EIFF's 40th features local lights and come-from-aways

The 40th annual Edmonton International Film Festival will start and end with celebrations of the local, with superstar talent and hidden gems sandwiched between. The sold-out opening gala on Sept. 24 features Cody Lightning's Smudge the Blades, which won the Best Canadian Discovery prize at the Toronto International Film Festival. An encore screening takes place on Oct. 3. The closing gala features Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story from producers Adam Scorgie and Shane Fennessey, as well as director Brett Harvey, all of Score G Productions. The documentary tells the story of the comedian and his half-brother's $12-million embezzlement. Scorgie blogged about collaborating with Harvey for 20 years and the many successes their docs have achieved. "Six feature films later, when you actually stop and look at the run, it's pretty fucking remarkable," he wrote.

As for the I in EIFF, Queens for a Day makes its world premiere on Sept. 25. Director Chris Carter (creator of The X-Files) and others will take questions about the satire of MAGA pundits and love letter to motherhood during a Q&A moderated by this writer. The next day, A Long Winter from Andrew Haigh (of Weekend and All of Us Strangers) explores grief and desire. Among the buzziest and most star-studded films are Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut with Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti on Sept. 29, and James Gray's Paper Tiger with Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller on Oct. 1. You can also catch Palme d'Or winner Fjord, the latest from Pedro Almodovar and Jordan Firstman, and Run Terry Run, a biopic about Terry Fox. Screenings are split between the Garneau Theatre and the Landmark at Edmonton City Centre.

It's a lot to take in, but don't overdo it on the popcorn just yet. Film festival season will continue with NorthwestFEARFest from Oct. 14 to 18, the Edmonton Short Film Festival on Oct. 17 and 18, the Broad View International Film Festival from Nov. 12 to 14, and the Edmonton Underground Film Festival on Nov. 14. Plus, it's Oscar season!