Media City Film Festival: FREE OPENING NIGHT PARTY

Wednesday, November 8 at 6:00pm
The Capitol Theatre, 121 University Ave. W, Windsor
FREE admission

Share a drink with international filmmakers, fellow festival-goers, and guests attending from around the world.

MCFF’s Opening Party features music by DJ Zonk Deck, opening remarks from local dignitaries, and an introduction to Media City Film Festival’s 2023 International Competition Jury: Faraz Anoushahpour (Iran / Canada), Ed Halter (USA), and Malena Szlam (Chile / Canada).

Free roses are provided by The Little Petal Truck (with assistance from Nova Faxon Kimmerly Morin). Free apples from Fir Farms.

Directly following THE PARTY is a retrospective screening of Narcisa Hirsch’s films, introduced by Tomas Rautenstrauch attending from Buenos Aires, along with screenings of films by artists from France, Japan, Brazil, Scotland, Austria, and elsewhere.

CELEBRATE Media City Film Festival’s 26th edition and historic return to in-person events at The Capitol Theatre & Arts Centre in charming downtown Windsor.

All screenings and events Pay What You Like. Limited seating is available. The Box Office opens one hour before showtime.

PARTIES EVERY NIGHT 11pm-LATE at PHOG LOUNGE (157 University Ave. West), including MCFF’s Award Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 11.

Image (left): Harry Smith, Film No. 11 (Mirror Animations), 1956-57. Courtesy Anthology Film Archives.

Program Partners

This event is co-presented with The Little Petal Truck and Phog Lounge.

MCFF 2023 INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION JURY

Faraz Anoushahpour

Faraz Anoushahpour (1987). Artist, filmmaker, and programmer originally from Iran, now based in Canada. Bachelor in Architecture from Architectural Association (London, UK); MFA (Interdisciplinary Art) from OCAD (Toronto). Programmer at Images Festival (2014–2018). 15+ films and installations since 2013 in collaboration with Parastoo Anoushahpour and Ryan Ferko; screenings and exhibitions at venues including European Media Art Festival, Viennale, The Museum of Modern Art, Media City Film Festival, and New York Film Festival. MCFF Chrysalis Fellow (2020). Lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Ed Halter

Ed Halter (1970). Film programmer and writer born in Boston, now based in New York. Director of Light Industry in Brooklyn and curator of screenings and exhibitions at venues including Whitney Museum of American Art, New Museum, Institute of Contemporary Arts, and Tate Modern. Programmer and Director of New York Underground Film Festival (1995–2005). Author of several books including Sun Tzu to Xbox: War and Video Games (2006) and frequent contributor to Artforum, Cinema Scope, frieze, The New Yorker, and other publications. Critic in Residence, Film and Electronic Arts, at Bard College (Red Hook). Lives in New York, New York.

Malena Szlam

Malena Szlam (1979). Artist and filmmaker born in Chile, now based in Canada. Studied visual art at ARCIS University (Santiago); MFA (Film Production) from Concordia University (Montréal). 10+ films and installations since 2008; screenings at venues including New York Film Festival, CPH:DOX, International Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Los Angeles Filmforum, and Moscow International Film Festival. MCFF Underground Mines commissioned artist (2015). Awarded Grand Prix Melbourne IFF and TIFF’s Top Ten Canadian Films (2018). Member of Double Negative, a collective dedicated to production and exhibition of experimental cinema. Lives in Montréal, Québec.