Named the second biggest volunteer-run film festival in Canada, the Windsor International Film Festival will present 107 feature, short, and documentary films this year.
The festival is adding a second venue this year at the Chrysler Theatre. There will be 167 viewings at both the Chrysler and Capitol Theatres.
"Especially on weekends, we had such capacity at the Capitol Theatre that we said let's jump in with another venue. It gives us a chance to show more films, added comfort, obviously, it's a beautiful space. It's right downtown and you always want to create that festival vibe you never want things too far from each other so people can run between the theatres really quite easily," says Executive Director Vincent Georgie.
Georgie says they've added some new innovative features to the festival this year hoping to reach the number one spot.
"The strategy for number one is just keep building . This year we're forecasting 20,000 tickets, last year we did just under 17,000, we've added a new venue, we've added morning screenings, we think we're going to get there. We're really excited about that," says Georgie.
Other new events throughout the festival include a sing-a-long with the Sound of Music, live reads of two screenplays and five virtual reality instalments.
Georgie says the film creating the most buzz is Manchester By the Sea directed by Kenneth Lonergan. He believes the film will be up for an Oscar this year.
There are 22 local submissions in this year's festival including three feature-length films. One is a documentary called Migrant Dreams that follows two temporary foreign workers in Ontario greenhouses.
For a full list of films included in this year's festival visit www.windsorfilmfestival.com. The festival runs from November 1, 2016- November 6, 2016. Tickets are available online or at the WIFF box office at 176 University Ave. W starting October 24, 2016. Adult tickets are $14, student tickets are $9.
