Calgary - Apr 30-May 3, 2026
Feature Films
Rental Family
Dir. Hikari
An American actor in Tokyo struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese 'rental family' agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients' worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality.
Akashi
Dir. Mayumi Yoshida
Akashi is a multigenerational love story told across parallel timelines. Kana, a struggling artist in Vancouver, returns to Tokyo for her grandmother’s funeral, feeling out of place after ten years abroad. As she reflects on a secret only she and her grandmother shared—that her grandfather had another lover—she unexpectedly reconnects with an old love, Hiro. Intercut with the past, which traces her grandfather’s decades-long affair, Kana confronts hidden family truths and begins to navigate the complexities of love, sacrifice, and the choices that shape a life between desire and duty.
Cutting Through Rocks
Dir. Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni
Sara Shahverdi — a divorced, motorcycle-riding former midwife — is an unlikely leader in her conservative northwestern Iranian village. As the first woman ever elected to the local council, she’s determined to break the cycle of empty promises and complacency passed down by the men who came before her.
Montréal, ma belle
Dir. Xiaodan He
Feng Xia, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant and mother living in Montreal, has spent her life shaped by duty — to her family, her culture, and a loveless marriage. But when she meets Camille, a spirited young Québécoise, a long-buried desire is awakened. In the balmy and joyful Montreal summer, Feng Xia takes the radical step of choosing herself — embarking on a journey of forbidden love and long-overdue self-discovery. Her awakening becomes a profound reckoning with identity, exile, and the steep cost of liberation.
Outsiderness
Dir. Carlo Alcos
Outsiderness is a personal documentary by Carlo Alcos, a 2nd-generation FIlipino-Canadian whose parents immigrated to BC in the early '70s. The film explores themes such as identity and belonging from his perspective, that of a brown kid who grew up in a predominantly white suburb and learned to assimilate in order to fit in. In the film, Carlo uncovers what he has sacrificed through adapting and conforming and tries to discover what true belonging means.
Space Cadet
Dir. Kid Koala
Robot always watched over Celeste, until she became a brilliant scientist and astronaut. When she leaves on an interstellar mission, Robot must face loneliness and the aging of its technological systems. In the vastness of space, Celeste faces great dangers. As she struggles to overcome these obstacles, memories of her childhood resurface, lighting her way through the darkness.
Our Ocean Table
Dir. Sonya Lee, Jonathan Chiang
Ocean Table is a captivating short film that follows Sonya and Hannah as they celebrate a birthday along the breathtaking kelp forests of the BC coast. What begins as a simple snorkeling adventure unfolds into a rich exploration of culture and connection, as Sonya shares the significance of kelp in Korean cuisine—particularly in miyeok-guk, the traditional seaweed soup enjoyed on birthdays to honour mothers and celebrate life.
Sat May 2, 12:30 PM | Calgary Central Library
Trailblazers: Drive to Win
This program highlights determined characters pushing forward in pursuit of victory, recognition, or personal breakthroughs. Like the spirit of the Horse, these stories capture ambition, resilience, and the relentless drive to succeed.
Top Of My School
Dir. Katherine Lynn-Rose
It follows Bree, an ambitious high school student whose obsession with winning a student council election spirals out of control when an unexpected rival enters the race. The film explores themes of academic pressure, "gifted kid burnout," and the dark side of ambition.
A Good Day Will Come
Dir. Amir Zargara
Arash is a professional wrestler with dreams of representing his country and winning gold medals. The country is in turmoil and its people are suffering. Arash must decide between using his platform to stand up to tyranny, or put his head down and remain silent.
Sat May 2, 5:30 PM | Calgary Central Library
Trailblazers: Journeys of Home
These films explore the journeys of migration, identity, and belonging. From crossing oceans to building new lives, the stories highlight the courage it takes to forge a path between cultures and generations.
Born an Immigrant
Dir. Jennifer Lee
An uplifting story about family told through the history of fashion. As the eldest in her family, Lillian Shum quit school at the age of 12 to pick potatoes to support her mother and siblings after her father died. Despite being born in Victoria, Lillian, along with other Chinese Canadians, had to register with the Department of Immigration and Colonization during the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. 100 years later, those immigration documents were made public and digitized for academics, researchers and families. This short doc sheds light on the dark time when the Canadian government was engaged in birthright citizenship. Yet, it's an uplifting story of one woman's dressmaking business in Victoria and the sense of purpose she found behind a Singer sewing machine.
Find Me Outside
Dir. Ching Yu
Diudiu and Leo, both Mandarin-speaking immigrants' children, navigate the slopes of the Canadian Rockies as they ski. Celeste, deeply rooted in her Indigenous horse culture, showcases the beauty of riding Indian Horse Relay in the Alberta Prairie. Anika, born into a family of Indian and Austrian climbers, climbs the rocks in her neighbourhood of Squamish, BC. Jade and Ryan, adventurous coldwater surfing girls from Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, ride the waves with enthusiasm.
Vic And His Nanay
Dir. Jillian Janairo
While trapped in his Los Angeles apartment recovering from COVID-19, an exasperated man named Vic is haunted by a nosy, persistent apparition of his late mother—a former ICU nurse. The film, which blends comedy with emotional depth, centers on this "ghostly" visitation as Vic navigates grief, his Filipino heritage, and his queer identity.
Sun May 3, 1:00 PM | Calgary Central Library
Trailblazers: New Visions
This collection celebrates bold storytelling and fresh perspectives. These films push boundaries through unique narratives, artistic styles, and imaginative ideas—reflecting the innovative spirit of trailblazers who chart new paths.
The One Who Plays
Dir. Shobhita Thakur
Sapna, a 12-year-old girl from the denotified Banchhada caste of Madhya Pradesh (India), dreams of becoming a doctor, inspired by the confidence of a lady doctor who works at the village primary healthcare clinic. However, her dreams are crushed by her community's generational tradition of caste-based prostitution, where girls are forced into the trade to fund their brothers' marriages and run the household.
Papa's Coding Day
Dir. Michael Pogoy
Manny, a hardworking tricycle driver, struggles to make ends meet for his small family. His young son, Gelo, dreams of having his father watch him at the school’s poetry contest, where he plans to recite a poem he wrote just for Manny. Quietly, Gelo saves up coins to buy his Papa a day off.
Khmerican
Dir. Jimmy Chhiu
When wounded gangsters seek refuge in his father's donut shop, a Cambodian-American teen striving to escape the gang violence and debts that plague his family is thrust into a life-or-death standoff that tests his loyalty, challenges his identity, and threatens his future.
Searching For Color
Dir. Mikayla Yun lan Ashe
Megan, an Asian adoptee, struggles to assert her identity against her white mother's expectations, finding reprieve in her bond with Gina, a nail technician who becomes a motherly figure. Through the meaning of the color red, Gina brings a newfound confidence to Megan, bolstering her Asian identity. When Gina decides to return to China, Megan faces the emotional challenge of saying goodbye but ultimately embraces her newfound confidence and cultural roots by choosing bright red nail polish.
Yolkless Press
Dir. Vicki Van Chau
Originating in Japan during the 1980s, Risograph printing has seen a resurgence in the last decade, with independent presses popping up across Canada. A new movement of artists are redefining this printing technique, including Areum Kim and Teresa Tam who co-run Yolkless Press in Calgary, Alberta. Started in November 2020, Yolkless Press focuses on publishing artist-driven projects including prints, zines, and publications. This short documentary highlights their projects centered around the Asian diaspora experience, and how they provide a much needed platform for underrepresented voices.
Calgary Festival Program
Thu
Apr
30
Everyday Trailblazer Photovoice Exhibit Opening
Thu
Apr
30
Pre-Festival Film: Rental Family
Fri
May
01
Phone to Film: Learn to Unleash The Power of Your Smartphone for Filming and Photos!
Fri
May
01
Opening Night Film: Akashi
Sat
May
02
Resource Fair
Sat
May
02
Our Ocean Table + Panel Discussion
Sat
May
02
Trailblazers: The Drive to Win
Sat
May
02
Cutting Through Rocks
Sat
May
02
Trailblazers: Journeys of Home
Sat
May
02
Montréal, ma belle
Sun
May
03
Outsiderness + Panel Discussion
Sun
May
03
Trailblazers: New Visions
Sun
May
03
Space Cadets + Q&A
Sun
May
03
Awards Ceremony & Closing Gala
For tickets and program details, please visit the Calgary Box Office site via the link below.