, networking, and through panels and film talks open to the general public.

We aim to be a place where filmmakers and fans can find each other, discuss and appreciate films, and discover not only new talent and audiences, but new ways to connect over their love of film, and get one-of-a-kind interactive viewing experiences that go beyond the screen.

We seek the most compelling, innovative, and noteworthy films, and present them in a festival format that is interesting, distinctive, and unique. Each year’s line-up is presented in sections that group the Festival's offerings into easily identifiable categories – Canadian Narrative Feature, Canadian Documentary, International Narrative, International Documentary, Special Presentations, Late Shift, Music on Screen, Official Selection, and Shorts. We present a number of awards to outstanding films selected by our audiences and esteemed juries with cash and prizes totaling over $43,000.

The festival is an experience that takes place outside the theatre as well as in it, and we are constantly implementing new ideas to do that. From the Opening night to the final weekend, we have something for everyone – and whether you’ve attended before or you’re brand new to The Festival, we invite you to take part.