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The Grand River Film Festival (GRFF), Waterloo Region’s longest running independent film festival, is proud to present Movie Day in Cambridge on Saturday May 11th, a one-day cinematic extravaganza, as part of their 2024 season. GRFF will be bringing 7 hours worth of short and feature length films to downtown Cambridge over the course of the day, in a combination of free and ticketed events. “GRFF was born in Cambridge, we grew up in Cambridge,” says Michael Clark, chair of the Board of Directors. “We always make sure to bring remarkable films into the city we call home.”
Movie Day in Cambridge begins at 11am at the Gaslight District, a new venue for GRFF. For three hours, from 11am-2pm, the Gaslight District will be showing shorts on their massive outdoor screen. “It’s the largest outdoor screen in Canada,” Director of Programming Michael Davison says. “We’re excited to have our films showing on it.” The shorts come in three one-hour blocks, starting with an International program at 11am, followed by Canadian films at noon, and finishing with Documentaries at 1pm. And it’s all free. GRFF invites everyone to bring a folding chair or blanket down to the Gaslight District courtyard and watch these shorts from around the globe without cost of admission – or grab lunch on one of the Gaslight Districts patios and enjoy the films while you eat. “Shorts are something you basically only get to see at film festivals. They generally don’t go on streaming services or get played in movie theatres,” says Michael Clark. “It’s a great place to see the filmmakers of tomorrow experiment and play with movie making. And we want as many people to see them as possible, which is why we always offer our shorts programs free of charge.”
Later in the day, GRFF is presenting two feature films down the block at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. At 4pm is Hey, Viktor!, a mockumentary about a former child star who decides, 20 years later, to make a sequel to his star-making film. This hilarious film was written, directed, and stars Indigenous filmmaker Cody Lightning (Marvel’s Echo). Afterwards, at 6:45pm is Starring Jerry As Himself. This docufiction thriller follows a family as they discover that their retiree father in Florida has been blackmailed by the Chinese police into becoming an undercover agent. “These are two fictional films that use the documentary format in very different ways, both very effectively for the genres they are playing with, and are both a lot of fun,” says Clark. GRFF is proud to partner with From Farm to Table, the official popcorn of the Grand River Film Festival, to provide a free bag of popcorn for every ticket sold to both afternoon films.
If you are interested in learning more about GRFF please contact Michael Clark, Chair, at chair@grff.ca For additional information, full schedule, and tickets, visit GRFF’s website at grff.ca.
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ABOUT GRAND RIVER FILM FESTIVAL – Founded in 2007, the Grand River Film Festival (GRFF) is committed to celebrate and inspire community through the shared experience of film. Featuring compelling documentaries, engaging shorts and premiere features, GRFF presents an integrated cultural experience. The festival encourages community involvement through a shared love for cinema by offering unique and diverse programming with creative community partnerships.