CIFF Welcomes Special Guests to the 2008 Festival

THE CALGARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

WELCOMES SPECIAL GUESTS TO THE 2008 FESTIVAL

Calgary, AB ’Äì The Calgary International Film Festival brings visiting directors, producers, and cast members to the festival, providing an up-close-and-personal look at the movie-makers taking part in this year's event. Special guests will be in attendance at their film screenings, and available for question and answer periods to discuss their work.

HIGHLIGHTED GUESTS

Noah & Logan Miller (Writers/Directors), Touching Home

Tue. Sep. 23, 2008 9:30 PM @ Globe Downstairs

Three months after their homeless father died in jail, twin filmmakers, Logan and Noah Miller cornered Ed Harris in an alley outside of the Castro Theatre in San Francisco and pitched him their autobiographical movie, Touching Home. Nine days later Harris called them and said he wanted the role. Touching Home is a courageous and honest portrayal of a family fighting to overcome the pain of wasted years and the crushing forces of addiction.

Carl Bessai (Director), Mothers&Daughters

Thu. Sep. 25, 2008 7:15 PM @ Uptown Upstairs

Sun. Sep. 28, 2008 3:00 PM @ Uptown Upstairs

Mothers&Daughters explores the hilarious, the ridiculous, and the complicated dynamics of mother/daughter relationships. Three mother/daughter pairs offer a diverse glimpse into the needs, the denials, and the inescapable love that these women feel towards each other. Ultimately, it is a celebration of the inexplicable bond of mothers and daughters.

Kent Tessman (Director), and Jennifer Lo & David Bajurny (Co-Producers), Bull

Sat. Sep. 20, 2008 4:45 PM @ Uptown Downstairs
Tues. Sep. 23, 2008 7:00 PM @ Westhills

Bull is a darkly comic neo-noir film, set among the heat-wave-baked skyscraper canyons of the Toronto financial district. A hapless stockbroker named Charlie finds himself caught up in a twisty web where no one, no one at all, is telling the truth. Not only did Kent Tessman write, produce and direct this film, he also edited, mixed, completed the visual effects and composed the score, showing his talents as a one man filmmaking tour-de-force.

Najeeb Mirza (Director), Sweetest Embrace: The Return of Afghanistan

Thurs. Sep. 25, 2008 7:00 PM @ Eau Claire

In Najeeb Mirza's The Sweetest Embrace, Soorgul and Amir return to their country in search of their families. The film tells an intimate story set against one of the world's most harsh and yet beautiful landscapes, in a land where life has been shaped by war and hardship but where spirit remains resilient.

Denny Tedesco (Director), The Wrecking Crew

Tues. Sep. 23, 2008 7:15 PM @ Eau Claire
Sun. Sep. 28, 2008 2:30 PM @ Uptown Downstairs

Nicknamed by their conservative predecessors, the Wrecking Crew was comprised of prodigious rock 'n' roll session players in the prolific California music scene. Responsible for the lush instrumentation in Phil Spector's Wall of Sound and in the Beach Boys' seminal Pet Sounds, the Wrecking Crew was behind nearly every hit of the '60s and some of the most enduring songs ever recorded.

GJ Echternkamp (Cast, Producer), Necessary Death

Fri. Sep. 26, 2008 11:30 PM @ Plaza
Sat. Sep. 27, 2008 2:45 PM @ Plaza

A Necessary Death is a taut dramatic tale of ambitious film students, desperate to be original, who spiral down a creative and moral hole from which they cannot emerge unscathed.

OTHER SPECIAL GUESTS OF NOTE

Michael Sparaga, Director Maple Flavour Films
Michael Selditch, Director Eleven Minutes
Murray Siple, Director Carts of Darkness
Taylor Greeson Director Meadowlark
Siu Tran, John Tran, Sam Tran & Daddy Tran, Director, Producer, Subject Daddy Tran
Steven Rose, Director Hi My Name Is Ryan

Juan Francisco Villa, Producer Alondra Smiles
Suzanne Chisholm, Director Saving Luna

Denny Tedescu, Director The Wrecking Crew

SHORTS

Local Filmmakers
Mitch Barany, City of Noise
James Reckseidler, Zinneke
Jonathan Joffe, Boiler Room
Cam Christiansen, The Real Place
Michael Peterson, Curse of The Piano
Devon Bolton, The Promise
Corey Lee, In Translation
Sandi Somers, The Panty Portal

Out of Town Short Filmmakers
Sara St. Onge, Lobotomobile
Jeff Chiba Stearns, Yellow Sticky Notes
Anna McRoberts, The Windfisherman
Ismael Nava, Greedy As A Pig
Randall Okita, Machine Wishbone