Lucas Anders interviews Ben Judkins about his documentary THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD. The World Premiere of this film screens as part of Northwest Fest on Sat, May 11, 2024 @ 7:00 PM at the Metro Cinema. Ben Judkins and Taylor Lane in attendance... with surf boards! THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD follows a young designer who realizes that a surfboard –which he crafted from thousands of littered cigarette butts picked up off California beaches– could captivate the eyes of millions across the globe, he...

Christian Zyp interviews Benjamin Howard (dir/writer/prod) about his film RILEY. It is the RAINBOW VISIONS Centrepiece screening on Saturday, May 18, 2024 7:00 PM, presented by Fruit Loop. This film and all screenings will take place at the Metro Cinema. Filmmaker Benjamin Howard and Lead Actor Jake Holley will be in attendance. In RILEY, Dakota is an athlete that lives within carefully designed boundaries, a calculated blueprint upon which he's formed the basis of his identity. But when the...

Christian Zyp Interviews Eric Vaughn (director), Jon Liton (founder of LET'S BE BETTER HUMANS), Bruce Mau & Bisi Williams (Co-founders of MASSIVE CHANGE NETWORK) about the documentary I HAVE A NAME. You can catch a screening of the film as part of Northwest Fest on Sat May 11th at 4 pm at the Metro Cinema. By compassionately observing the culture's true social conditions, Jon Liton finds a deep pathway to empathy through connection with gestures as simple as asking and using people's...

Christian Zyp interviews Gerry Potter (dir/prod) about his documentary IN SEARCH OF PROFESSOR PRECARIOUS. Catch a free screening May 3, 2024 @ 7 pm at CO*LAB, 9641 102A Ave. (1 block east of the Art Gallery of Alberta). IN SEARCH OF PROFESSOR PRECARIOUS is a documentary in which the director, a long-time precarious contract instructor, travels Canada to lift the curtain on higher education’s dirty little secret. The search takes viewers into the lives of precarious contract faculty and tells...

Christian Zyp interviews Nisreen Barker about her Alberta filmed documentary ARAB WOMEN SAY WHAT?! It was shot in Alberta with unadulterated truth and complexity. You can stream it for free at NFB.ca ARAB WOMEN SAY WHAT?! paints an unparalleled portrait of Arab women living in Canada. The film offers a counter-mainstream narrative that embraces the unique experiences and perspectives of eight Arab women sharing their insights, cuisine and laughter. Amid the rhythm of poetry and music, they...

Christian Zyp interviews Canadian cinematic legend Vincenzo Natali about the two films he has featured at the Calgary Underground FIlm Festival (CUFF), CUBE (1997) and NOTHING (2003). They will be screened over April 20-21 at the Globe Cinema. Vincenzo Natali reminisces about these spiritual sequels, CUBE and NOTHING. In CUBE, without remembering how they got there, several strangers awaken in a prison of cubic cells, some of them booby-trapped. There's one-time cop, master of escapes,...

Christian Zyp interviews Michael Peterson (dir) about the Alberta filmed series DEPARTMENT OF PARANORMAL AFFAIRS. It screens as part of the Calgary Underground FIlm Festival (CUFF) Sat April 27th at 4:30 pm at the Globe Cinema. You know all of the monsters from scary stories? They’re totally real, but they’re just trying to get by like the rest of us. In the DEPARTMENT OF PARANORMAL AFFAIRS, a special branch of the government, and its employees Jenny Hicks (Nancy Ngo) and Scott Power (David...

Lucas Anders interview Maxwell Nalevansky (dir) about his film RATS! screening as part of the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) on Sat April 20th at the Globe CInema. In RATS! the summer just got a lot shorter for Raphael Tinski. It's 2007 and the peak of emo-culture is in full swing. Raphael just got arrested by a psychotic cop. Raphael just fell in love with a girl at community service. Raphael might get blown up by nukes. He’s a good kid, so you can't blame Raphael for the events...

Christian Zyp interviews Tim Rutherford, Cody Kennedy, Josh Lenner and Kevin Martin about their film THE LAST VIDEO STORE. It's making its southern Alberta premiere at the Calgary Underground Film Festival Sat April 20th at 9:45 pm at the Globe Cinema. It also screens Sun April 28 at 3:45 pm. In this love letter to the era of the video store, THE LAST VIDEO STORE follows Nyla who accidentally uncovers a "cursed" VHS tape her father wanted her to return upon his death. This transports her into...

Lindsey Campbell and Mark Davies discuss the film BLACKBERRY as part of their series THANKS TELEFILM. This is where they examine federally funded films. Will they say "Thanks Telefilm!" OR "Thanks Telefilm?" In BLACKBERRY, Matt Johnson (Nirvana the Band the Show) explores the incredible growth and tragic collapse of the world's first smartphone and how it smashed huge enterprises before surrendering to Silicon Valley's fiercely competitive companies. It's not a conventional tale of modern...

Lucas Anders interviews Caden Douglas (dir/writer) about his film MOTHER FATHER SISTER BROTHER FRANK. It makes its Canadian Premiere at the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) on Fri April 26th @ 7pm at the Globe CInema.  In MOTHER FATHER SISTER BROTHER FRANK, the Jennings family couldn’t be more painfully suburban, but when a*****e Uncle Frank crashes their weekly Sunday dinner with a nasty surprise, murder turns up on the menu.  On the surface, they seem like a happy family, but...

Christian Zyp interviews Nathan Tape (dir/writer) & Tim Cairo (writer/prod) about their film OFF RAMP. It's making its Canadian Premiere at the Calgary Underground Film Festival April 22, 2024 @ 9:30 pm at the Globe Cinema. In OFF RAMP, a couple of lovable, degenerate Juggalos, Trey and Silas, journey through America's hellish underbelly to The Gathering of the Juggalos, the one place on earth they feel accepted. On the way, they are detoured by a psychotic powerful Sheriff, a violent...

Christian Zyp spoke with Brenda Lieberman (Festival Director and Co-Programmer) about the 21st Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF). Catch it April 18-28, 2024 at the Globe Cinema. Brenda discusses the feature/documentary/short films, guests (John Waters & Vincenzo Natali), Albertan filmmakers and events surrounding the festival. Find out more at www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org

Christian Zyp interviews Sonya WIlliam (Director of the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors) about the current state of operations for theatre owners and not-for-profit art house cinemas in Canada.  The monopoly of Cineplex Entertainment in Canada combined with restrictions of "zoning" and "clean runs" are making it increasingly difficult to operate for small theatre in cities and towns across the country. Find out more about N.I.C.E. at www.nicecinema.ca

Christian Zyp interviews Omar Mouallem (dir/prod) about his new documentary MAKING KAYFABE. It is screening on CBC Gem currently for free. MAKING KAYFABE is a documentary that revolves around Omar Mouallem venturing into the squared circle. Facing a midlife crisis, Oamr decided to tap into his childhood dream of wrestling to be his next project. Entering the world of Love Pro Wrestling leaves an impression on him that goes beyond the ring. Find the film at:...

Christian Zyp interviews Spencer RIchard (writer/dir) about his new short film DANCE WITH THE DEVIL. It screens Fri March 22nd at the Capitol Theatre in Ft. Edmonton Park.  DANCE WITH THE DEVIL is a spy thriller filmed in and around Edmonton.  

Lucas Anders interviews Justin Kueber (dir) about his documentary  "LABELED: Missing, Murdered and Forgotten". It screened as part of FAVA Fest.  "LABELED: Missing, Murdered and Forgotten" is a harrowing, intimate journey into the lives of three Indigenous women who were abused, exploited, and harmed during their time in Edmonton’s sex industry.

Lucas Anders interviews Lindsey McIntyre (writer/dir) about the short film NIGIQTUQ ᓂᒋᖅᑐᖅ. It screened as part of FAVA Fest.  Having left Nunavut with her mother Kumaa’naaq (koo-MAT-na) in 1938, young Marguerite must negotiate the unspoken pressures of being Inuk in her new life in the South. When an extraordinary letter arrives from home, Marguerite discovers what’s really expected of her. NIGIQTUQ ᓂᒋᖅᑐᖅ is based on a true story told to Lindsay by her grandmother. It connects to a larger...

Mark Davies interviewed Ryan Leedu (dir/writer/prod) about his short film NO BEDROOM. In the film, a young woman selectively arranges viewings for her one-bedroom house, which she may not be genuine about actually renting. It screened as part of FAVA Fest 2024 and on Super Channel's Canadian Film Fest.

Christian Zyp interviews Natalie Meyer (dir/prod) about her doc THE BOOK OF S.H.E. It screens Thurs Feb 29th at the Telus World of Science. You can find tickets at: Eventbrite.com "The Book of S.H.E." (acronym for Success.Heal.Emerge) is a documentary film that serves as an artistic collection of Natalie Meyer's creative body paint and set designs with a focus on 10 local female entrepreneurs and community builders who identify as BIPOC in Edmonton. This film is an emotional journey of...

Christian Zyp interviews Kevin Martin (The Lobby DVD Shop -  10815 82 Ave NW, Edm, AB) about some new releases at the store: OUTLAW JOHNNY BLACK - Cowboy Johnny Black (Michael Jai White) vows to gun down the man responsible for the death of his father. SUITABLE FLESH - Psychiatrist Elizabeth Derby (Heather Graham) becomes obsessed with helping a young patient who is suffering from extreme personality disorder. However, it soon leads her into occult danger.Clive Barker's UNDERWORLD - A crime...

Christian Zyp interviews Michelle Thrush (Exec Prod) about the film BOIL ALERT. The documentary screens at Metro CInema Wed Feb 7, 2024 @ 6:30 pm. It's a FREE screening presented by Northwest Fest and the University of Alberta for International Week. Michelle is a Nehiyaw performing artist (actress, producer, activist and more). BOIL ALERT follows activist/musician Layla Staats as she embarks on a dual journey to explore the Indigenous relationship to water and the struggles she has grappled...

Lindsey Campbell, Mark Davies and Christian Zyp discuss the four major awards nominations for the 2024 Oscars... and more.

Christian Zyp interviews Jason Pichonsky (Film Historian) about the film THE BLOODY BROOD directed by Canadian Julian Roffman. You can find the film through Kino Lorber home video. Two years before directing the 3-D cult favorite THE MASK (1961), Julian Roffman made his feature directorial debut with this early canuxploitation film, THE BLOODY BROOD (1959). When his brother turns up dead after eating a hamburger laced with ground glass, Cliff (Jack Betts) sets out to investigate the murder,...