Alien On Stage 83 minutes United Kingdom An amateur group of UK bus drivers spend a year creating a stage adaptation of Ridley Scott’s ALIEN and eventually take it to London's West End.
Bad Attitude: The Art Of Spain Rodriguez 71 minutes United States An exploration of the controversial art and life of the legendary underground cartoonist Spain Rodriguez, through the lens of his wife.
Bloodthirsty 84 minutes Canada An indie singer struggling to write her sophomore album heads to the secluded cabin of a mysterious producer and begins a deep transformation of both body and mind in this Alberta werewolf thriller.
Censor 84 minutes United Kingdom After viewing a strangely familiar 'video nasty', Enid, a film censor, sets out to solve the past mystery of her sister's disappearance, embarking on a quest that dissolves the line between fiction and reality.
Coming Home In The Dark 93 minutes New Zealand A school teacher is forced to confront a brutal act from his past when a pair of ruthless drifters take him and his family on a nightmare road trip.
Cryptozoo 95 minutes United States Cryptozookeepers try to capture a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown in this feature from world-renowned animator Dash Shaw.
End Of The Line: The Women Of Standing Rock 90 minutes United States, United Kingdom Indigenous women risk their lives to stop the oil pipeline construction that desecrated their ancient burial and prayer sites and threatens their land, water, and very existence.
Fearless 89 minutes United States An intimate portrait of a boxing gym in a small town of Conroe, Texas, exploring the challenges faced by the boxers – people of colour and immigrants in the United States.
First Date 103 minutes United States After being conned into buying a shady ‘65 Chrysler, Mike’s first date plans with the girl next door spiral out of control when he finds himself targeted by criminals, cops, and a crazy cat lady.
Found Footage Festival: Tape Trading Classics 75 minutes United States Hosts Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (Late Show) take you back in time to the pre-internet 90s to resurrect the best "tape traded" videos passed from weirdo to weirdo on VHS.
Frank & Zed 90 minutes United States The lives of two reclusive monsters are shattered when a power-hungry magistrate deceives his village into attacking their desolate castle, fulfilling a gruesome prophecy: The Orgy of Blood!
Fully Realized Humans 74 minutes United States With less than a month until the birth of their first child, Jackie and Elliot embark on a madcap mission to break their cycles of dysfunction with the goal of becoming the world's greatest parents.
Golden Arm 91 minutes United States Opening Night Film! With the help of her best friend, a small-town baker from Kansas trains for the Ladies Arm Wrestling Championship in this offbeat comedy.
Heartworn Highways (1976) - Re-Release 92 minutes United States A newly-restored documentary of the cult classic about the radical country artists that changed the course of country music history. Presented by Sled Island.
Hobo With A Shotgun - National Canadian Film Day 86 minutes Canada A homeless vigilante blows away crooked cops, pedophile Santas, and other scumbags with his trusty pump-action shotgun in this cult classic presented as part of National Canadian Film Day.
Itchy Fingers 107 minutes United States An aspiring teenage comedian joins a community theatre and is cast to play a school shooter.
Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story 63 minutes United Kingdom After his 1986 album "Keyboard Fantasies" is rediscovered, a black transgender musician emerges from years in isolation to an enraptured crowd.
Kid Candidate 67 minutes United States The story of 24-year old Hayden Pedigo and his unlikely run for Amarillo, Texas city council after his Harmony Korine inspired spoof campaign video goes viral.
Laughter 124 minutes Canada As a civil war shakes the province of Quebec, Valérie is the sole survivor of a mass execution in this powerful Canadian film on the edge of science-fiction and realism.
Live Script Reading: Hurt Them 120 minutes Canada Join a cast of actors for a live script read of the feature revenge thriller HURT THEM.
PANEL: PUPPETRY IN (STOP)MOTION 120 minutes United States, Estonia Take a strange ride on the freaky side of puppetry with the filmmakers behind CUFF 2021 selections FRANK & ZED and THE OLD MAN MOVIE in a candid discussion about the literal blood, sweat and tears put into making these ambitious puppet projects.
Playdurizm 88 minutes Czech Republic When a teenager finds himself caught in a glitchy-glitzy reality with his on-screen male idol, he does all he can to be possessed by this man and ignore the violent clues of how he got there.
Range Roads 86 minutes Canada Television actor Frankie King struggles to confront the past when she returns to her hometown in rural Alberta after her parents are killed in a tragic car accident.
Riders Of Justice 116 minutes Denmark The latest collaboration from Danish filmmaking icon Anders Thomas Jensen and Mads Mikkelsen follows recently-deployed Markus, who is forced to return home to his care for his teenage daughter after his wife is killed in a tragic train accident.
Saturday Morning All-You-Can-Eat-Cereal (At Home) Cartoon Party! 180 minutes United States In this all-new program, you’ll see both faves and obscurities spanning the '60s through the '90s, all punctuated with vintage commercials, PSAs and station IDs!
#Shakespearesshitstorm 92 minutes United States Two decades after TROMEO AND JULIET, Lloyd Kaufman and The Troma Team adapt "The Tempest" – Shakespeare has never been this raw and unfiltered.
Shaturday Morning Cartoons w/ Nick & Joe 60 min Canada In celebration of CUFF, Found Footage Festival hosts Nick & Joe will be joined by Lead Programmer Brennan Tilley for their weekly ritual.
SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF 97 minutes United States, Canada Profiles of free spirited non-conformists. Whether a one-man band, a conspiracy theorist or a couple adjusting their haunted house to pandemic protocols, there are the fascinating people we would love to chat with at a party.
SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS 98 minutes United States, Canada, China, U.K Satisfy your desires with this package of short films. Getting what you want may involve giving something in exchange.
SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK 96 minutes United States, Canada, China A mixed bag of oddities that CUFF's audience has come to expect. Join us on this journey through the weird and wild.
So Late So Soon 71 minutes United States A half-century into their marriage, two Chicago artists look back at their life together as they contend with the deterioration of their bodies and beloved home.
Summertime 90 minutes United States Over the course of a hot summer day in Los Angeles, the lives of 25 young Angelenos intersect – through poetry they express life, love, heartache, family, home, and fear.
The Last Matinee 88 minutes Uruguay, Argentina As customers seek refuge in an old cinema a murderer is on the loose in this love letter to Giallo.
The Old Man Movie 88 minutes Estonia Three children must aid their deranged grandfather in recovering his prized cow to prevent a rural cataclysm in this surreal and hysterically scatalogical stop-motion comedy.
Together Together 90 minutes United States When a young loner becomes the gestational surrogate for a single man in his 40s, the two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries and the particulars of love.
Vicious Fun 101 minutes Canada A horror film critic accidentally stumbles into a secret underground self-help group for serial killers.
Vinyl Nation 92 minutes United States A deep dig into the crates of the vinyl record resurgence to discover what an old technology says about our relationship to music and each other in a divided time in America.
Workhorse Queen 87 minutes United States After an unlikely casting onto a reality television show, 47-year old suburban telemarketer Ed Popil leaves his job to pursue a full-time entertainment industry career as his drag queen alter ego, 1960’s era housewife Mrs. Kasha Davis.
A Hole Screened before: The Old Man Movie The world is about to be swallowed by a black hole. The world turns to a wealthy entrepreneur whose “Escape Lottery” offers the only chance at continuing the human legacy.
Another Man's Treasure Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF A Calgary man finds a unique musical instrument and wants to return it to the rightful owner.
Aquatic Bird Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK Ah Shui (Aqua) and Zhang Niao (Bird), a cross-dressing girl, get tangled up in each other’s worlds because of a green dot of light. This green dot becomes their guide, allowing them to meet in their dreams.
Asparagus 2 Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK A doctor informs his patient that when he thinks he’s eating asparagus he is actually smoking an entire pack of unfiltered Cuban cigarettes. The next great American asparagus movie.
Boneyard Racers Screened before: Vicious Fun When a teen couple accidentally stumbles upon a ghoulish party on Halloween night, they’re challenged to a supernatural drag race with the highest stakes.
Bubble Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS On an ordinary night, a man eats a lot of herbal plants in front of a woman, transforming himself into the woman’s food.
Bump Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK A young man's unwillingness to let go of a trivial encounter leads him to seek retribution.
Do You See What I See? United States Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF From illustrating for SESAME STREET to exposing the New World Order, this is the story of the controversial and recently departed David Dees, unofficial artist of conspiracy theory culture.
Feed Your Muse Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS Andrew is an aspiring novelist, plagued by writer's block. Inspiration soon hits, but so too does nightly sleep paralysis, and terrifying visions of a creature that comes to life in order to feed on Andrew's blood.
Feeling Sexual Screened before: Fully Realized Humans Frustrated by her inability to properly communicate her wants and needs with sexual partners, a high school senior recruits the town therapist to beat some self-love into her.
Forgive Your Father Screened before: The Last Matinee The curious story of a little girl struggling with her father's unnatural transformation.
God Lady Screened before: Bloodthirsty A door to door evangelist is unwittingly doomed after soliciting to a household inhabited by strange cloistered women.
It'S Rocket Science Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF This portrait documentary looks at Ky Michealson, the self-named, but fully-earned "Rocketman" and how his struggle with dyslexia and dropping out of school pushed him to forge his own unique future.
Joe Buffalo Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF Joe Buffalo is an Indigenous skateboard legend. He’s also a survivor of Canada’s notorious Indian Residential School system. Following a traumatic childhood and decades of addiction, Joe must face his inner demons to realize his dream of turning pro.
Lucky Feet 2000 Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS A woman get a supernatural pedicure.
Meat Lovers Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS To satisfy her appetite, a young woman must juggle dealing with her salacious lover and a mysterious pizza order.
Monique'S On 4Th - The Music Video Screened before: Workhorse Queen Lethbridge's matron drag queen, Didi d'Edada and her son Castrati can't find a dress for Mama to wear to the music video launch. When a tornado strikes they are whisked away to a magical land and all their fashion dreams come true.
No One Will Know Screened before: First Date Trapped in a house during a blizzard, two childhood friends try to convey their feelings to one another while being hunted by a group of ruthless scavengers in a never-ending winter blizzard.
Peaking Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS After a long day on set, a sound recordist starts to hear more than just toxic conversation, leading her on a descent into horror. Room by room she searches for the source of an ominous sound she can’t escape from.
Peter The Penguin Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS Nigel is on his way to meet his partner's daughter Emily for the first time. With high expectations in tow, he's hoping to make a great impression.
Poor Glenna Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS When her mutant son develops a taste for human flesh, a timid mother must find a victim to satisfy his ravenous appetite.
Revelations Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF A high school filmmaker wins the heart of a troubled young woman, only to lose her during a psychedelic experience that forces him to confront life truths that are both beautiful and painful.
Rklss Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF Tank, a natural artist who is always drawing, runs into trouble with the law with his gang of friends. He discovers his own native spirituality while in jail, and through his art, finds a way to be in the world, and to reflect on his own reality.
Snowy Screened before: Kid Candidate This short documentary is both an investigation into animal happiness and an intervention to improve one turtle’s life.
Spooky Town Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF A couple rebrands their struggling haunted house business amid the pandemic.
Stuck Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS A gymnastics coach must deal with a man who has taken an interest in the young girls she coaches.
Stump The Guesser Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK "Stump the Guesser" works at a fairground and can guess anything for a fee. After his tricks suddenly stop working and he unwittingly falls in love with his sister, he sets out to scientifically disprove the theory of heredity and marry his beloved.
Supermalo Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF As the walls of Cuba's ageing infrastructure continue to crumble, a burgeoning street art scene is born in Havana. Murals of hand-painted masked character – Supermalo – with the tag “2+2=5?” have begun to appear in seemingly every corner of the heavily foot trafficked city.
The Ballad Of Sharkasaurus Screened before: #Shakespearesshitstorm When Albertan miners dig too deep they unleash Sharkasaurus, a half t-rex half megaldon monster and it's up to Betsy Tyrell to send him back to hell or die trying.
The Curse Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS When a young girl becomes jealous of her little brother for receiving money from the tooth fairy, she hatches a peculiar plan to cash in.
The Dangerous Type Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK A mechanic in a small midwestern town would do anything to leave her boring life behind. One day a mysterious stranger's car breaks down while passing through and boy does he have a great car – and an empty passenger seat.
The Maroon Bomber Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF Four siblings delve into the love they share for the family’s old, beat-up truck. This love gets tested.
The Ranch Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF Not the Netflix show. Based on a true story.
Throwback Screened before: Alien On Stage Diz and Max used to spend their carefree middle-school summers playing video games, but as they’ve gotten older life has become predictably complex. After finding a coveted video game in a second-hand store, Diz is sent into a nostalgic tail-spin that only Max can pull them out of.
Tired Eyes Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK Rose, Mitch, and Trevor make up the lo-fi rock band Tired Eyes. When the trio has to schlep their gear from Brooklyn to Manhattan for a gig, they discover that the city has a way of making even the simplest of tasks absurdly difficult.
Today, Or I'll Die Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK After a month of texting, Zoe has organized a perfect first date with Marc. Their expectations will be tested by reality.
Trashed Screened before: Range Roads An uptight woman returns home to find her kitchen trashed and her cleaning woman passed out drunk on the pantry floor.
Trash Scab Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK An aspiring actor becomes a makeshift entrepreneur during a pandemic trash strike.
Wichita Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK Sara is in bed with her lover when her husband calls. When he asks for something in his sock drawer, she runs home, stalling for time, asking endless questions about Wichita, Kansas.
With Pleasure Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS Cherry Blossom’s burlesque bar is a mystical haven in which people speak in proverb and poetry. Inside this mysterious fruit-themed bar, couples both confess their love as well as say their goodbyes.
You Wouldn't Understand Part of: SHORTS PACKAGE: QUINTESSENTIAL QUIRK An idyllic picnic of one is upended after the arrival of a stranger.
The Calgary Underground Film Festival
