The 21st edition of CUFF announces its line-up
By Nimra Amir, April 17 2024—
Since its inception, the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) has been the beacon for cinephiles seeking the unconventional through its diverse selection of films that span from gut-busting comedies to spine-chilling horror to mind-bending action. Without a doubt, the 21st edition of CUFF, scheduled to take place over the week of Apr. 18 to 28 at the Globe Cinema, continues its legacy with over 50 feature films and 37 short films. But first, CUFF announced their line-up along with the Special Off the CUFF screening of Riddle of Fire at Globe Cinema on Mar. 27.
To kick off CUFF is the Canadian premiere of the A24 release I Saw the TV Glow from filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, which follows lonely suburban teenager Owen after a mysterious late-night TV show that offers visions of the supernatural completely flips reality on its head.
In a similar vein, CUFF will host other comedy horror feature films like Booger which follows Anna who not soon after her friend Izzy passes away is sent on the hunt for the cat they had once shared, or Humane — shot in Ontario by Canadian director Caitlin Cronenberg — which follows the extreme measures taken by world leaders mere months after a global ecological collapse.
From CUFF alum Kevin T. Landry, we have the French-Canadian dark comedy A Shit Day, which follows single young mother Maude on the brink of a mental breakdown.
For those interested in horror, CUFF will host feature films like the new supernatural spectacle Oddity which follows self-proclaimed blind medium Darcy as she uncovers the truth behind the murder of her sister Dani, or thriller Infested which follows residents of a rundown French apartment in their battle against an army of deadly spiders.
From Canadian filmmaker Chris Nash, we have the Sundance-selected ambient slasher In a Violent Nature which methodically depicts the enigmatic resurrection and rampage of undead monster Johnny in the remote wilderness from the point of view of Johnny himself.
For those interested in just comedy, CUFF will host feature films like Rats from CUFF alumni Maxwell Nalevansky and Carl Fry which follows young Texan Raphael Tinski stuck on a turbulent rollercoaster of misguided chaos, and The Last Video Store from Albertan-born filmmakers Cody Kennedy and Tim Rutherford which follows Nyla after she discovers a magical VHS tape that holds the power to connect the real world to a dimension where movie fantasy exists as reality.
CUFF will also host documentaries like Flipside which follows the comical attempt of filmmaker Chris Wilcha to save the New Jersey record store he worked at as a teenager or Loch Ness: They Created a Monster which follows the search for dinosaur-like Loch Ness Monster rumoured to be sighted in Scotland.
Besides the feature films, CUFF will also host short packages like The Ties that Bind Us, A Banquet of Consequences, or Inescapable Horrors.
To close off CUFF, we have action feature film Thelma — based on a real-life experience of writer and director Josh Margolin — which follows 93-year-old Thelma Post who sets on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson.
The 21st edition of CUFF, like any other edition, is committed as the driving force in our thriving arts community, bringing together filmmakers and audiences in celebration of the cinematic experience. To view the full line-up for yourself and buy tickets, you can visit their website.