2022 Calgary Film Festival
All films in the 2022 Festival
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113 titles
- DirectorBabak PayamiStarsHamed EsmaelionBabak PayamiChronicles Canadian-Iranian dentist Hamed Esmaelion's quest for justice in the aftermath of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, shot down in 2020 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
- DirectorKaren KnoxStarsEllie MoonRebecca NorthanLeah DozRosy, who aged out of foster care, sets out to find the love of a parent figure online.
- DirectorCharlotte WellsStarsPaul MescalFrankie CorioCelia Rowlson-HallSophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't...
- DirectorMary NighyStarsAnna KendrickKaniehtiio HornCharlie CarrickA young woman trapped in an abusive relationship becomes the unwitting participant in an intervention staged by her two closest friends.
- DirectorLaura PoitrasStarsNan GoldinDavid VelascoMegan KaplerFollows the life of artist Nan Goldin and the downfall of the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty who was greatly responsible for the opioid epidemic's unfathomable death toll.
- DirectorFazila AmiriStarsAryana SayeedZahra ElhamSadiqa MadadgarUnder the mentorship of controversial pop star Aryana Sayeed, two young singers vie to become the first-ever female winners of Afghan Star. As their dreams are within grasp, their lives are changed when the Taliban returns to power.
- DirectorLéa Clermont-DionGuylaine MaroistStarsLaura BoldriniGlen CanningKiah MorrisA look at the effects of online misogyny and hatred directed at women.
- DirectorTrevor AndersonStarsVaughan MurraeDominic LippaLacey Oake1987: While the other students wonder if new kid Robin is a boy or a girl, Robin forges a complicated bond with the school bully, making increasingly dangerous choices to fit in.
- DirectorHubert DavisStarsP.K. SubbanMarcel AlbersBlack Ice exposes a history of racism in hockey through the untold stories of Black hockey players, both past and present, in a predominantly white sport.
- DirectorDel Kathryn BartonStarsSimon BakerMorgan DaviesJosh LawsonAfter accidentally witnessing a violent crime, a young girl is left catatonic with shock, and struggles to make sense of what she saw, ultimately finding renewal in the inestimable world of her own imagination.
- DirectorMaryam TouzaniStarsLubna AzabalSaleh BakriAyoub MissiouiA middle-aged tailor and his wife find their relationship challenged by the arrival of a handsome new apprentice.
- DirectorMarie ClementsStarsGrace DovePhillip Forest LewitskiRémy GirardCree code talker Aline Spears survives her traumatic past in Canada's residential school system to continue her family's generational fight against systemic starvation, racism and sexual abuse.
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsSong Kang-hoGang Dong-wonBae DoonaWhen a young mother reconsiders abandoning her baby, she discovers a scheme selling foundlings for adoption.
- DirectorClement VirgoStarsLamar JohnsonAaron PierreMarsha Stephanie BlakeSons of Caribbean immigrants, Francis and Michael face questions of masculinity, identity and family amid the pulsing beat of Toronto's early hip-hop scene.
- DirectorMadison ThomasStarsBuffy Sainte-MarieJayli WolfAn in-depth look at the life of the activist and musician, with archival material never seen before, with present-day footage of Buffy performing and interviews with her bandmates, colleagues and herself.
- DirectorKim HopkinsStarsColin EgglestoneHarry NichollsJoe OgdenBradford Movie Makers is one of the oldest amateur filmmaking clubs in the world. Once a thriving community, these days the membership is dwindling and the group struggle to keep the wolf from the door.
- DirectorBradford ThomasonBrett WhitcombStarsJamie DuneierAlisa ReyesTom PuckettChronicles the journeys of broadcasters, educators and filmmakers who believed television could inspire a lifelong love of reading.
- DirectorPhyllis NagyStarsElizabeth BanksSigourney WeaverChris MessinaA married woman with an unwanted pregnancy lives in a time in America when she can't get a legal abortion and works with a group of suburban women to find help.
- DirectorRicky D'AmbroseStarsMonica BarbaroBrian d'Arcy JamesGeraldine SingerAn only child's meditative, impressionistic account of an American family's rise and fall over two decades.
- DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsTom HollandCiara BravoJack ReynorCherry drifts from college dropout to army medic in Iraq - anchored only by his true love, Emily. But after returning from the war with PTSD, his life spirals into drugs and crime as he struggles to find his place in the world.
- DirectorHa Le DiemIn the misty mountains of northern Vietnam, a Hmong teenage girl faces the challenges of growing up. In Di's traditional culture, girls marry as early as 14. But at school she learns there are alternatives.
- DirectorLukas DhontStarsEden DambrineGustav De WaeleÉmilie DequenneThe intense friendship between two thirteen-year old boys Leo and Remi suddenly gets disrupted. Struggling to understand what has happened, Léo approaches Sophie, Rémi's mother. "Close" is a film about friendship and responsibility.
- DirectorMarie KreutzerStarsVicky KriepsFlorian TeichtmeisterKatharina LorenzA fictional account of one year in the life of Empress Elisabeth Of Austria. On Christmas Eve 1877, Elisabeth, once idolized for her beauty, turns 40 and is officially deemed an old woman; she starts trying to maintain her public image.
- DirectorMickey ReeceStarsColleen Elizabeth MillerCate JonesBen HallGeorge Jones invites up and coming country music superstar, Troyal Brux, out on the town in Nashville the night before George is to be cryogenically frozen in 1994.
- DirectorBerkley BradyStarsMadison WalshHannah Emily AndersonHelen BelayThe story of a therapy group that is forced to confront the monsters of their past when an isolated weekend retreat tests their emotional resilience and ability to survive.
- DirectorDyana GayeStarsMakena DiopIsseu NiangKadiatou Sow
- DirectorLucien Castaing-TaylorVerena ParavelFocuses on five hospitals in northern Paris neighborhoods. It reveals that human flesh is an extraordinary landscape that exists only through the gaze and attention of others.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsChristoph WaltzWillem DafoeRachel BrosnahanA famed bounty hunter runs into his sworn enemy, a professional gambler and outlaw that he had sent to prison years before.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsPark Hae-ilTang WeiLee Jung-hyunA detective investigating a man's death in the mountains meets the dead man's mysterious wife in the course of his dogged sleuthing.
- DirectorFrances O'ConnorStarsEmma MackeyOliver Jackson-CohenFionn Whitehead"Emily" imagines the transformative, exhilarating, and uplifting journey to womanhood of a rebel and a misfit, one of the world's most famous, enigmatic, and provocative writers, who died, too soon, at age 30.
- DirectorSean GarrityStarsEmily HampshireJonas ChernickGray PowellA couple feeling the pressures of parenting and adulthood, send their kids to winter camp for the first time and embark on a series of sexual adventures to reinvigorate their relationship.
- DirectorJerzy SkolimowskiStarsHolaTakoMariettaFollows a donkey who encounters on his journeys good and bad people, experiences joy and pain, exploring a vision of modern Europe through his eyes.
- DirectorChelsea McMullanTanya TagaqStarsTanya TagaqA glimpse into the life and sounds of artist Tanya Tagaq.
- DirectorCharlotte Le BonStarsJoseph EngelSara MontpetitMonia ChokriA shy teenager on a summer vacation experiences the joy and pain of young adulthood when he forges an unlikely bond with an older girl.
- DirectorPeter HenglStarsPia HierzeggerMichael PinkNina KatleinAn overweight teenager spends the holidays at her aunt's farm in the hope of getting help to lose weight, but soon after her arrival, she begins to suspect that something is very wrong at this place.
- DirectorAleisha AndersonStarsNathan HorchEd OgumKyra MacphersonMany years after a catastrophic event has decimated society, humanity is on the verge of extinction. The last few people continue on in search of life, struggling to survive as they confront their mortality and purpose in this dying world.
- DirectorMichel HazanaviciusStarsRomain DurisBérénice BejoGrégory GadeboisThings go badly for a small film crew shooting a low budget zombie movie when they are attacked by real zombies.
- DirectorRavi KapoorStarsVenk PotulaSonal ShahSharmita BhattacharyaAn unmotivated South Asian American rapper, along with three other first time thieves, plans a heist on a grocery store owned by his ex-girlfriend's father, in order to steal her wedding diamonds and disrupt her pending engagement.
- DirectorChase JoyntStarsCarmen CarreraKatie CouricLaverne CoxFRAMING AGNES turns the talk show format inside out in response to media's ongoing fascination with trans people. The film breathes life into six previously unknown stories from the archives of the UCLA Gender Clinic in the 1950s.
- DirectorEngeli BrobergFive years in the life of a child in a film about not recognizing yourself in either of the two genders the world offers you - with a singular Gabi center stage.
- DirectorJacquelyn MillsStarsZoe LucasAn immersion into the rich landscapes of Sable Island and the life of Zoe Lucas, a naturalist and environmentalist who has lived over 40 years on this remote strip of sand.
- DirectorHelmut DosantosIt follows the resistance to modernization in rural Mexico. It is a reminder that it is still possible to live in tune with our essence as human beings.
- DirectorRyan WhiteStarsAngela BassettStephen ColbertJon StewartThe film follows Opportunity, the Mars Exploration Rover affectionately dubbed Oppy by her creators and scientists at NASA. Oppy was originally expected to live for only 90 days but she ultimately explored Mars for nearly 15 years.
- DirectorKathleen JaymeStarsKathleen JaymePaul EberhardtByron ScottThis a documentary about one of the most important basketball teams from Canada, the Vancouver Grizzlies. The film presents their story, many important moments and the great mystery behind their relocation to Memphis, which upset plenty of fans.
- CreatorClea DuVallSara QuinTegan QuinStarsRailey GillilandSeazynn GillilandAmanda FixA story about twins who struggle to find their own identities, and their journeys of self-discovery so closely mimics each other's. During a time 90s grunge and rave culture, the twin sisters grow up down the hall from one another.
- DirectorAli AbbasiStarsAlice RahimiDiana Al HussenSoraya HelliA journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called "Spider Killer", who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners.
- DirectorMichelle Garza CerveraStarsNatalia SoliánAlfonso DosalMayra BatallaValeria has long dreamed about becoming a mother. After learning that she's pregnant, she expects to feel happy, yet something's off.
- DirectorLee Jung-jaeStarsLee Jung-jaeJu Ji-hoonJung Woo-sungThe International Unit and The Domestic Unit of the Korean Spy Agency are tasked with the mission of uncovering a North Korean Spy known as Donglim who is deeply embedded within their agency.
- DirectorDunstan BruceSophie RobinsonStarsDunstan BruceDunstan Bruce is 59 and he's struggling with the fact that the world seems to be going to hell in a handcart. He is angry and frustrated. How does a middle-aged, retired radical, who feels invisible get back up again?
- DirectorChandler LevackStarsIsaiah LehtinenPercy Hynes WhiteAnand RajaramLawrence Kweller, a socially inept 17-year old cinephile, gets a job at a video store, where he forms a complicated friendship with his older female manager.
- DirectorAviva KempnerBen WestExplores the exploitation of Native American culture in sports, including the use of names and logos that have been adopted by teams and franchises with no apparent connection to the tribes and peoples whose cultures they appropriate.
- DirectorSean MullinStarsAndy AndresRoger AngellMarty AppelThe illustrious life and career of the baseball great, Yogi Berra.
- DirectorEric PennycoffStarsJeremy GardnerGraham SkipperTaylor ZaudtkeA devout priest welcomes a struggling couple into his house at Christmas time. What begins as a simple act of kindness quickly becomes the ultimate test of faith once the sanctity of his home is jeopardized.
- DirectorJustin KreutzmannStarsSteven AdlerJerry AllisonMichael Anthony"Let There Be Drums!" examines the personal struggles that so many musicians and their families have faced, the nature of how music passes from generation to generation, and the essential role that drumming plays in human life.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsSally HawkinsShonagh PriceHelen KatambaAn amateur historian defies the stodgy academic establishment in her efforts to find King Richard III's remains, which were lost for over 500 years.
- DirectorGraham FoyStarsJackson SluiterMarcel T. JiménezHayley NessBest friends Colton and Kyle float the river and spray-paint in the local ravine. Like the boys, Whitney explores the ravine, seeking solace by writing and drawing in her diary. But when her friend abandons her, Whitney disappears.
- DirectorDaresha KyiStarsTenita Lewis ArtryMarlee CastilloTabatha CastilloConnected via Facebook over 50,000 American mothers-many from conservative, Christian backgrounds- fully accept their LGBTQ+ children and call themselves "mama bears" because they fight ferociously for LGBTQ+ rights. This is their story.
- DirectorGabriel MartinsStarsCícero LucasCarlos FranciscoCamilla DamiãoA lower middle class family undergoes a series of challenging and profound changes, reinventing themselves and their family ties along the way.
- DirectorSigne BaumaneStarsDagmara DominczykMichele PawkMatthew ModineA young spirited woman, Zelma, is determined to conform to the pressures of singing Mythology Sirens in order to be loved, but the more she conforms, the more her body resists. A story of inner female rebellion.
- DirectorNikyatu JusuStarsAnna DiopMichelle MonaghanSinqua WallsPiecing together a new life in New York City while caring for the child of an Upper East Side family, immigrant nanny Aisha is forced to confront a concealed truth that threatens to shatter her precarious American Dream.
- DirectorMali ElfmanStarsGavin PowersJoe PowersKatie ParkerTwo unhappy strangers travel from New York to San Francisco in a rental car to partake in a scientist's radical experiment with the afterlife, but they meet people along the way who force them to confront why they are suicidal.
- DirectorCarly StoneStarsSarah GadonRobert CarlyleJames D'ArcyAfter being raised in the wilderness, a teenage girl moves to the city hoping for a normal life with her anything but normal mother.
- DirectorMia Hansen-LøveStarsLéa SeydouxPascal GreggoryMelvil PoupaudWith a father suffering from neurodegenerative disease, a young woman lives with her eight-year-old daughter. While struggling to secure a decent nursing home, she runs into an unavailable friend with whom she embarks on an affair.
- DirectorEllie FoumbiStarsBabetida SadjoSouleymane Sy SavaneJennifer TchiakpeAn African refugee's quiet existence in a sleepy mountain town in the south of France is upended by the arrival of a charismatic Catholic priest whom she recognizes as the warlord who slaughtered her family.
- DirectorMichelle ShephardThe Perfect Story offers a riveting, intimate look at the ethical and moral challenges sparked by the relationship between a foreign correspondent and a young Somali refugee. By revealing the boundaries of journalism and filmmaking, the film questions what stories are told, why, and who gets to tell them.
- DirectorAmy Bandlien StorkelBryan StorkelStarsSteve GlewKathy GlewJosh GlewSteve Glew spent the 1990s smuggling rare pez dispensers into the USA from Eastern Europe, making millions of dollars. It was all magical until his arch-nemesis, The Pezident decided to destroy him.
- DirectorAnn OrenStarsSimone BucioSebastian RudolphSimon Jaikiriuma PaetauWhen her sibling Zara suffers a nervous breakdown, the introvert Eva is forced to take on Zara's job as a Foley artist. Then, a horsetail starts growing out of her body.
- DirectorChie HayakawaStarsChieko BaishôHayato IsomuraStefanie ArianneGovernment program Plan 75 encourages senior citizens to be euthanized to remedy an aged society. An elderly woman whose means of survival are vanishing, a pragmatic Plan 75 salesman, and a Filipino laborer face choices of life and death.
- DirectorCristian MungiuStarsMarin GrigoreJudith StateMacrina BarladeanuA non-judgmental analysis of the driving forces of human behavior when confronted with the unknown, of the way we perceive the other and on how we relate to an unsettling future.
- DirectorAndreas DresenStarsMeltem KaptanAlexander ScheerCharly HübnerDesperate to help her son, Rabiye Kurnaz, a housewife and loving mother from Bremen, goes to the police, notifies authorities and almost despairs at their impotence and in the end, against all the odds, something truly remarkable happens.
- DirectorKathlyn HoranStarsBrandi CarlileJames GarnerJerilyn SawyerDecades after Tanya Tucker slipped from the spotlight, music star Brandi Carlile takes it upon herself to write an entire album for her hero based on Tanya's extraordinary life, spurring the greatest comeback in country music history.
- DirectorDavy ChouStarsPark Ji-minOh Gwang-RokGuka HanA twenty-five-year-old French woman returns to Korea, the country she was born in before being adopted by a French couple, for the very first time. She decides to track down her biological parents, but her journey takes a surprising turn.
- DirectorAnthony ShimStarsChoi Seung-yoonEthan HwangDohyun Noel HwangSet in the 90s, a Korean single mother raises her young son in the suburbs of Canada determined to provide a better life for him than the one she left behind.
- DirectorUlrich SeidlStarsMichael ThomasTessa GöttlicherHans-Michael RehbergThe death of his mother brings Richie Bravo back from his adopted home in Italy to his teenage bedroom in Lower Austria, where Charlton Heston is still flexing his biceps and Winnetou is still alive.
- DirectorLola QuivoronStarsJulie LedruYannis LafkiAntonia BuresiJulia, a young misfit who is passionate about riding, meets a crew of dirt riders who fly along at full speed and perform stunts. She sets about infiltrating their male-dominated world, but an accident jeopardizes her ability to fit in.
- DirectorGail MauriceStarsMelanie BrayKeris Hope HillConstant BernardAn orphaned Indigenous girl is forced to live with her reluctant, street-smart, francophone auntie and her two best friends in 80's Montreal.
- DirectorJohn-Michael PowellStarsZachary Ray ShermanLena DrakeSean Harrison JonesWhen an actor throws an impromptu soirée at his Hollywood home, with only his closest friends in attendance, a fun evening devolves into something much darker after he makes an unexpected announcement to the group.
- DirectorShamira RaphaelaShabu, a 14-year old from Peperklip, Rotterdam, accidentally crashes his grandma's car. He then spends a summer trying to make money for the car while pursuing his passion: making music.
- DirectorRita BaghdadiStarsAlaa AlnawaShery BecharaTatyana BoughabaLilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle East's first all-female metal band, wrestle with friendship, sexuality and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars.
- DirectorQuentin DupieuxStarsGilles LelloucheVincent LacosteAnaïs DemoustierA group of vigilantes called the "tobacco-forces" is falling apart. To rebuild team spirit, their leader suggests that they meet for a week-long retreat, before returning to save the world.
- DirectorJoseph AmentaStarsMatteus LunotHarlow JoyZion MathesonFollows three adolescent friends who become enraptured in the queer nightlife scene over summer break before a missing persons pulls them back into the reality they have chosen to leave behind.
- DirectorJustin BensonAaron MoorheadStarsAaron MoorheadJustin BensonSarah Adina SmithMaverick filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead offer up a twisted reflection of our paranoid times in this inventive mix of buddy comedy and sci-fi thriller.
- DirectorMercedes Bryce MorganStarsMorgan SaylorKat FosterDanilo CrovettiMillicent is taking a semester off from her studies to take care of Johnny, a sickly, mute child with severe allergies. His mother, Rebecca, is an author and his father, Jacob, is a carpenter.
- DirectorSarah T SchwabStarsKaren AllenWilliam SadlerAlfredo NarcisoCora and Barry are a retired couple enjoying life in their seventies. One day, Barry has a severe coughing fit and is rushed to the hospital where he is diagnosed with a terminal heart disease. No longer able to hide his illness, or the unpleasant side effects, Barry makes the decision to rent a trailer home in the middle of the woods where he can die alone. His hope for a dignified death proves to be a dispiriting struggle for Cora, especially when Joey, a 17- year-old neighbor who acts as a surrogate son to the childless couple, enters the picture. As the days wind down to Barry's departure, she is driven to make a critical decision for them both.
- DirectorClaire DenisStarsMargaret QualleyJoe AlwynBenny SafdieA young American journalist stranded in present-day Nicaragua falls for an enigmatic Englishman who seems like her best chance of escape. She soon realizes, however, that he may be in even greater danger than she is.
- DirectorCamilla HallJennifer TiexieraStarsEvgeny AfineevskyArthur AgeeMukunda AnguloFilmmakers examine the impact that well-known documentaries and their commercial success have had on the lives of their subjects. They focus on the ethics and responsibility inherent in documentary filmmaking.
- DirectorLindsay MacKayStarsAdelaide ClemensKathleen TurnerPatrick J. Adams"It is a rare and miraculous thing to find your one true soul mate." Carey soon learns that finding two of them can pose an even greater problem.
- DirectorMartin ShoreStarsJohn BatisteWilliam BellG-Eazy"Take Me to the River New Orleans" celebrates the rich musical history, the heritage, legacy, culture, and influence of New Orleans and Louisiana. A true collaboration and melting pot of influences from around the World.
- DirectorJean-Pierre DardenneLuc DardenneStarsPablo SchilsJoely MbunduAlban UkajFrom two-time Palme d'Or-winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Tori and Lokita is a heart-stopping thriller that casts an unflinching eye on the trials of the young and dispossessed.
- Build quaint little island towns, hamlets or cities block-by-block in this relaxing, beautiful game.
- DirectorRuben ÖstlundStarsThobias ThorwidHarris DickinsonCharlbi DeanA fashion model celebrity couple join an eventful cruise for the super-rich.
- DirectorShlok SharmaStarsAnmol BajajManya GroverHimanshu KohliTara and Amrita are married to hotel manager Rajat, while the other is expecting his child. Is a compelling drama about a thorny domestic arrangement.
- DirectorMorrisa MaltzStarsLily GladstonePam RichterTommy HeitkampAn unexpected invitation rushes a grieving young woman into a lonely road trip through the American Midwest towards the border between Texas and Mexico.
- DirectorSophie JarvisStarsGrace GlowickiAlexandra RobertsQuelemia SparrowA feature-length psychological drama about a pregnant cannery worker who, after discovering what she believes to be an invasive insect in a peach, must convince her community that the danger it poses is very real.
- DirectorKristina BuozyteBruno SamperStarsRaffiella ChapmanEddie MarsanRosy McEwenStruggling to survive with her father after the collapse of Earth's ecosystem, 13-year-old Vesper must use her wits, strength and bio-hacking abilities to fight for the future.
- DirectorStéphane LafleurStarsSteve LaplanteLarissa CorriveauFabiola Nyrva AladinA behavioral research team observes and attempts to replicate the experiences of the first manned mission to Mars.
- DirectorAnna JadowskaStarsDorota PomykalaBogdan KocaAdam BobikInspired from the real-life story of an elderly woman committing a bank robbery.
- DirectorSarah PolleyStarsRooney MaraClaire FoyJessie BuckleyDo nothing, stay and fight, or leave. In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith.
- DirectorMikko MyllylahtiStarsJarkko LahtiIivo TuuriHannu-Pekka BjörkmanPepe the woodcutter's life in his idyllic Finnish village is torn apart over the course of a few days, but he is seemingly fine with it all. As though he knows some profound truth about existence.