Lucas Anders interviews Nikki Rae Hallow (director/actor) about the short film TRINKETS. See it as part of Edmonton International Film Festival at the screening of the short films programme Studio A 5.0 on Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 7:00 PM at Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre (Theatre 1).

Elizabeth (Nikki Rae Hallow) recounts a seemingly normal first date with an online acquaintance which has ended, shall we say, in an unexpected ‘nightcap’. Arriving on-scene, a Detective offers to help her out, as long as she helps him out. Don’t mess with Elizabeth!

EIFF INFO & TIX: https://edmontonfilmfest.com/films/
INSTAGRAM: @nikkihallows

Christian Zyp interviews Grace Gilroy (producer) about the film QUEENS FOR A DAY. See it as part of the Edmonton International Film Festival on Friday, September 25, 2026 6:30 PM at Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre (Theatre 1). Grace Gilroy (X-FIles, Bride of Chucky, Blues Brothers 2000), Chris Carter (X-Files, Millennium), Dori Carter and Erin Boyes (Keeper) will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.

QUEENS FOR A DAY... A right wing newscaster finds herself catapulted back into 1950s Queens New York, forced to live her own mother's life. The America she finds, and the cramped existence she can't escape, are a horror fable odyssey - especially since she is now raising herself as a child she doesn't particularly like.

EIFF INFO & TIX: https://edmontonfilmfest.com/schedule/

Christian Zyp interviews Yova Shamir (director/screenwriter) about his documentary feature THE METEORITE GANG. It screens as part of the Edmonton International Film Festival on Saturday, September 26, 2026 6:00 PM at Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre (Theatre 8). Several subjects featured in the film will be present for a Q&A following the film.

THE METEORITE GANG... In the 1960s, mailman Frank Coons unearthed a meteorite he claimed to see fall from the sky. Shunned by scientists, Frank bought a school bus and toured the rock across Canada for a nickel a peek—until his sudden, mysterious death fueled rumors of a curse. The bus was hauled to his daughter’s farm, where the meteorite remained forgotten.Decades later, Dave Forseth who lives on a neighbouring farm bought it, convinced of its authenticity but unable to afford professional verification. For thirty years it sat in his yard, a fortune in limbo. When the filmmaker stumbles upon Dave’s farm, chance—or fate—pulls him into the meteorite’s orbit.

EIFF INFO & TIX: https://edmontonfilmfest.com/schedule/
INSTAGRAM: @yoavshamirfilms

Christian Zyp interviews Aisha Evelyna (writer/director/actor) about her feature film SEAHORSE. See it as part of the Edmonton International Film Festival on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 6:30 PM at Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre (Theatre 1). Aisha will be in attendance for a post screening Q&A.

SEAHORSE... Nola (Aisha Evelyna) , a sous chef, is seeking stability after a stay in a mental health facility. After a hectic dinner shift, she crashes her bike—and wakes to find her estranged, unhoused father, standing over her. As she takes him in, old wounds resurface, and her world unravels. Caught between past and present, love and loss, Nola must navigate grief, forgiveness, and the fragile hope of healing.

This film contains discussion and/or depiction of suicide.

EIFF INFO & TIX: https://edmontonfilmfest.com/schedule/
INSTAGRAM: @seahorsemovie
@aishaevelyna

Christian Zyp interviews Mike Lobel (director/screenwriter/editor) about his documentary feature DON'T COME UPSTAIRS. See the Canadian Premiere as part of the Edmonton International Film Festival on Saturday October 3, 2026 12:30 PM at Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre (Theatre 1). Mike Lobel will also be in person at the screening for a Q&A.

"Never ask Dad what he does for work." This was the unspoken rule that defined filmmaker Mike Lobel's childhood. For more than 30 years, Lobel and his siblings knew their family held a closely guarded secret. In the documentary Don't Come Upstairs, Lobel unravels the mystery that has always haunted his family: What was his father hiding? Why was the truth off limits? And what did it cost the family?

EIFF INFO & TIX: https://edmontonfilmfest.com/schedule/
WEBSITE: https://www.mikelobel.com/
INSTAGRAM: @mikelobel

Christian Zyp interviews Bahij Jaroudi (writer/director/animator) about his animated short film BISOU SAUVAGE. It screens at the Edmonton International Film Festival as part of Lunchbox Shorts 4.0 on Thursday October 1st, 2026 at 12:10 PM at Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre (Theatre 1).

BISOU SAUVAGE... As world tragedies pile up, a bored couple is looking for their next distraction. This explosive dark comedy is a blunt take on the privilege of boredom and the dissonance that is needed to pretend everything is okay. Lebanese-Canadian illustrator and animator Bahij Jaroudi compels us to recognize our own apathy in this relatable black-and-white animated short.

EIFF WEBSITE & TIX: https://edmontonfilmfest.com/films/
NFB WEBSITE: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/bisou-sauvage/
INSTAGRAM: @bahijjaroudi

Christian Zyp interviews Dylan Glynn (writer/designer/director) about the animated short KNOWING GAZE. It will screen at the Edmonton International Film Festival as part of their Short Stop 7.0 program. See it on Saturday October 3rd, 2026 at 12:00pm at Landmark CInemas 9 City Centre.

Knowing Gaze is a loving roast of gay culture. This animated short moves fluidly through a series of interconnected vignettes—from online personas to offline hookups, from the thrift store to the dance floor to the bathhouse. Rendered in expressive brush strokes, the story unfolds as candid conversations carried by acidic dialogue and vulnerable interior monologues. At its core, the film probes the tenderness and tension of modern gay identity. Beneath a million witty one-liners, the soul cries out.

TIX: https://edmontonfilmfest.com/films/
NFB WEBSITE: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/knowing-gaze/
DLYAN GLYNN WEBSITE: https://www.dylanglynn.com/
INSTAGRAM: @dylanglynn.mov

Christian Zyp interviews Kerrie Long (former Executive Director & Lead Programmer for EIFF) about her 20 year tenure at the top of the Edmonton International Film Festival. Since EIFF is celebrating their 40th anniversary and Kerrie is a vital part of its storied history, she is the best person to look back at a large portion of the festival's history. She is still part of EIFF as a short film programmer, even though she has retired from her position as the head of the festival.

Kerrie began her journey at EIFF in 2004, managing the daily duties required to produce a film festival – raising funds, grant writing, sponsorship, leading the production and programming teams, working with the EIFF volunteer Board of Directors, balancing the budget, the list goes on – all while multiplying life by the power of two, being a Mom, a Kookum, a Wife, and an Auntie. In her previous life, Kerrie was a writer and producer with ACCESS Television and a freelance Producer/Production Manager with many television credits. She grew up in Vegreville, Alberta, daughter of dairy farmers.

See the 40th edition of the Edmonton International Film Festival from Sept 24th - Oct 3rd.
EIFF WEBSITE: https://edmontonfilmfest.com/
INSTAGRAM: @edmfilmfest