Containing not only films, but plays and exhibitions as well, I was very pleased with the second annual Calgary Fringe Festival. Of course with over 180 shows in 10 days, and 36 local, national and international productions being showcased and me being only one person, I tried to cover as much of the Festival as I could to get a comprehensive sampling of the event.

Despite one not-so-good category of the film festival, I was generally impressed with the films showcased this year. I particularly liked the theatres which held the films; they felt very casual and relaxing. They weren’t huge movie theatres; instead they were cozy little rooms that just plainly let you enjoy the features better.

Another detail that added to the festival hugely was the way that someone explained the films beforehand, telling you the storyline, the genre and what they thought of the film. This really helped to know what to expect. For many of the films, the actors, and the directors watched the film with you. I thought this was a very cool experience, to be watching films with the creators of these independent and ‘well loved’ films.

There was the occasional bad film, but generally I thought overall the sampling of films from around the world was very promising; there was so much variety, many different genres, a lot of experimentation and as any Fringe Festival, has brought an audience to a film that might not be seen anywhere else. The Calgary Fringe Festival showed a great deal of encouragement towards the homegrown and international filmmakers who are working on their craft.

The theatres were also fantastic! I was very delighted with every single play. They were all filled with laughs and entertainment. If I had to choose a favorite theatre production, I’d go with Napoleon’s Secret Diary. For the films, my favorite would have to be Mercy. Ideally I would have liked to see more of the theatre productions, but so much to see at the festival and so little time…

Calgary is growing twice the speed of sound, and the fastest growing city in North America, so it is delightful to see such artistic endeavours as the Calgary Fringe Festival keep up with that growth and community energy surge. I will definitely be going again next year.

I highly recommend the Calgary Fringe Festival to any movie buff or theatre fan, or anyone seeking a little extra ‘fringe’ in their life!!!

THEATRE:

GNOMES

CINDERELLA THE WIZARD

NAPOLEAN'S SECRET DIARY

FILM

A FLY ON THE WALL

A TIME FOR ALL SEASONINGS

BEER DOES THE BODY GOOD

BLUE DREAMS DOWNTOWN

COFFFEEE

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