#FIRSTLOOK: COUNTY ADAPTATION FILM FESTIVAL 2024

The County Adaptation Film Festival (CAFF) is excited to announce its full programming lineup with five feature films, three free community experiences, two conversations and one giant party with special guests including authors, screenwriters, singer-songwriters and more, as part of their inaugural film festival September 27 – 29, 2024.

“The art of the adapter is often overlooked. We’re changing that by putting screenwriters in the spotlight of our festival. We couldn’t be more proud to be showcasing this curated selection of films, conversations and events with special guests at our inaugural festival in Prince Edward County this September,” said Alexandra Seay, Founding Artistic Director of the County Adaptation Film Festival.

Thomas Napper’s Widow Clicquot opens the festival as a nod to the rich wine heritage of PEC, presented by Harvey Kalles Real Estate Broker with Suzanne White. Special guests for the evening will include New York Times best-selling author Tilar J. Mazzeo whose biography of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot formed the basis of Erin Dignam’s script in a moderated conversation with Eleanor Wachtel. This will be followed by a giant – free – party in Armoury Square next to the theatre, with support from Wentworth Landscapes & Construction and the Picton Business Improvement Association.

Day Two opens with a reflection on Truth & Reconciliation beginning with a musical performance by Jennifer Grant immediately followed by a screening of the Bawaadan Collective’s Mohawk language short film Six Strings and Gord Downie’s The Secret Path, based on the graphic novel by Jeff Lemire. This ticketed event leads off the Pathways to ReconciliACTION series which includes a selection of indigenous-led participatory activities open to the public presented by the Elderberry Fund and supported by the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) and Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na (TTO) at Macaulay Church Museum and Base31.

The afternoon continues with a programmer’s choice film: Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand, starring Alicia Vikander and Jude Law and adapted for the screen from Elizabeth Fremantle’s novel, The Queen’s Gambit, presented by the Flicker Foundation (Jeremy Guth & Nina-Marie Lister). The next conversation happens in the Closson Chase Vineyard garden between award-winning author Mark Sakamoto and producer David Hamilton as they discuss the development process for Deepa Mehta’s upcoming feature based on Forgiveness. This industry-centric event is an opportunity for local industry to mix and mingle presented by the new Bay of Quinte Film Office.

The day ends on a cheeky note with Spike Jonze’s classic film Adaptation followed by a conversation with best-selling author/screenwriter and Kingston native Iain Reid on the trials and tribulations of page-to-screen metamorphosis.

On September 29, the final day of the festival begins with Tanya Talaga in conversation with Courtney Montour co-writer/co-director of the four-part CBC docuseries based on her latest book, The Knowing presented with support from community partners, the Kingston Writers Festival and Books and Company; and ends with a screening of Ru featuring a post-show discussion between Charles Olivier-Michaud and Catherine Hernandez (Scarborough) on the challenges of adapting traumatic personal narratives for screen, presented by Betty-Ann & Wade Heggie.

Throughout the festival, visitors are welcome at the Festival Lounge at Karlo Estates which features an exhibition of paintings and behind the scenes footage from The Peasants which was presented by the festival at a special screening in May.

“CAFF is a reflection of the PEC community and how we come together to create something special,” said John Galway, Festival Producer. “Thank you to all our sponsors and supporters for helping us stay true to our commitment to the future of the County and desire to showcase it to the world.”

A project of the Regent Theatre in Picton, CAFF is made possible with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and with the support of tourism partners, Stay PEC and Visit the County and numerous other venues, community and programming partners and donors.

The full schedule can be found here on CAFF’s website. Festival passes ($150) are available here until September 15 and provide access to all ticketed festival events. Single tickets ($25/ea) will go on sale September 1, 2024.

About CAFF:

The County Adaptation Film Festival (CAFF) explores the art of adaptation on film, spotlights screenwriters and furthers dialogue for curious minds in the County and beyond.

CAFF spotlights screenwriters and features them in conversation with original creators alongside film screenings. Situated between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal in beautiful Prince Edward County – boasting a heritage cinema, gourmet food, award-winning wines and the support of some of the County’s finest hotels and accommodators, the festival promises an intimate and inspiring weekend getaway for our guests.

About the Regent Theatre:

The Regent Theatre Foundation is a registered charity which owns and operates the historic Regent Theatre founded in 1918. The Regent is the oldest and only purpose-built entertainment venue in Prince Edward County. It is a cultural landmark that presents independent cinema, first-run films and a wide range of live events all year round including The County Adaptation Film Festival.

CAFF Partners:

A project of the Regent Theatre in Picton, CAFF is made possible with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and with the support of its venue partners, The Armoury, Base31, Closson Chase Vineyard, The Eddie, Karlo Estates and Macaulay Heritage Park. CAFF’s presenting partners are the Bay of Quinte Film Office, Betty-Ann & Wade Heggie, the Elderberry Fund, the Flicker Foundation, Suzanne White with Harvey Kalles Real Estate Brokers, Picton BIA and Wentworth Landscapes and Construction. CAFF’s programming partners include County Stage Company, The Department of Illumination, the Kingston Writers Festival, Prince Edward County Arts Council, the Downie-Wenjack Fund and Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na (TTO). CAFF is thrilled to have its’ accommodation partners, The Royal Hotel and Merrill House this year alongside its’ tourism partners Stay PEC and Visit the County, its’ community partners Books & Company, the Prince Edward County Public Library and County Transit as well as its’ media partners, 99.3 County FM, the Picton Gazette and The Wellington Times.

#FIRSTLOOK: “WIDOW CLICQUOT” OPENS COUNTY ADAPTATION FILM FESTIVAL

Prince Edward County’s hottest new film festival, the County Adaptation Film Festival (CAFF), announced today that the critically acclaimed Widow Clicquot from director Thomas Q. Napper will open its inaugural festival on September 27, 2024. This announcement comes on the day that the Early Bird Festival Pass goes on sale.

Widow Clicquot follows Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot who after her husband’s untimely death, flouts convention by assuming the reins of the fledgling wine business they had nurtured together. Steering the company through dizzying political and financial reversals, she defies her critics and revolutionizes the champagne industry to become one of the world’s first great businesswomen.

The film will open the September festival with a screening followed by a discussion led by Curatorial Consultant Diana Sanchez alongside a special guest from the film to be announced. Widow Clicquot is adapted from the novel by Tilar J Mazzeo entitled The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It.

“For a film festival set in the heart of wine country, we knew there would be a wine film in our inaugural program. I am pleased to be opening the festival with Thomas Napper’s film Widow Clicquot adapted from the biography of the same name,” said Alexandra Seay, Founding Artistic Director of the County Adaptation Film Festival.

The opening night screening will be followed by a big bash in Armoury Square, located next door to the theatre. The party is supported by the Picton BIA and the Armoury. It will be activated by programming partners at the Department of Illuminations among other food and beverage vendors.

“We are thrilled to support the inaugural CAFF celebrations. A festival of this scale and scope is a welcome addition to activities in the fall calendar for local businesses,” said Mark Rose, Picton BIA, Executive Director.

The Early Bird Festival Pass grants pass holders access to all five screenings and two in-conversation events over the three-day festival from September 27 to 29, 2024. The pass is available now at www.countyadaptationfilmfest.ca for $115 all taxes and fees included. Early Bird Festival Passes are available until August 15, 2024 when Regular Festival Passes become available for $150 all taxes and fees included. Single tickets go on sale September 1, 2024 for $25 per event.

Embedded within the festival experience is the Pathways to the ReconciliACTION event series of ticketed and free events. In an effort to frame the Truth & Reconciliation experience within a local context, CAFF is partnering with Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na (TTO) from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) to curate a further selection of indigenous-led participatory activities open to the public which mark the National Day of Truth & Reconciliation. The full activity schedule will be announced later in the summer.

The Secret Path will be preceded by a Mohawk language short film, Six Strings produced by the TTO. A residential school survivors exhibition, created as part of the ‘Healing through Storytelling Project’ curated by the TTO, will activate the lobby space of The Regent Theatre where ticket holders and members of the public are welcome.

The pathway continues to Macaulay Church Museum, just a five-minute walk from the theatre, where audiences are invited to experience “A Path Forward.” This exhibit co-curated by TTO and the DWF, explores Truth and Reconciliation in the County. As part of the Pathways to ReconciliACTION experience, CAFF invites festival audiences to be curious about the shared past, present, and future of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Prince Edward County.

The third and final location of the Pathways to ReconciliACTION event series is the sensory garden at Base31. Rooted in Indigenous futurism, Biidaaban: First Light is a groundbreaking VR experience. It asks users to think about their place in history and their role in a possible future. As they move through a highly realistic future Toronto reclaimed by nature, they hear the languages of the place originally known as Tkaronto. Through gaze-based interactions, users engage with the written text of the Wendat, Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and Anishinaabe (Ojibway) and gain insight into the complex thought systems of this land’s first peoples.

Other family-friendly and participatory indigenous-led activities will take place throughout the afternoon in the Sensory Garden to mark Truth & Reconciliation. This event is not ticketed and is open to the public of all ages.

CAFF was launched earlier this year with a sold-out preview screening of The Peasants. Guests were joined by Monika Folierska-Zukowska from the filmmaking team for a live Q&A alongside a virtual introduction from co-director Hugh Welchman. Paintings created for this film were also exhibited at the launch event and will be on display again throughout CAFF in the Festival Lounge at Karlo Estates.

“As both a venue partner for the Festival Lounge and as the alcohol sponsor for the opening night presentation of Widow Clicquot – a story near and dear to my heart – Karlo Estates is delighted to be involved in this exciting County venture.” Sherry Karlo, Co-Founder/Owner of Karlo Estates.

At May’s launch event, preliminary programming was announced including an in-conversation event featuring Deepa Mehta and Mark Sakamoto as they discuss the upcoming film adaptation of Sakamoto’s novel Forgiveness: A Gift from My Grandparents. This event is sponsored by The Bay of Quinte Film Office as part of the festival’s commitment to incubating the growing regional film industry industry.

Additional programming including remaining film selections, special guests and free programming activities will be announced later this summer at www.countyadaptationfilmfest.ca.

CAFF is a project of the Regent Theatre in Picton, ON. The festival was created by co-founders Alexandra Seay of the Regent Theatre and Sol Korngold of The Royal Hotel. CAFF is made possible this year with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and with the support of Stay PEC. The festival’s logo and branding were designed by creative studio Bløk Design.

CAFF’s advisory committee includes Michèle Maheux (former COO, TIFF), Hussain Amarshi (owner, Mongrel Media), Tim Smythe-Bishop (Film Distribution Executive) & Devyani Saltzman (Director for Arts and Participation, Barbican Centre).

About CAFF:

The County Adaptation Film Festival (CAFF) explores the art of adaptation on film, spotlights screenwriters and furthers dialogue for curious minds in the County and beyond.

CAFF spotlights screenwriters and features them in conversation with original creators alongside film screenings. Situated between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal in beautiful Prince Edward County – boasting a heritage cinema, gourmet food, award-winning wines and the support of some of the County’s finest hotels, the festival promises an intimate and inspiring weekend getaway for our guests.

About the Regent Theatre:

The Regent Theatre Foundation is a registered charity which owns and operates the historic Regent Theatre founded in 1918. The Regent is the oldest and only purpose-built entertainment venue in Prince Edward County. It is a cultural landmark that presents independent cinema, first-run films and a wide range of live events all year round including the County Adaptation Film Festival.