Creston’s unique cinematic event is returning this month, and it’s bigger than ever.
The 7th Siding Film Festival runs for a record five days this year from Wednesday to Sunday, November 15 to November 19, in four different locations in Creston.
For the fifth year in a row, the film festival is showcasing short films, featuring local and rural themes, in four venues around town.
And this year, there will be a record number of films — 53 — from all over the world.
The Kootenay Film Society organizes the festival. Tanna Patterson, with the Society, says some films are as short as a minute, others might be as long as 20 minutes.
There are films from Iran, Ireland, India, England, the U.S., Canada — “it’s interesting to see what people come up with,” Patterson said. “There is such a variety. And they reflect the country they’re made in. So many of them are very artistic — there are many different ways of making a short film.”
Opening Night, Wednesday, Nov. 15, will be an outdoor affair, with a number of short films projected against the Tivoli Theatre, and viewable from the Canyon Street Green Space. This event is free to the public.
On Thursday, Nov. 16, Kootenay River Secondary School will the scene of some local film action, thanks to contributions from Jayli Wolf and film makers Mark Wolfe and Kerry McArthur, as well as a live stage art performance by artist Alison Masters and company.
On Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17 and 18, the Tivoli Theatre is hosting more than 50 juried international short films from around the world in a variety of genres: animation, musical, collage, drama, and documentary.
Sunday, Nov. 19: The festivities and films continue at Jimmy’s Banquet Room for a “come-and-go” event accompanied by good food and hearty drink.
The festival organization has been underway all summer long.
“We ask for submissions in the summer, and then there’s a committee of us goes through all the films, and we select the ones we think are suitable for the audience in Creston,” Patterson said.
Four-day Festival Weekend Package tickets are available on-line @ www.kootenayfilmsociety.com./events for $33.00. In person tickets can be purchased for $12.00 at Kingfisher Books, Sunshine and Gelato, Modern Alchemy, or Fly in the Fibre. For more information, see www.kootenayfilmsociety.com.