AN AFTERNOON WITH MATTHEW RANKIN - DOC SHORTS RETROSPECTIVE AND ARTIST TALK 127 minutes Canada Opening Night filmmaker Matthew Rankin joins CUFF Lead Programmer Cameron Macgowan to peel back the curtain on a selection of his previous short-form documentary work.
AMAZING LIVE SEA MONKEYS 99 minutes United States Yolanda Signorelli is engaged in a David-and-Goliath battle to wrest control of her late husband Harold’s iconic toy Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys back from the corporate men who she insists stole them from her.
BLOOD & GUTS 82 minutes United States The lines between real life and reel life blur in this intimate portrait of the Adams family – an unconventional clan of independent horror filmmakers.
CAPTAIN NEWFOUNDLAND 95 minutes Canada When oddball tycoon Geoff Stirling became the first in the world to take his local TV station 24 hours, he turned the night time into his personal playground, altering the consciousness of Newfoundlanders forever.
CATVIDEOFEST 70 minutes United States A brand-new compilation reel of the latest and best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and classic internet powerhouses.
CORNBREAD MAFIA 83 minutes United States The Cornbread Mafia was the biggest home grown marijuana operation in U.S. history. This is their unbelievable true story.
THE DADS 72 minutes United States As anti-trans legislation and hostility escalate in the United States, a group of dads, building a nascent movement to support their trans and gender expansive kids, are forced to make an impossible choice: stay and fight or flee the country.
DERNSIE: THE AMAZING LIFE OF BRUCE DERN 111 minutes United States An intimate portrait of Bruce Dern, reflecting in his own words on a life and career spanning generations of Hollywood, tracing endurance, reinvention, and the legacy he passes to his daughter, Laura Dern.
HEX 92 minutes Norway In the heart of Norway's black metal scene three young women have entered into a three-year pact where they will devote their entire lives to awaken the world, each other, and themselves as witches... and start screaming.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BRIAN MULRONEY 99 minutes Canada CUFF.Docs 2026 Opening Night Film! Haunted by visions of the future. Vilified by the political establishment. Charming beyond belief. Behold the dazzling ascent of Brian Mulroney, the “Boy from Baie-Comeau” who built a brand-new Canada.
MINESHAFT: THE CRUISING MURDERS 85 minutes United States The untold story of the controversy surrounding the making of William Friedkin’s 1980 thriller, CRUISING, the fierce protests around its production, and the real life murders that inspired the film.
MORE MILES THAN MONEY: THE STORY OF JR. GONE WILD 89 minutes Canada A documentary about the rise, fall and rise again of the Albertan country punk band Jr. Gone Wild.
RUBBERHEAD: THE LIFE & MONSTERS OF STEVE JOHNSON 106 minutes United States A humorous, heartfelt portrait of the life and times of Steve Johnson, one of Hollywood’s most prolific monster makers, who created iconic creatures and effects for some of the most beloved horror and sci-fi movies in cinema history.
SHORTS PACKAGE: TO EACH THEIR OWN 91 minutes Canada, United States From unconventional passions to personal convictions, this eclectic collection celebrates people finding their own paths, embracing what makes them unique, and making a difference in their own way.
STARRY NIGHT 49 minutes Canada Set in Calgary, STARRY NIGHT documents the artistic and personal triumphs of a remarkable troupe of performers who breathe life into a play centred around schizophrenia – a condition they themselves grapple with.
SUMO: SPIRIT WEIGHS NOTHING 100 minutes Japan, United States, Denmark, United Kingdom A rare inside access to Japan’s hidden world of sumo. Over a turbulent year, wrestlers at every stage of their career fight to endure, revealing that true strength is measured not in flesh, but in spirit.
TURTLE ISLAND RAP 97 minutes Canada A celebratory portrait of Indigenous youth culture, following the creative journeys of three rappers on the rise.
WILD INSIDE 95 minutes United States A Eurasian Eagle-Owl named Flaco escapes from the Central Park Zoo and sets off on a magical odyssey through the island of Manhattan. Flaco overcomes his years of captivity and lack of survival skills to answer the call of the wild – and discovers he was wild inside all along.
THE BOOKSTORE THAT NEVER SLEEPS 27 minutes Canada As moonlight settles over a quiet port town, a bookstore awakens for night owls and wanderers, its shelves holding stories and the silent memory of a friend never forgotten.
CATTLE CALL 4 minutes Canada CATTLE CALL is a high-speed animated documentary about the art of livestock auctioneering.
CONCRETE NATURE 14 minutes Canada Fay Ebert is currently Canada’s youngest Olympic athlete. Before that, she was a student at Impact Skateboard Club. We see how the culture has evolved throughout the years, and how Impact is able to teach more than just skateboarding.
A DAY IN GRASSLANDS 3 minutes Canada A DAY IN GRASSLANDS is an experimental short film directed by acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Matthew Rankin. The project was commissioned by Parks Canada (Parcs Canada) as part of a series called Alain Clavier Inspired Interludes.
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER 16 minutes Canada A bunch of teenage metalheads fueled by the fantasy of a pipe dream.
FIND YOUR PACK 11 minutes Canada Explore the lived experiences of queer players within roller derby, showcasing the sport’s unique commitment to inclusivity and community.
GIIWE ΠΡΌ BIZHIW 4 minutes Canada A home video, dedicated to my baby. Made as part of the Winnipeg Film Group’s Super 8 Special Film Incubator.
GLIMMER 13 minutes Iran As a myna bird undergoes cataract surgery, GLIMMER captures the fragile bond between the bird and its owner, revealing the depths of love, vulnerability, and the universal hope of preserving a life we cannot bear to lose.
INDIGENOUS JOY 2 minutes Canada What is Indigenous Joy? Made as part of the Winnipeg Film Group’s Super 8 Special Film Incubator.
JIMMY'S CUSTOM COFFIN 13 minutes United States Jimmy is trying to put the fun in funeral.
KUBASA IN A GLASS: THE STRANGE WORLD OF THE WINNIPEG TV COMMERCIAL 55 minutes Canada A found footage video essay tracing Winnipeg’s civic pathologies, aesthetic fabulations and exquisite strangeness through the prism of its own low-budget, lo-fi TV advertising produced between 1975 and 1992.
THE LINES SHE CARRIES (INDIGENOUS GEOGRAPHIC) 11 minutes Canada Crystal Martin reaches a turning point in her life: the end of her childbearing years. She prepares to receive her traditional tunniit, a deeply sacred facial marking.
NEGATIVIPEG 14 minutes Canada Negativipeg tells the story of Rory Lepine, who shot to Herostratic fame in 1985 when he attacked Winnipeg rock legend Burton Cummings with a beer bottle in a North End 7-Eleven.
NOT IN MY CITY: THE PAUL BRANDT STORY 13 minutes Canada Acclaimed country music artist and activist, Paul Brandt, shares his journey in the fight against human trafficking, and works to dispel the myth that it "doesn't happen here."
ONCE UPON A WETLAND 16 minutes United States As restrictions tighten across the country, Durham, North Carolina preps for the annual Beaver Queen Pageant a campy, un-beaver-lievable celebration of LGBTQIA activism, environmental conservation, and outrageous critter cosplay.
SCOOTER BOY 19 minutes United States A young man who grew up facing poverty, bullying and undiagnosed autism finds belonging, purpose and community through freestyle scooter riding.
SEEN 11 minutes Canada Calgary rock band born from injury, insecurity, and fear of being seen.
The Calgary Underground Film Festival
