Alberta-shot drama A Long Winter opens Calgary International Film Festival on September 24
The period piece directed by Andrew Haigh stars Fred Hechinger and Kit Connor. The 11-day festival screens approximately 200 films.
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An Alberta-shot drama based on a 2006 short story by Irish author Colm Toibin will open the Calgary International Film Festival.
A Long Winter, a period drama set in 1950s Montana, was filmed in Calgary and various locations in southern Alberta from October to December 2025. The film centres on a young man whose mother disappears during a blizzard. Directed by British filmmaker Andrew Haigh, whose 2023 film All of Us Strangers earned critical acclaim, A Long Winter will open the 11-day festival on September 24 at the Grand.
The cast includes Fred Hechinger of HBO's White Lotus, Kit Connor from Netflix's Heartstopper, Emmy-nominated Oji-Cree actor D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai of Reservation Dogs and Ebon Che Moss-Bachrach from The Bear. This is the Alberta premiere of the film, part of a "first wave" of 18 movies announced this week by the festival.
Other highlights include The Stunt Driver, an action-comedy starring Jay Baruchel and directed by Calgary filmmaker Michael Dowse, a former member of the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers who directed the 2002 mockumentary FUBAR and its 2010 sequel.
Scottish director Louis Paxton's comedy-fantasy The Incomer, starring Domhnall Gleeson and about siblings on a remote island, will make its Canadian premiere. Oscar-nominated Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski's Fatherland, a drama set in post-war Germany, will make its Canadian premiere; Pawlikowski was awarded best director at Cannes for Fatherland and won the Academy Award for Best International Feature for 2015's Ida.
The festival will also feature Canadian premieres of music documentaries including The Best Summer by Tamra Davis, chronicling the 1995 tour by Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Beck and Bikini Kill, and Frampton, directed by Rob Arthur, following Peter Frampton's career.
Calgary filmmaker Wendy Hill-Tout will present the world premiere of her documentary WWW: The Women's Group. The Calgary International Film Festival screens approximately 200 feature and short films from Canada and around the world over 11 days. A full lineup will be announced by the festival later.
The details
When does the Calgary International Film Festival open?
The Calgary International Film Festival opens on September 24, 2026 with the screening of 'A Long Winter' at the Grand.
Who directed A Long Winter?
British filmmaker Andrew Haigh directed 'A Long Winter'. Haigh also directed the 2023 film 'All of Us Strangers'.
Where was A Long Winter filmed?
'A Long Winter' was filmed in Calgary and various locations in southern Alberta from October to December 2025.
How many films does the Calgary International Film Festival screen?
The Calgary International Film Festival screens approximately 200 feature and short films over 11 days.
