Chilliwack Independent Film Festival kicks off at new location next week

By Robyn Bell.

The ninth edition of the film festival returns on Wednesday—but there will be some changes this year. 

The Chilliwack Independent Film Festival (CIFF) has a new home at Galaxy Cinemas after the original venue for the festival, the Cottonwood 4 Cinema, was permanently closed in June and demolished in September. 

After learning of the Cottonwood’s closure, CIFF organizers began a GoFundMe to help the festival buy items from the theatre before it was destroyed, with seats, projectors, and screens on the list of desired pieces. The GoFundMe states that CIFF organizers hope to use these in a future space someday. It’s not clear how many—if any—of these items were acquired. 

At the Cottonwood, CIFF would utilize all four screens, but at the Galaxy, only two will be used. To maintain the full program, CIFF has extended the festival to run for five days—Oct. 22-26—instead of three.

CIFF organizers say the Cottonwood’s closure forced them to “pivot” their planning—the festival previously ran in the third week of November, but the Galaxy wasn’t available at that time, leading the organizers to bump the festival up to October. 

Next week’s festival lineup includes exclusive independent movie premieres, industry get-togethers, panels, and workshops. There will also be a 10th anniversary screening of the cult-horror favourite Creep, with director Patrick Brice in attendance. 

Opening night will feature a lineup of Fraser Valley films, with other local productions and Canadian films screening throughout the five days. 

Tickets are available for individual screenings or workshops ($11) or three- and five-ticket bundles can be purchased ($22; $35). A full festival pass will get you access to all five days of events ($70).

Check out the full schedule here.