The Calgary Underground Film Festival Announces Full Lineup for 23rd Edition

Western Canada's largest genre film festival, The Calgary Underground Film Festival (or CUFF), just dropped its entire lineup for the 23rd edition.

Existing in a kind of liminal season where the city could be the piled under snow, or T-shirt patio weather, the festival obliges with an equally unpredictable mixture of prestige horror, indie comedies, quirky satire, under the radar Canadian drama, and oddball documentaries.

The festival opens with Damian McCarthy's supernatural horror, Hokum, which stars Adam Scott (Severance, Party Down). Our own J Hurtado noted that the film puts "McCarthy into the upper echelon of contemporary horror filmmakers alongside people like Ari Aster and Oz Perkins."

The festival closes with I Love Boosters, the latest from Boots Riley (Sorry To Bother You) featuring a superb ensemble, including LaKeith Stanfield, Demi Moore, Don Cheadle, Keke Palmer, Will Poulter, and Adam DeVine, among others. The crime-comedy about a bunch of shoplifters in LA debuted a couple weeks ago at South by Southwest, to (unsurprisingly) excellent reviews.

In between, highlights include Bruce McDonald deconstructing the fiasco of his own making in Claire's Hat, a rarely seen documentary on what went wrong with his 2001 released big budget, Juliette Lewis, Gina Gershon, and Mickey Rourke-starring ode to Toronto neighbourhoods, Picture Claire.

A new feature from CUFF regular Anthony Oberbeck (Dad & Stepdad, Reveries: The Mind Prison) will be spotlighted, as the filmmaker, writer and actor returns with a new project, Little Doors, about a woman with a small wooden door on the side of her body.

Other highlights include Adrian Curry's exceptional horror-comedy-cringe debut, Obsession, and a 21st century subconscious rhyme with Canadian classic Goin' Down The Road, the comic mockumentary Tracy & Martina Goin' Out West.

Dario Russo's Aussie fantasy-comedy, The Fox, is the fairy tale of a hunter who encounters a talking fox with a proposal to solve his problems, and features Jai Courtney, Emily Browning, Sam Neill, and Olivia Colman. Mickey Reece's latest, Every Heavy Thing, will be spotlighted. And from "The Rock" comes Justin Oakey's Hangashore, about a haunted artist chasing the ghost of her father to the remote coast of Newfoundland.

Also, more docs about everything from punk bands (NOFX 40 Years of Fuckin, Up), Paddle Tennis (Kings of Venice), Mexican rodeos (Jaripeo) and the fake-blockbuster production mill, The Asylum (Mockbuster).

Regular CUFF Events are scattered among the films, including the super popular block of three hours of retro cartoons served up with unlimited sugary cereal and most of the staff dressed up in mascot costumes (The SATURDAY MORNING ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT-CEREAL CARTOON PARTY!), as well as CUFFcade, Calgary’s independent video game arcade with custom-built cabinets available to play for free throughout the festival, a 48-HOUR MOVIE MAKING CHALLENGE SHORT FILM SHOWCASE of projects completed in just two days, and the INDIE GAME BASH where participants compete in a video game played on the bigscreen to an audience.

CUFF runs at the Globe Cinema in Calgary from April 16-26, 2026.

The full list of feature films playing at this years CUFF is below.

HOKUM (Director Damian McCarthy): A novelist is haunted at a remote inn during a trip to

scatter his parents' ashes. Opening Night Film.

I LOVE BOOSTERS (Director Boots Riley): A crew of professional shoplifters take aim at a

cutthroat fashion maven. It’s like community service. Closing Night Film

AFFECTION (Director BT Meza): A woman confronts a disturbing condition resetting her

memory. Each reset disorients her, leaving haunting recollections of an unfamiliar life.

BAGWORM (Director Oliver Bernsen): After a sexually frustrated hammer salesman steps on a

rusty nail, he must determine whether the world’s sudden and violent turn against him is real or

the result of an infection consuming his body and mind.

BAD HAIRCUT (Director Kyle Misak): When a college kid goes to a new place to get a haircut,

he discovers that his barber is a psychopath. Director Oliver Bernsen in attendance!

THE BEARDED GIRL (Director Jody Wilson): The story of a bearded girl who is tired of being a

freak. Director Jody Wilson in attendance.

BEYOND THE DUPLEX PLANET (Director Beth Harrington): Artist David Greenberger's

conversations with seniors in the '70s became the cult 'zine The Duplex Planet. Now a senior

himself, he shares insights on art, conversation, and aging.

BLACK ZOMBIE (Director Maya Annik Bedward): From the flickering screens of Hollywood

horror to the haunted cane fields of colonial Haiti, the documentary unearths the buried origins

of the zombie, reclaiming it as a symbol of survival and spiritual resistance.

BUFFET INFINITY (Director Simon Glassman): Local businesses duke it out by making

increasingly unhinged commercials to outdo their competitors in this absurdist, cosmic horror

about the town of Westridge, Alberta. Director Simon Glassman in attendance!

CAMP (Director Avalon Fast): Haunted by a traumatic past, Emily finds solace as a camp

counselor while navigating grief, witchcraft and the power of female friendship. Director Avalon

Fast and local cast & crew in attendance.

CLAIRE'S HAT: THE UNMAKING OF A FILM (Director Bruce McDonald): Legendary Canadian

Director Bruce McDonald documents the unmaking of his 2001 flop PICTURE CLAIRE in this

rarely screened alternate version. Director Bruce McDonald in attendance.

DECORADO (Director Alberto Vázquez): An unemployed middle-aged mouse suspects his

entire world is merely a set, tracing the conspiracy to a corporation influencing every corner of

his life.

EARTH TO COLBY (Director Rino Mioc): An aspiring vlogger discovers a notebook detailing

hidden portals in her hometown, leading her on a journey to discover the city's supernatural

history. Director Rino Mioc and local cast & crew in attendance.

EVERY HEAVY THING (Director Mickey Reece): Director Mickey Reece takes us on a journey

centered around an ad-seller for one of the last alt-weeklies in the country, who, after witnessing

a murder, is intimidated into being the killer’s reluctant accomplice. Producer Peter Kuplowsky in

attendance.

FEELS LIKE HOME (Director Gábor Holtai): Kidnapped by a family convinced she is their

missing daughter, a woman must assume another identity to survive as she seeks a way out of

this nightmare.

FIFTEEN (Directors Jack Zagha and Yossy Zagha): Two best friends preparing for their

quinceañera face desire, cruelty, and social pressure – until one girl’s body begins to transform

into something monstrous.

FLOATING CAROUSEL (Directors Delilah Napier and Lucy Powers): A web of dystopian dating

scenarios collide in modern-day New York City as five 20-somethings attempt to find love in a

time that has been called the loneliest century. Directors Delilah Napier and Lucy Powers in

attendance.

THE FOX (Director Dario Russo): Nick is an average Aussie guy, but when his fiancée Kori

cheats on him, he is unwise enough to listen to a sly fox who promises to transform his partner

into the perfect woman and, in doing so, take control of the natural world.

FRIDAY THE 69TH (Director Alex Montilla): Porn filmmakers in 1981 cash in on the slasher

craze with a ripoff about spring break coeds stalked by a killer beekeeper at a cursed camp.

Director Alex Montilla in attendance.

GOODY GOODY (Director Raymond Creamer): A home birth turns terribly wrong when

complications arise during a raging blizzard. Director Raymond Creamer in attendance.

GRIND (Directors Ed Dougherty, Brea Grant and Chelsea Stardust): Four interconnected stories

centre around the gig economy, hustle culture, and evils of late-stage capitalism in this timely

horror comedy anthology.

HANGASHORE (Director Justin Oakey): Haunted by nightmares and visions, an artist chases

the ghost of her father to the remote coast of Newfoundland. Director Justin Oakey in

attendance.

THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE (Director John Wilson): A filmmaker applies lessons from a

Hallmark movie writing workshop to pitch a documentary about concrete.

IMPOSTERS (Director Caleb Phillips): After a couple’s baby boy is taken, the desperate mother

learns of a way to bring him back. However, her husband begins to suspect that what she

returned with isn't their son. Director Caleb Phillips in attendance.

JARIPEO (Directors Efraín Mojica and Rebecca Zweig): A hybrid documentary that journeys to

Michoacán’s hypermasculine rodeos. What starts as a celebration of tradition, descends into the

subconscious of memory, queer desire, and longing.

THE KILLING CELL (Directors James Bessey and Karsen Schovajs): Five friends break into an

abandoned prison hoping to document proof of the paranormal. What they find is worse. Co-writers, directors, producers and stars James Bessey and Karsen Schovajsa in attendance.

KINGS OF VENICE (Directors Sveinn Ingimundarson and S.D. Saltarelli): Spend a day on the

boardwalk with KINGS OF VENICE, a madcap look at the paddle tennis community of Venice

Beach.

LITTLE DOORS (Director Anthony Oberbeck): In a quietly apocalyptic world, a lonely woman

discovers a small wooden door on the side of her body, and must decide whether or not to open

it. Director Anthony Oberbeck in attendance.

LONG LIVE THE STATE (Director Matthew Perniciaro): Members of ‘90s comedy troupe The

State reunite for a live tour, blending classic sketches with behind-the-scenes stories from their

influential journey in comedy.

LUCID (Directors Ramsey Fendall and Deanna Milligan): A 1990s art student uses a lucid

dreaming elixir to break through creative blocks, but soon finds herself trapped in a nightmarish

underworld. Directors Ramsey Fendall and Deanna Milligan in attendance.

LUGER (Director Bruno Martín): Hired by a crooked lawyer to recover a stolen car, a couple of

small-time thugs are dragged into a violent situation that quickly spirals out of control, forcing

them into a brutal confrontation against the owner of a shady junkyard.

MAG MAG (Director Yuriyan Retriever): After her beloved is killed by the MAG MAG ghost,

Sanae vows revenge, but soon discovers the true identity of the person she truly owes her

revenge to.

MĀRAMA (Director Taratoa Stappard): A young Māori woman sets out to connect with her

family heritage, but instead uncovers a dark and unsettling reality.

MOCKBUSTER (Director Anthony Frith): A struggling Australian filmmaker’s chance at

redemption collides with chaos and compromise as he navigates the eccentric world of

notorious Sharknado production house, The Asylum.

MY BLOODY VALENTINE (Director George Mihalka): Cross your heart...and hope to die. Celebrate the 45th Anniversary of this cult Canadian slasher with the 4K uncut version of MY BLOODY VALENTINE! Director George Mihalka in attendance

NOFX - 40 YEARS OF FUCKIN’ UP (Director James Buddy Day): NOFX - 40 YEARS OF

FUCKIN’ UP chronicles the chaotic four-decade career of the punk rock band NOFX. Director

James Buddy Day and band member Erik Sandin in attendance.

OBSESSION (Director Curry Barker): After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win

his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon

discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.

SACCHARINE (Director Natalie Erika James): A lovelorn medical student becomes terrorized

by a hungry ghost after taking part in an obscure weight-loss craze: eating human ashes.

SANTACON (Director Seth Porges): Santacon is perhaps the single most hated event on the

planet. A dreaded day in which tens of thousands of drunk idiots dress like Santa and invade

countless cities around the world to live out their drunkest and most violent instincts.

THE SCOUT (Director Paula Andrea Gonzalez-Nasser): Over the course of one day, a location

scout connects with a handful of New York City residents as she struggles to lock down shooting

locations for a TV show.

THANKS FOR NOTHING (Director Stella Marie Markert): When a rebellious teen in a chaotic

group home vows not to live past 18, her friends secretly race to stop her suicide attempts

before her birthday – without exposing the truth that could destroy their only home.

TRACY AND MARTINA: GOIN’ OUT WEST (Director Brendan Lyle): Two Cape Breton best

friends head west to Alberta for the first time with the hopes of making a few bucks as they open

for a local band, but things go south when their accommodations fall through and they run out of

money before booking a flight back home. Director Brendan Lyle in attendance.

THE WEED EATERS (Director Callum Devlin): An idyllic New Year's getaway in isolated New

Zealand takes an unexpected turn when a bad batch of cursed weed unleashes horrific

after-effects.

YOUNG FEMALE PLAYWRIGHT (Director Pony Nicole Herauf): When her professional debut

play is branded “deeply personal,” a young playwright must fight to question the line between

truth, fiction, and art. Director Pony Nicole Herauf in attendance.

The Calgary Underground Film Festival Announces Full Lineup for 23rd Edition

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