Festival of Films

As I made my way down the steps and through the theater doorways out into the brisk night air I said to myself...what happened to great movies? Why is it that the preview either gives all the funny stuff away and leaves us no hope for the time in between, or sets us up for a great suspense with an ending that kills (and by that I mean you recall the last time you said "if I have to watch another movie with a crappy ending I'll kill myself *cough Children of Men *cough). Anyway, as I did some web surfing in my so-called "free time" I ran into a secret of Windsor...The Windsor International Film Festival *gasp!

Okay so its not a huge secret but there are plenty of people out there who have never even heard of such a thing taking place in Windsor. Once a year for the past 2 years Windsor brings together some of the best movies never to hit the big screen. If you're looking for a movie you've seen a preview for on television...this is not where you want to go. Most of the movies showcased in this 6 day event are independent films that include both fiction and non-fiction. Now don't underestimate this films, these are done by some of the best directors in the country and include actors that YOU know for example : Susan Sarrandon, Colin Firth, Tommy Chong, Christopher Plummer, Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe, and Lily Tomlin, to name a few.

According to their website, the Windsor International Film Festival has " a mandate to showcase critically acclaimed cinematic arts by distinguished directors; to present international film worthy of a Canadian audience; and to debut independent film in Windsor, the Windsor International Film Festival is committed to providing accessibility to Canadian and international audiences."

Though some movies are border-line bizarre, such as Weirdsville, others remain intriguing documentaries that bring a new view to life, which includes Kurt Cobain: About A Son which is more like a biography of Cobain's life, using never-before-heard interviews as the direction of the film.(Seen below)

The festival runs from November 6th to the 11th this year. Tickets for each film cost $10 (which is pretty much what you pay to see another boring movie at the theatre) and can be purchased online at the festival website located below.

Schedules and locations for films can be found at the Windsor International Film Festival website located here.

Choose your film by viewing some trailers here.

This is a great alternative to seeing some of the typical story lines we seen in big blockbuster movies at the local theatre. Why not try something new?