3 Questions with 2018 visiting filmmakers

One of the things we love about CUFF is the chance to introduce audiences to the masterminds behind the films we love. To help you navigate the lineup we've asked some of our visiting guests to share their favourite behind the scenes moments and give you a taste of what CUFF audiences can take away from watching their films. 

So look no further, read about some of the films featured in this year's lineup from the people that know them the best. 

Jim Hosking, Director of AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN, CUFF's Opening Night Film  
Plays Monday, April 16 at 6:45 pm 
Fans of Jim Hosking know him from his first narrative feature THE GREASY STRANGLER (the star THE GREASY STRANGLER Sky Elobar will also be in attendance), but Jim Hosking also directed the short film RENEGADES, which won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at CUFF in 2010.

1) Describe your movie in one sentence.
This is the second film from Jim Hosking and it has less of the things that made the first film so disgusting and more of the things that made the first film so touching.

2) Tell us the strangest thing that happened on set when filming.
I asked Craig Robinson to swim like a dolphin and he did.

3) What reaction do you expect CUFF audiences will have after watching your film?
I hope they will feel extra romantic.

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Mike Peterson, Director of KNUCKLEBALL
Plays Tuesday, April 17 at 6:30 pm
Mike Peterson is a staple in the local film scene. He's a directed TV, several short films, and the feature film LLOYD THE CONQUEROR, which played at the Calgary International Film Festival. We're big fans of Mike's work, and he's even sat on the jury for past CUFF events.

1) Describe your movie in one sentence.
 If HOME ALONE and THE SHINING made a baby and had it in rural Alberta.

2) Tell us the strangest thing that happened on set when filming.
I think the house we shot in was haunted.  It had a real air of danger that something bad may have happened at some point. Hard to describe but it was spooky and you didn't want to be in there all alone.

3) What reaction do you expect CUFF audiences will have after watching your film?
It's a slow burn, a dark thriller. Once it starts ramping up the tension and action it keeps going, and most of all I hope they enjoy a locally made film.

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Rebecca Addelman, Director of PAPER YEAR 
Plays Thursday, April 19 at 7:15 pm
PAPER YEAR is the first feature film from this Canadian (now LA-based) director. Rebecca is well-established in Hollywood for her work on NEW GIRL and LOVE. She was also a long-time member of the Upright Citizens’ Brigade in LA. In addition to the World Premiere screening of PAPER YEAR, she'll also be hosting a free "Inside the Writer's Room" Master Class at the festival.

1) Describe your movie in one sentence.
PAPER YEAR is about a young woman who makes one of life's biggest decisions and gets married before she has any real clue about life.

2) Tell us the strangest thing that happened on set when filming.
One day we were shooting in a Russian spa with 15 nude extras milling around. Andie MacDowell was handing out Turkish delight candies and Steve, our DP, was in swim trunks and operating the camera from inside the hot tub. But the strangest part is that we cut the scene from the finished movie!

3) What reaction do you expect CUFF audiences will have after watching your film?
The movie is for anyone who had that first love, that young love, that first real relationship where you thought you'd found your person, only to later get walloped in the face by reality when it all blows up. So it's pretty much a movie for everyone! I hope that the audience can find a small piece of themselves in these characters and a reminder that when we use other people to try to feel whole, it never ends well.

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Stu Stone, Director of JACK OF ALL TRADES
Plays Thursday, April 19 at 9 pm  

1) Describe your movie in one sentence.
The story of a father and son...and their baseball cards.

2) Tell us the strangest thing that happened on set when filming. 
I had found boxes of my childhood collection of baseball cards and was going to a trade show to get them appraised. My sister accidentally ran over the entire collection with her car before I could even go into the building. It was shocking. The entire dynamic of the film changed from that moment on.     

3) What reaction do you expect CUFF audiences will have after watching your film?
I am hoping that there will be a wave of nostalgia from viewers who used to (or still) collect baseball or hockey cards and have a connection to the hobby. I also hope that people will really connect with the true heart of the film, which is the relationship between a son and his estranged father. This film tells a very personal story, I lived it and I'm so proud of it. I'm just excited for people to experience it.

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Sean Pierce (Director), Zach Harris (Director) & Karen Schmitz (Cast), THE SECRET POPPO 
Plays Friday, April 20 at 9:45 pm
If you saw MEATHEAD GOES HOGWILD at CUFF in 2016, you don't want to miss the follow-up film from the same directing team. The independent filmmakers from Chicago are back with the even more bizarre THE SECRET POPPO, which will have its world premiere at CUFF. Directors Zach Harris & Sean Pierce will be in attendance along with cast members Karen Schmitz & Nick Luzietti.

1) Describe your movie in one sentence.
Sean: THE SECRET POPPO is a vehicle to celebrate everything about Nick Luzietti, made by those that love him.
Zach: A fictionalized encapsulation of a lovable man, who gets involved in a wacky caper.
Karen: THE SECRET POPPO is a journey an old, eccentric man embarks on to reconnect with family and to be, in his own regard, a hero.

2) Tell us the strangest thing that happened on set when filming.
Sean: It's hard to describe the strangest thing in this movie because everything about it was strange! We had one trained actor in the whole film, our budget was less than three grand, we shot guerrilla-style throughout the city of Chicago, with no permits. Nick would make up his own lines, throw in clues and ideas that were never discussed, and he would sleep at the fringes of the shooting location whenever it wasn't his scene. It was a lot of fun to make at times, and very frustrating at others. But, it became a true collaboration. It's only through the support of others that this film was ever made possible, and to me thats what made it special. It's not an auteur film, as much as it's a positive version of art by committee.
Zach: There wasn't a particularly strange event, but due to our budgetary restrictions and small mobile crew we managed to keep it strange for most of the shoot. 
Karen: Probably stepping barefoot in cow shit for a few hours, while doing a ritualistic dance.

3) What reaction do you expect CUFF audiences will have after watching your film?
Sean: I hope that the film makes people smile. The lead is a dear friend of mine that I firmly believe should be world famous. He is so beautiful inside and out, and I want the audience to stand up and chant his name at the end. When I asked him what he was channeling with the performance he said, "The perfect mix of Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe." What's not to love about that!
Zach: I hope that people come away feeling like they know Nick Luzietti and love him! 
Karen: I hope people who watch THE SECRET POPPO just have a good time. It is a movie that highlights Nick Luzietti for who he is, in a fictitious and silly situation. In Chicago, Nick is someone you'd notice if you saw him on the streets, train, at a show, or even got the privilege to work with him, as he is a brilliant architect and designer. We want people to feel like they get to know him for a few hours and fall in love with him like we have.

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Doug Brown, Director SLAVE TO THE GRIND 
Plays Saturday, April 21 at 6:30 pm 
Doug Brown hails from Toronto and has been infatuated with music and movie culture his entire life. By day, Doug teaches Film Studies at a local high school. In the evening, he is glued to a camera and constantly working on a new project. CUFF is hosting the world premiere of the film, which features music from local Calgary band Wake. 

1) Describe your movie in one sentence.
SLAVE TO THE GRIND documents the history of Grindcore, the worlds fastest and most aggressive form of music. 

2) Tell us the strangest thing that happened on set when filming.
Because of the underground nature of the music, we were fortunate to film in a slew of unique circumstances and locations. We conducted interviews in abandoned houses, alleyways, and once in a frisbee-golf shop that doubled as a punk rock rehearsal space. One shoot that stood out was filming the Spanish band Haemorrhage perform at a festival in Montreal. Moments before they hit the stage, one fan had brought a bag filled with corn on the cob into the moshpit, and once they hit the stage fans start stage-diving as the corn begun to fly around. I was completely trampled by people in the moshpit, expensive camera in hand, and was smacked in the templed with a corn on the cob. At the time I was most upset about the potential footage that was lost - but as you will see in the film - the footage was heightened as a result, and I just had a several day splitting headache due to being pummelled with corn.    

3) What reaction do you expect CUFF audiences will have after watching your film?
I hope people leave having learned something. Documentary is one of the world’s best educational tools, and if done properly, anyone should be able to enjoy learning about a subject matter that is foreign to them. I am sure some will be enthralled and some will be deeply concerned. Some will be inspired, and some will develop a new understanding for why outsiders band together.  

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Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher, Hosts & Curators FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL: VOLUME 8
Plays Saturday, April 21 at 9:15 pm 
CUFF has hosted the FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL several times, and we're thrilled to have them back this year. Curators Nick and Joe take audiences on a guided tour of their latest and greatest VHS finds, providing live commentary and where-are-they-now updates on the people in these videotaped obscurities.

1) Describe your movie in one sentence.
The Found Footage Festival is a guided tour through our very weird, very extensive VHS collection.

2) Tell us the strangest thing you came across when compiling this Volume of the FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL.
We found a video called New Age Miracles that stars a guy claiming to be a former Satanic high priest and he's essentially trying to dissuade you from joining New Age cults by exposing their recruitment tricks. But very quickly it becomes an excuse for the host to eat a lightbulb, walk on coals, have a concrete block broken on his chest, and perform "psychic surgery." Not only that, the guy looks like Jim Henson if he'd become a Satan worshipper. It needs to be seen to be believed.

3) What reaction do you expect CUFF audiences will have after watching your film?
Well, ideally people will laugh a lot but at the same time, question their faith in humanity.