About the Festival

Join us in March 2009 to celebrate the 18th Anniversary of the $100 Film Festival.

The $100 Film Festival began in 1992, when a group of CSIF members decided to put
out a challenge to filmmakers in Calgary; make a film for under $100. The first festival featured seven Super 8 shorts. In the following years, the Festival expanded to include 16mm film and the budgetary limit was dropped, but the Festival remains a showcase for low-budget, independent films on film. The festival screens exclusively Super8 and 16mm film prints, bringing the joy of celluloid and the beauty of projection back to Calgary audiences. It is held over three days in March and features films in all genres from local, national and international filmmakers working with film.

This year's festival once again begins each evening with a screening and live musical performance from the Film/Music Explosion! Also join us for performances, artist talks and after parties.

Blog

Classic Film November 2010

by Murray Smith

First off: it’s difficult to keep a movie this distinctive a secret, let alone a surprise. On top of that, I think it’s also the best quality 16mm print I’ve seen in the CSIF’s library to date. There’s an irony here about how well the film has aged, but I can’t tell you why just yet. But know this: there is a swimming pool, and it’s a key part of the story, though you’d probably never conjure it up otherwise. Oh, there’s comedy, drama, and plenty of Hollywoodisms (quite literally), too—but more importantly, healthy doses of subtle social commentary, outstanding writing, and memorable characters! It might also have been nominated for every Oscar ever, so at the end of the day, I have a hunch you’ll