Oakville Festivals of Film & Art (OFFA) has announced the full offerings for this month's 9th annual Oakville Film Festival, running June 22-28, 2022. This year's lineup is boasting a record setting 113 titles, including 21 feature length films.
The biggest highlight for OFFA's 2022 event is the return of both live, in-person screenings at Film.Ca Cinemas on June 25 and 26 and gala events at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts (held each night June 23-25.)
In-person movies were suspended for the festival in 2020 and 2021 (held in late June each year) because Ontario's restrictions required the closure of cinemas due to COVID-19.
But this year will be combination of years past: organizers say this year's event will be "the largest festival we've ever had," with "a hybrid set of offerings both in-person and virtually." The full list of titles this year is lower in this story.
A launch event was held on two weeks ago with co-founder and executive director Wendy Donnan, returning festival host Tyler Collins and artistic director Judah Hernandez. (A full video was live streamed on Facebook.)
In total, there are 22 ticketed events over the seven days of the festival this year - some live, some virtual, and some offer both as a ticket option. Of those:
- 17 are in-person screenings with at least one feature film paired with between one and four short films
- 15 events are virtual screenings that can be watched Canada-wide (twelve full-length movies and three curated collections of short films)
- Three are galas featuring one of the headliner films at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts
Another highlight of this year's festival are two sets of events with some proceeds being donated to the relief efforts in Ukraine: the first is a series of virtual screenings on Wednesday, June 22 and the other is an Arts Festival Gala Fundraiser on Saturday, June 25 at the Oakville Centre called Women Who Give.
The festival also features a new promotional video for this year's new designs:
All virtual tickets are for an unlimited numbers of viewers at a single household. Virtual tickets are valid to start watching seven days after the official start time on the ticket, though films must be watched within 24 hours once you start.
Tickets are on sale now
Single tickets for in-person shows at Film.Ca Cinemas are $13.99 CDN each, plus taxes and an order fee.
Single tickets for any of the events listed above is $13.99 CDN plus tax and purchasing one ticket is for everyone (two, three or more people) at your household who will be watching.
There are also six special passes being sold for the festival:
- Pick Five Pass for $59.99 CDN plus tax, giving you access to five screenings and Q&As of your choice
- Pick Ten Pass for $99.99 CDN plus tax, giving you access to ten screenings and Q&As of your choice
- Variety Pass for $79.99 CDN plus tax, giving you access one gala show and three regular in-person tickets
- Double Gala Pass for $79.99 CDN plus tax, which includes a single gala ticket to Thursday's opening night screening of Phantom of the Open and Friday's gala show of Tehranto
- Red Carpet VIP Pass for $165.99 CDN plus tax, giving you access to one gala ticket, five regular in-person tickets or virtual tickets, an invitation to the opening night party and "a swag bag."
- All-Access Pass for $600 CDN plus tax, for unlimited access to all in-person screenings, galas, virtual festival screenings and Q&As for 2022.
All passes can be purchased here.
More information and ticket sales are both available online directly from the Oakville Film Festival and OFFA website.
(Events are in-person unless specified. All start times listed below are local time, EST. Most events have a Q&A with the filmmakers, with most of the talks being live after the premiere and some featuring actors from the films as well. Virtual tickets are valid seven days from listed start time.)
Here is the full list of screenings, dates and events taking place at the 2022 Oakville Film Festival:
WEDNESDAY JUNE 22ND - Virtual Ukrainian Showcase
- 7 p.m. - Donbass, a drama from Ukraine (virtual only)
- 7 p.m. - Ivan the Powerful, from Ukraine, sports history (virtual only)
- 7 p.m. - It's Just Parkinson's, a health documentary (virtual only)
THURSDAY JUNE 23RD
- 7:30 p.m. - The Phantom of the Open, the opening night gala at the Oakville Centre; a sports comedy starring Oscar winner Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins
FRIDAY JUNE 24TH
- 7:30 p.m. - Tehranto, dir. Faran Moradi's Canadian romantic comedy/drama; also a gala at the Oakville Centre (also available virtually)
SATURDAY JUNE 25TH
- 11 a.m. - Local Shorts Showcase, at Film.Ca Cinemas (also virtual)
- 11:30 a.m. - Double feature; Canadian drama Tenzin, and human rights documentary Forgotten on SInjar at Film.Ca Cinemas (also virtual)
- 2 p.m. - Into the Weeds, nature documentary at Film.Ca
- 2:30 p.m. - Framing Agnes, Canadian LGBTQ+ history documentary at Film.Ca (also virtual)
- 5 p.m. - We're in this Together, Canadian comedy directed by and starring Katie Boland as twins at Film.Ca
- 5:30 p.m. - Peace by Chocolate, Canadian comedy biography about a Syrian chocolatier at Film.Ca (also virtual)
- 7 p.m. - The Earth is Blue as an Orange, the Ukrainian Arts Festival Gala at the Oakville Centre, featuring a live performance by Chantal Kreviazuk
- 8 p.m. - Drunken Birds, drama, dir. Ivan Grbovic, official TIFF selection at Film.Ca
- 8:30 p.m. - You Resemble Me, coming-of-age drama at Film.Ca (also virtual)
SUNDAY JUNE 26TH
- 11 a.m. - Best of Canadian Shorts Showcase, at Film.Ca Cinemas (also virtual)
- 11:30 a.m. - The Long Rider, Canadian documentary, dir. Sean Cisterna (2020 OFFA Best Director winner) at Film.Ca
- 2 p.m. - A Chiara, dance drama at Film.Ca
- 2:30 p.m. - Double feature; Canadian documentary The Fire Cats, and animated short Back Home Again (making its OFFA return after a May event) at Film.Ca Cinemas (also virtual)
- 5 p.m. - The Lost Girls, writer/director Livia De Paolis' new drama about the aftermath from Peter Pan starring Vanessa Redgrave at Film.Ca Cinemas (also virtual)
- 5:30 p.m. - Slash/Back, Indigenous sci/fi action movie at Film.Ca
- 8 p.m. - Drinkwater, closing film, dir. Stephen S. Campanelli's Canadian comedy at Film.Ca
- 8:30 p.m. - Ashgrove, closing film, Canadian sci-fi drama at Film.Ca
MONDAY JUNE 27TH
- 7 p.m. - Virtual Shorts: Drama and Thrills, 13 shorts (virtual only)
TUESDAY JUNE 28TH
- 7 p.m. - Virtual Shorts: A Slice of Life, 14 shorts (virtual only)
The full schedule can be found here on the OFFA website.