The 16th edition of Western Canada’s biggest genre film festival, Calgary Underground Film Festival will open with the Canadian Premiere of the Australian zombie horror rom-com LITTLE MONSTERS.
LITTLE MONSTERS is the story of a washed-up musician who teams up with a teacher (Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong’o) and a kids show personality to protect young children from a sudden outbreak of zombies. The film from director Abe Forsythe premiered in the Midnight section of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
“Each year we love finding something fun and quirky for our opening night,” said Festival Director and Lead Programmer Brenda Lieberman. “LITTLE MONSTERS is really the perfect opener for us. It’s light, it’s fun, there’s a bit of gore, and it’s even better with an audience.”
With 30 features and 33 shorts, this is CUFF’s biggest festival yet. The lineup includes the highly anticipated HIGH LIFE from master French Director Claire Denis; Peter Strickland’s horror comedy IN FABRIC about a literal “killer dress”; and HER SMELL, directed by Alex Ross Perry, which stars Elisabeth Moss as a self-destructive ‘90s punk rocker. Documentary highlights are HAIL SATAN? (Dir. Penny Lane), a chronicle of the extraordinary rise of The Satanic Temple, one of the most controversial religious movements; the heartbreaking Sundance award winner MIDNIGHT FAMILY (Dir. Luke Lorentzen) about private ambulance drivers in Mexico City; and ASK DR. RUTH (Dir. Ryan White), a look at the incredible life of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who became America’s most famous sex therapist.
“I always love seeing how our lineup comes together with the different films we see at various festivals, submissions, and the wide range of stories and genres that are out there,” said Lieberman. “The unique tastes of our programmers are always represented, and this year we have more films, more time slots and the highest number of guests in attendance. Whatever your style, CUFF has something for every film fan.”
Films with local connections include HARPOON, shot and produced in Calgary, the film comes to CUFF after its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. A wickedly humorous and bloody deconstruction story about three best friends who find themselves stranded on a yacht in the middle of the ocean under suspicious circumstances.
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT Calgarian and CUFF alumnus Brent Hodge’s (FREAKS & GEEKS: THE DOCUMENTARY, Winner of CUFF’s 2018 Audience Award Best Documentary) latest film follows Ben Sisto on his popular live talks across the world that explain the complex story of the Baha Men’s hit song and its true origins.
FOOSBALLERS Featuring an appearance by Calgary’s Linda Ly, the heartwarming documentary chronicles the lives of professional foosball players.
RED LETTER DAY The debut feature from local filmmaker Cameron Macgowan (LIEBE (LOVE) and the 2016 CUFF selection LUXURE) is a satirical horror/thriller that asks the age-old question: Just how well do you know your neighbors?
The short films I SWALLOW YOUR SECRETS (Dir. Matt Prazak), MEGA CRIMES UNIT (Dir. Darren Harmon) and KILL ‘EM WITH KINDNESS (Dir. JDRL) are all Calgary productions.
All films and events take place at Globe Cinema between April 22 to 28, 2019.
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