The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is the largest film festival in Alberta. It was first held in 2000 as a six-day event attended by 8,000 people and now presents around 200 short and feature films from Canada and around the world each autumn, with a programming emphasis on discovery and a large share of first-time feature directors.
Juried competitions cover Canadian and international narrative and documentary features as well as live-action, documentary, animated, student and experimental shorts; the Short Film Grand Jury Prize winner qualifies for Academy Award consideration. Alberta filmmaking has its own showcases in the Alberta Spotlight feature section and the Alberta Spirit short film programme, and Generation Next brings Calgary high school students into the festival. An industry conference and a career expo run alongside the screenings. The dates of the 2026 edition are 24 September – 4 October 2026.
Awards and prizes
Juried feature film awards ($2,500 CAD each): Canadian Narrative Feature, Canadian Documentary Feature, International Narrative Feature and International Documentary Feature. Juried short film awards: Short Film Grand Jury Prize ($2,500 CAD, Academy Awards qualifying); Devon Bolton Memorial Alberta Short Film Award, Live Action Short Film Award, Documentary Short Film Award, Animated Short Film Award, Student Short Film Award and Ross Faulder Memorial Experimental Short Film Award ($1,000 CAD each); Youth By Youth Cinema Canada and International Short Film Awards ($500 CAD each). Audience Choice awards are given to features (Alberta, Canadian Narrative, Canadian Documentary, International Narrative, International Documentary, New American Cinema, Late Shift, Music on Screen, Generation Next, Special Presentations) and to shorts (Alberta, Documentary, Live Action, Animated).
Festival rules
Rules for the 2026 festival: films must not have been exhibited before 1 June 2025 and must not have been submitted to CIFF before. Feature films must not have screened publicly in Calgary or the surrounding area before the festival, including online availability, broadcasts, other local festivals and cast and crew screenings; for short films, priority goes to work not yet screened in Calgary or online. Non-English films must have English subtitles. A film is submitted in one category only, and the programmers place it where it fits best. Alberta short films must meet at least five points of the Alberta criteria (location, funding, resident cast, writer, producer or director). Student shorts must be made during enrolment at a post-secondary institution; Youth By Youth shorts must be made by a filmmaker under 18 or in high school. Any use of artificial intelligence must be disclosed. Fees are non-refundable; waiver codes are available for Alberta films and festival alumni.
