We didn't expect the announcement as soon as yesterday, but there will be no 2020 Windsor International Film Festival.
The 2019 Windsor International Film Festival was the 15th anniversary of the film festival with 10 days of celebration. The WIFF Alley that led from the Capitol Theatre to the Chrysler Theatre was a wondrous sight, reminding us of why we love film.
From the 800+ crowd who saw Parasite on a Saturday night to the 1 (me) crowd who saw We Are Gold late on a Tuesday night, the amazing celebration of film has only grown stronger over the years in Windsor.
I had wondered about the prospect of a virtual festival, something the Toronto International Film Festival is still contemplating for 2020. I have had this fear that a limited Windsor festival would be geo-exclusive to Ontario. If that had happened, I would have gladly supported what the festival was doing, even if that meant I would not be allowed into the festival.
I have attended in part or all of this film festival since 2007 when I accidentally discovered there was a festival. Breakfast with Scot was that film.
2019 WIFF Canadian films in review
2018 WIFF Canadian films in review
2017 WIFF Canadian films in review
Breaking down 2016 WIFF Canadian films
Breaking down 2015 WIFF Canadian films
"Was this a difficult decision? Yes. But, it was also in many ways an easy decision. WIFF is about bringing people together through film. WIFF is about watching and discussing the best Canadian and International films, seeing old friends in the theatres, making new friends in the lineups and celebrating at the parties all over downtown Windsor. Anything short of this is simply not the WIFF we all want and love." — Vincent Georgie, Executive Director and Chief Programmer for WIFF.
2014 Windsor International Film Festival wrapup
Reviewing the WIFF 2013 Canadian films
Likelihood of seeing the Canadian film class of 2012
This fall's Canadian film 2011 crop: will they come to the United States?
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
The element that you think you will miss in a film festival is film itself. Being at the Windsor International Film Festival is so much more than seeing film. A few months in a pandemic have brought me lots of Canadian film but this isn't the same.
There were a few trusted voices who said I had to see Honeyland from North Macedonia in the first slot on a Sunday morning. I trusted them and saw the film. An incredible experience.
Absorbing a film becomes difficult when you have a film in the next slot. I recall coming outside after Meditation Park to clear my head and shed a few tears.
The volunteers, the participants, the school kids who weren't supposed to be in Une colonie and had awkward reactions: they are the joy and splendor of being live in a film festival.
#TIFF20 will feature a tighter selection of 50 feature films, and five programs of short films, with the same quality and range you’d expect — from Wavelengths to star-driven Galas, documentaries, international cinema, and Midnight Madness.
— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) June 24, 2020
The Toronto International Film Festival announced a few details for its limited festival running September 10-19 (a day short of the original September 10-20). We will cover Canadian films as the news gets released later this summer.
TIFF also announced layoffs of 31 employees, who represent 17% of full-time staff.
My heart is absolutely broken. The Windsor International Film Festival will return in 2021. As difficult as looking forward has been, this film festival and other film festivals will bounce back. You might even be more appreciative of sitting close to people and enjoying a film in a group environment.
photo credit: me
logo credit: Windsor International Film Festival
Twitter capture: @TIFF_net
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