At a press conference at Manitoba Theatre for Young People in Winnipeg today, the 2017 Gimli Film Festival announced its lineup of 134 diverse and acclaimed films, its largest program to date.
From July 26 to 30, the Gimli Film Festival will feature 72 short films, 26 documentary feature films, and 36 fiction feature films from all over the world.
Gimli Film Festival will celebrate the 17th edition this year, continuing to bring the best in new cinema to Manitoba audiences. The Festival will also celebrate Canada’s 150th, with special screenings of some of the most beloved Manitoban and Canadian films of all time.
The Festival will kick off on Wed. July 26 with The Great Canadian Film Series, a full day dedicated to these classic films plus a few additional screenings throughout the Festival. A special $5 ticket price is made possible by The Asper Foundation and the Community Fund for Canada’s 150th, a collaboration between Westshore Community Foundation, the Government of Canada, and extraordinary leaders from coast to coast to coast.
This year’s slate of contemporary films boasts 23 Manitoba premieres, nine Canadian premieres and five world premieres. The selections will be presented in a variety of distinct film series including 104 Canadian films, the Circumpolar Film Series, Social Justice Film Series, Icelandic Film Series, Environmental Film Series, and a special series of new Indigenous cinema from across Canada.
Special screenings include the Canadian premiere of “Dina”, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, a brave and unconventional love story about an eccentric woman overcoming tragedy and finding true love; and the Iranian Best Foreign Feature 2017 Academy Awards winner “The Salesman”, about a young couple living in tense circumstances in Tehran.
Featured guests include “My American Cousin” writer/director Sandy Wilson, “A Better Man” director Attiya Khan, Governor General’s Award-winning experimental filmmaker Mike Hoolboom, and video artist duo Duke + Battersby (Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby). Stay tuned for more additions to the list of visiting filmmakers!
The full festival schedule is now live on gimlifilm.com. Visit the Gimli Film Festival website and app for all Festival news, schedules, ticket sales, volunteer registration, and merchandise.
In addition to films screened in venues across Gimli during the day, evening screenings on the beach are also popular.
The RBC Beach Screenings (each night at 10 pm):
Gimli’s intimate atmosphere and open-air landscape provide a unique backdrop for the Festival. This is especially true for the RBC Sunset Screenings, where films are projected onto a screen built on the western edge of Lake Winnipeg.
WEDNESDAY, July 26th – “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” (Wes Anderson)
An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers’ retaliation in Wes Anderson’s beloved stop-motion animation classic.
THURSDAY, July 27th – “American Graffiti” (George Lucas)
Relive the magical nostalgia of the 1950’s when a couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.
FRIDAY, July 28th – DOUBLE FEATURE
“Twister” (Jan De Bont)
Bill and Jo Harding, extreme storm chasers on the brink of divorce, must join together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of the most violent class of tornadoes.
“The Birds” (Alfred Hitchcock)
In Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense classic, a wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.
SATURDAY, July 29th – “Footloose” (Herbert Ross)
A city teenager moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned and shakes up the populace with his rebellious spirit and infectious moves.
SUNDAY, July 30th – “The Neverending Story” (Wolfgang Petersen)
In one of the most beloved children’s films of the 1980’s, a bullied boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book to escape his troubled school life.
2017 Special Events:
- RBC $10,000 Emerging Filmmaker Competition – Saturday, July 29th Gimli Theatre.
- The 48 Hour Film Competition – Saturday, July 29th Gimli Theatre.
- Manitoba Short Film Program with MFM Audience Choice Award – Saturday, July 29th.
- ACTRA/DGC Manitoba Acting and Directing Workshop with Sean Garrity – Sunday, July 30th.
- Manitoba-Made Virtual Reality Showcase – Saturday, July 29th.
- RBC Beach Boardwalk – Friday & Saturday 7:30-9:30 pm on Gimli Beach.
- Screening of Young Filmmakers from MTYP Movie Magic Camp – Sunday, July 30th.
Passes are now on sale. Guarantee Your Seat – July 1st, individual film tickets will go on sale and pass holders will be able to order tickets to secure their seats. 50% of tickets to all films will be available in advance up to 5 pm the day before the screening. The remaining 50% will be rush seating on a first come first served basis at the door.
Super Pass – $100
Access to all films plus the hospitality events.
100 Super Passes available.
Film Pass – $75
Access to films only.
150 Film Passes available.
Filmmakers Pass – $75
Access to all films and filmmakers networking events, including Filmmakers Reception on Sat July 29th.
50 Filmmakers Passes available.
Individual Film Tickets – $10
Canada 150 Programming – $5
Tickets and Passes can be purchased:
- Online at Eventbrite.
- By Telephone (204) 642-8846.
- At the GFF Box Office: 41 Centre Street July 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-30.
Twitter: @Gimlifilm
Instagram: @Gimlifilm
Facebook: facebook.com/Gimlifilmfestival
Hashtag: #Gimlifilm2017
The Gimli Film Festival is the largest film festival in Manitoba. Over the past sixteen years, our audience, sponsors and partners have supported and shaped the festival into what it is today. We showcase fiction feature films, documentaries and short films from Manitoba, Canada and the world, that promise informative, fascinating and riveting entertainment.
