Calgary International Film Festival and university bring film, students, community — and Adam Driver — together

What do the University of Calgary and Adam Driver have in common? They’re both connected to this year’s Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF).  

CIFF returns Sept. 24 to Oct. 4, showcasing short and feature-length films from Canada and around the world, including Paper Tiger, starring Driver and produced by Orogen Entertainment, a Calgary-based production company founded and run by three UCalgary alumni. 

Through its ongoing partnership with CIFF, UCalgary helps students, alumni and community members engage with the festival in unique ways, from live performances and hands-on learning opportunities to celebrating alumni success on the big screen. 

Those connections are at the heart of the collaboration, says Lucia Juliao, partnerships director at CIFF.

“The Calgary International Film Festival's partnership with the University of Calgary is exactly the kind of collaboration that makes Calgary stronger by connecting storytellers and students while shaping Calgary's creative future,” says Juliao.

From the screen to the gymnastics mat

This year, one UCalgary activation takes a film off the screen and onto the floor.

On Oct. 2, gymnasts from UCalgary and the Competitive Developmental Team from Cochrane Gymnastics will bring themes from The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony to life with a live performance at Chinook Centre.

The film follows girls finding opportunity, hope and belonging through gymnastics — a story that reflects what the sport can offer young people both on and off the mat.

“Gymnastics is not only a foundation of sport — it is a foundation of life skills that are learned along the way,” says TC Rogers, gymnastics manager at UCalgary Active Living. “Our learnings teach us that it is not about how many times a gymnast may fall, but it is in the number of times we get up.”

The performance will feature gymnastics, dance, tumbling and mini trampoline.

Creating opportunities for students 

For students in UCalgary’s Department of Communication, Media and Film (CMF), CIFF offers a chance to move beyond the classroom and experience the film industry first-hand.

For the fourth year, students will take part in the CIFF Career Expo, where visitors can explore vintage film cameras and technology, test their film knowledge with trivia, and hear from Film Studies students about their experiences at UCalgary.

Through the partnership, students can also attend CIFF events with student industry passes and film screenings.

“It’s a great opportunity for our students to make connections with industry professionals and to experience films that don’t normally make it to local theatres, from new Alberta-shot productions to award-winning films from festivals around the world,” says Dr. Charles Tepperman, PhD, associate dean in the Faculty of Arts and a professor with CMF.

Tepperman will also moderate the panel The State of Film Criticism at the CIFF Industry Conference, bringing together voices from across the field to explore how film criticism is changing in the age of platforms such as Letterboxd and YouTube.

UCalgary connections on the big screen

The UCalgary connection to CIFF reaches the festival’s screens, too.

As part of the screening of the alumni-produced Paper Tiger, starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johannson and Miles Teller, an information booth will celebrate the work of alumni in the film industry.

The festival also highlights UCalgary’s sustainability work through sponsorship of the environmental documentary, Derek vs. Derek. The film is supported by Sustainable Development Solutions Network Canada (SDSN Canada), a UN initiative that mobilizes science-based sustainable development solutions. SDSN Canada is hosted by UCalgary and led by the Office of Institutional Commitments.

See UCalgary at CIFF

Live gymnastics demonstration
Friday, Oct. 2 | 5:15 – 6:15 p.m.
Zara Court, Chinook Centre

CIFF Career Expo
Saturday, Oct. 3 | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Zara Court, Chinook Centre

The State of Film Criticism panel discussion
Saturday, Sep 26 | 1 p.m.
Delta Hotels Calgary Downtown, Selkirk Room 
209 4 Ave. S,E. 

Alumni booth at the Paper Tiger screening
Saturday, Sept. 26 | booth opens at 5 p.m., film at 6 p.m.
The GRAND
608 1 St. S.W. 

Derek vs. Derek screening
Sunday, Sept. 27 | 8:30 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 2 | 3:45 p.m.
Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre, Chinook

Explore the full CIFF 2026 film lineup.