Steve Schroeder, Executive Director of the Calgary International Film Festival is photographed in front of the Globe Cinema in downtown Calgary on Tuesday, September 13, 2016.Chris Bolin/The Globe and Mail
As the Toronto International Film Festival winds down, its Calgary counterpart is gearing up for a 12-day run highlighting 200 movies and with hopes of record-setting crowds. Calgary International Film Festival executive director Steve Schroeder told The Globe and Mail that Calgary may never have Hollywood A-listers working its red carpet, but it will be just fine, Allan Maki writes.
Last year the CIFF attracted 35,000 fans, the highest number in its history. Can that be surpassed?
I think so. I track the ticket sales and we're positioned to do very well. I think back to when I came here in 2012, I had nine months to get ready for my first festival. It just wasn't firing on all cylinders; it wasn't firing on any cylinder. … The thing I sensed was how much potential it had. Although the audience had dipped in number, it never fell below 18,000, which is still respectable. That's why I think we can build – Calgary can have one of the most significant, exciting and interesting film festivals in North America. And I don't think Calgary will look like Toronto when it reaches its further growth level. A film festival is an impression of the city that hosts it.
How is that playing for Calgary?
I love it in Toronto when all the well-known folks come – and that works for Toronto. We're not actually trying to build our film festival in any way, shape or form on celebrity sightings or leveraged media or what people can see behind the stands when someone walks by on the red carpet. … I've been working professionally in the arts in general and festivals specifically, for 21 years. I think there have been some really great developments here.
What kind of developments?
People often say to me now, "With Studio Bell as the new home to the National Music Centre, does it feel like you finally arrived?" I don't have any kind of sense about an arrival point for the arts in Calgary. But there have been some developments like Studio Bell and the NMC and a new recording studio at the Calgary Film Centre – that is huge for the film industry in this province. There are big, big pieces falling into place right now.
Do you remember the first movie you saw?
When I was young I watched a lot of movies with my dad. Going to the cinema live has always been way more exciting. For me, going to the cinema was always an event. I remember when we were living in Orangeville, Ont., when I was really young, and there was the local movie theatre. I remember seeing crowds lined up around the block to see The Swarm, that killer-bees movie from the 1970s.
Is there a Sons of Swarm movie at the 2016 CIFF?
No Swarm movies.
CIFF 2016 runs at various Calgary venues from Sept. 21 to Oct. 2. For more information see calgaryfilm.com.
This interview has been condensed and edited.