THE BEARDED GIRL
“The Bearded Girl is a super fun twist on the coming-of-age genre. In this case, a mother-daughter relationship – and seemingly relatable, familiar story for anyone with teenagers – is told from inside the world of a carnival sideshow family. I loved the creativity. It’s the director Jody Wilson’s first feature, who will be in attendance, and a bit of a hometown screening, as she’s from Alberta.” —Brenda Lieberman, festival director and lead programmer, CUFF.
MY BLOODY VALENTINE 
“Celebrate the 45th anniversary of not only one of the greatest Canadian films of all time, but one of the greatest slasher films of all time. Filmmaker George Mihalka will be in attendance, imparting his filmmaking wisdom, so get some Moosehead on ice and get ready to party in the mines with us.” —Cam Macgowan, lead programmer, CUFF.
IMPOSTERS
“I can hardly wait for our audience to experience the twists and turns of this film together. As tensions rise, the puzzle of who to trust becomes more intricate. I’m begging you, someone, just please save the baby.” —Brennan Tilley, lead programmer and operations manager, CUFF.
LUGER
“I narrowly managed to snag a ticket to the sold-out world premiere at Fantastic Fest. The film follows stepbrothers Toni and Rafa, two short-time thugs who handle sensitive business for wealthy clients. One day, what starts as an ordinary job quickly spirals out of control into something much darker and more dangerous, and Toni and Rafa come into possession of a Nazi artifact. LUGER is a bare-knuckle thriller about the fascism and white supremacy invading all our lives.” —Adam Hicks, programmer, CUFF.
SACCHARINE
“Australian films are featured prominently at this year’s festival, a golden era for Aussie underground films. If you’re a fan of The Substance, don’t miss this one about a (literal) terrifying weight-loss trend featuring a very hungry ghost.” —Laura Carlson, marketing and publicity, CUFF.
LUCID
“A surreal 16mm personal odyssey in relentless pursuit of pure artistic feeling. Lucid is true-to-heart Canadian underground filmmaking: weird, off-kilter, and unabashedly outsider. With stylistic shades of early Greg Araki and John Waters, it arrives at a world untue its own. Trippy, DIY-feeling visuals and a stellar indie/alt soundtrack only further imbue it with punk-rock energy that’s not to be missed.” —Taylor Nodrick, guest relations coordinator, CUFF.
BAGWORM
“Wonderfully unhinged. An all-time great sick guy performance from Peter Falls; so gross I felt like I was going to contract something just from watching. Love when a character is on the verge of mental collapse right from the start, and things only get worse for them. Throw in a slimy bagworm for good measure. Get infected!” —Derek Wilson, previewer, CUFF.
FRIDAY THE 69TH
“A must for all cheesy horror fans. Porn filmmakers losing their audience to home video turn to horror in this tribute to early ’80s campy slashers. Feels like a lost find from 1981, with all the laughs and creative deaths that make slashers so entertaining.” —Phillip Liesemer, previewer, CUFF.
CAMP
“Equal parts enchanting and ominous, Camp is both a beautifully shot coming-of-age film and a truly unique entry into the summer-camp-horror subgenre. Camp has already been making waves on the festival circuit, notably picking up best picture as a “Next Wave” selection at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. The film also marks writer and director Avalon Fast’s return to the Calgary Underground Film Festival after CUFF premiered her breakout indie hit Honeycomb in 2022. Make sure to add Camp to your watchlist and catch this soon-to-be classic (and Alberta-shot!) horror while it’s in town.” —Kenn Enns, previewer, CUFF.
TRACY AND MARTINA: GOIN’ OUT WEST
“The Atlantic charm of comedy duo Tracy and Martina meets the ‘Berta experience in this road tripping mockumentary. Laughs and heart are plentiful as they make their way through the land of backward hats, white Oakleys, and givn’er. This one also features some cameos from a number of CUFF faves.” —Jody Page, previewer, CUFF.
BLACK ZOMBIE
“It’s no coincidence that the first certified bad-ass zombie killer on the silver screen was a black man. Ben’s appearance in George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead is symbolic of the genre’s oft-ignored roots in resistance and liberation. This “part cultural reckoning, part horror remix” explores this cinematic history and delves into how Haitian Vodou inspired the Hollywood zombie. Plus, you’ll get to watch a bunch of gory zombie scenes. Win-win!” —Nathan Iles, editor, The Scene magazine.
