Huge news for fashion and cinema lovers in Calgary! The Canadian International Fashion Film Festival (CANIFFF) has just announced their inaugural event this coming July. I don’t know about you but some of my favourite films have been about fashion, design and the creative people that shape our world through those mediums. Advanced Style? Check. Bill Cunningham’s New York? Check. Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel? Check.
It is an understatement that I am super excited for this new film festival - that is going to be hosted in Calgary, no less! On July 22 & 23, 2016, the first-ever CANIFFF will explore the diverse and shifting landscape of fashion in film and honouring the genre’s best. I cannot wait.
Following in the footsteps of fellow festival partners Berlin, La Jolla, New York and Australia, this summer, CANIFFF will bring Canada into the fold of an exclusive global community, now recognizing fashion in film. “Fashion has always played an integral role in film” says Katrina Olson-Mottahed, CANIFFF Director and Co-Founder. “Now however, fashion is the protagonist in its own genre and the talent behind – and in the scenes – is being recognized.”
The fastest growing medium in the industry, film is reinventing the way high fashion is viewed. Still extremely new, fashion film is unquestionably one of the most unique and exciting avenues for expression within the industry.
The two-day event will take place at Calgary’s iconic Glenbow Museum, and screen films adjudicated by industry experts including Sara Maino, Senior Editor for Vogue Italia, Lionel Cipriano, Senior Art Director for Vera Bradley; Kelly Rae, Director for Complex Media; Niccolo Montanari, Co-Founder of the Berlin Fashion Film Festival; Malwina Gudowska, writer for Vogue, Elle and Flare; and Wes Bell, fashion photographer/director.
Also in the festival line-up is very special guests Ace Norton and Lars Ruch, from Commondeer Production Company who will be hosting a screening and panel discussion. The filmmaking duo, which have collaborated on projects with the likes of Snoop Dogg, boast an impressive fashion filmmaking resume with accolades from the Australian, Berlin, Milan and Bokeh international fashion film festivals.
“We have received submissions from some of the best in the fashion film industry which is extremely exciting,” says Antonija Klotz, CANIFFF Creative Director and Co-Founder. “That said, we are encouraging new artists to submit as well. We see CANIFFF as an opportunity to cultivate talent and, as such, advance the genre as a whole.”
Partnering with the festival is the Ethical Fashion Initiative a joint agency of the United Nations and World Trade Organization and Nest a non-profit organization, committed to the social and economic advancement of global artisans. As part of the festival’s mission to explore topics of current and growing relevance within the industry, the focus of the 2016 event is ethical fashion.
“We wanted the festival to have a focus, particularly on ethical fashion and its burgeoning role, not just within this genre, but the industry as a whole,” says Klotz. “The festival presents a unique opportunity to educate. Of course however, first and foremost, CANIFFF is about recognizing the best in fashion film.”
Follow along on Twitter for more information and updates. See you in July!
Film stills courtesy of CANIFFF.
