The Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) is pleased to announce the full lineup for this yearâs Festival taking place from October 26 to November 5, 2023. WIFF is back and bigger than ever with an impressive slate of 186 feature films from 46 countries and over 300 screenings. The Festival will open with Tran Anh Hungâs delectable drama The Pot-au-Feu, starring Juliette Binoche and close with Sean Menardâs nostalgic 299 Queen Street West. Also, Hugh Welchmanâs groundbreaking new film The Peasants will be spotlighted as the WIFF Centerpiece Film. Visit WindsorFilmFest.ca for the complete lineup.
Other highlights include Cord Jeffersonâs satirical American Fiction (TIFF 2023 Peopleâs Choice Award), Justine Trietâs courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall (Cannes 2023 Palme dâOr), Rudy Valdezâs Carlos documenting the legendary musician Carlos Santana, local filmmaker Nicholas Shieldsâ thriller Depraved Mind; Jonathan Glazerâs haunting historical drama The Zone of Interest (Cannes 2023 Grand Prix); and the highly anticipated films Priscilla directed by Sofia Coppola and Foe directed by Garth Davis and starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal.
âItâs a great year for film and a great year for WIFF. Weâre thrilled to be sharing our largest selection of programming yet, with outstanding films from all over the world,â says Vincent Georgie, Executive Director and Chief Programmer of WIFF. âIn addition to bringing some of the biggest films of 2023 to our audiences, we are delighted to be highlighting some fan favourites alongside some incredible Canadian discoveries.â
This year, WIFF will return to Middle Earth for a Lord of the Rings marathon to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Other anniversary titles to be showcased include Rosemaryâs Baby (1968) in addition to the Midnight Madness selections Twilight (2008) and The Room (2003) hosted by pop culture expert, Tanner Zipchen.
The Midnight Madness slate also includes the controversial parody film, The Peopleâs Joker directed by Vera Drew (who will be in attendance) and Larry Charles’ uproarious musical-comedy Dicks: The Musical.
The opening weekend of the festival will focus on the WIFF Prize in Canadian Film.The nominees for the prize were announced on September 14 and will be screened twice at the Festival. The director of the chosen film, selected by an independent jury of industry professionals, will receive a cash prize of $25,000 and the winner will be announced on October 29. Nominees include Blackberry directed by Matt Johnson, The Dishwasher directed by Francis Leclerc, Frontiers directed Guy Ădoin, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person directed by Ariane Louis-Seize, Irenaâs Vow directed by Louise Archambault, My Motherâs Men directed by Anik Jean, The Nature of Love directed by Monia Chokri, One Summer directed by Louise Archambault, Seven Veils directed by Atom Egoyan and Solo directed by Sophie Dupuis.
BY THE NUMBERS
186 feature films
38 short films
46 countries represented
54 Francophone feature films
45 TIFF 2023 selections
19 Hot Docs 2023 selections
19 films in WIFFâs Local 2023 programme
201 minutes â Length of longest film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2 minutes 28 seconds â Length of shortest film Journey of a Thousand Miles directed by Prasanna Marathan
The 2023 festival is proudly presented by the Toldo Foundation.
Tickets are available online now at WindsorFilmFest.ca.
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