Kingston Canadian Film Festival is the largest festival dedicated exclusively to Canadian film, and will be returning to its home City of Kingston from February 26 to March 2. This year, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the KCFF will be awarding two new monetary prizes that recognize excellence in Canadian film.
A prize total of $7,500 will be presented to the KCFF Best Canadian Feature Award winner (worth $5,000) and the Branded to Film Award for Best First Feature (worth $2,500) winner at the upcoming festival.
Jason Anderson, Director of Programming at KCFF shared in a release, "We're thrilled to be able to mark the festival's 25th anniversary with one of our strongest-ever showcases of Canadian film. This year's lineup demonstrates the excellence of Canadian storytellers in film today, including strong homegrown entries from Kingston itself."
The festival will kick off with a screening of Sophie Deraspe's Shepherds on February 26. KCFF will present more than 80 individual films over five dozen screenings, including live music, stand-up comedy, and "in conversation" events and development sessions at Queen's University. Almost every film screening will feature live post-screening Q&As with visiting guests and talent, and Exclaim! is the presenting partner for the Paying for It screening with Sook-Yin Lee. Jay Baruchel, Jeremy Hotz, Carolyn Taylor, Allie Pearse, Olivia Stadler, Donovan Woods and Dwayne Gretzky will also make appearances at the festival.
Among the many films up for awards are Universal Language, Can I Get a Witness?, Matt and Mara, Your Tomorrow, The Heirloom, Hunting Daze and Village Keeper.
The festival will close on March 2 with a screening of Blue Rodeo: Lost Together, and an event that will dole out 11 awards, including the KCFF Best Canadian Feature Award and the Branded to Film Award for Best First Feature as determined by the festival jury.
"I would like to congratulate KCFF on their exceptional program this year, which has become the largest celebration of Canadian cinema worldwide," said Justin Cutler, Ontario Film Commissioner at Ontario Creates. "Having studied film at Queen's and started my career at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival and Kingston Economic Development Corporation, I've seen first-hand how well the community supports the film and TV sector. It's a pleasure in my role as Film Commissioner to give back by promoting the region as an incredible filming destination to producers worldwide."
Executive Director of KCFF Marc Garniss added, "After 25 years, KCFF has grown to be much more than an all-Canadian film festival. KCFF is increasingly a cultural festival that intersects film with comedy, music, and more, as demonstrated by this year's amazing anniversary schedule. We welcome all to Kingston to watch, listen, laugh, and learn at KCFF25!"
The festival's full programming can be accessed on KCFF's official website, and tickets can be purchased here.