Laughing until you cry or crying until you're laughing? These darkly comedic shorts will keep you on your toes. Content advisory: themes and depictions of animal harm <a href="http://www.jwadesign.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.ciffcalgary.ca/assets/Sponsors/Banners/e65a702925/Jerilyn-Wright-_-Associates_TileAd.jpg" width="349" style="max-width: 100%;"></a><a href="https://loknow.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/38eab5d5ae398814fa94dd8149ebc663.jpg" width="347" style="max-width: 100%;"></a>

En route to his daughter's birthday party, a hapless father annihilates a wiener dog with his car. <a href="https://ciff2023.eventive.org/schedule/64dac0ffcd428000504e65ba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NOODLES FOREVER will be screened as a part of the SHORTS: AFTER LAUGHTER COMES TEARS package.</a> Content Warning-depictions of animal harm

NOODLES FOREVER

En route to his daughter's birthday party, a hapless father annihilates a wiener dog with his car.

Basri and Salma are husband and wife. They own an Odong-Odong, an Indonesian-style mini carousel ride for kids. Every day they go around the neighbourhood entertaining and looking after other family's children. After five years of marriage, they still haven’t been blessed with a child of their own. One day after work, Basri and Salma meet relatives at a family gathering who make condescending statements about their childless status. The next day, while Salma is entertaining kids on the carousel, Basri's imagination gets the best of him, unleashing a wild daydream about his insecurities and his manhood. What could be the reason for them not to have a child? BASRI &amp; SALMA IN A NEVER-ENDING COMEDY will be screened as a part of the <a href="https://ciff2023.eventive.org/schedule/64dac0ffcd428000504e65ba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SHORTS: AFTER LAUGHTER COMES TEARS</a> package.

English

BASRI & SALMA IN A NEVER-ENDING COMEDY

A married couple spends their days entertaining other people's children at a carnival. They will soon uncover why they have not been blessed with a child of...

When Rob is diagnosed with stage 4 testicular cancer, his friends convince him to store his sperm before chemotherapy makes him infertile. In the sperm bank donation room, he peruses the cheesy adult DVDs but nothing tickles his fancy. Rob tries to do the deed, but overwhelming thoughts of cancer keep popping into his head. Rob's friends give him some misguided advice: PMA or Positive Mental Attitude. Heading back into the room with a newfound PMA, Rob ends up face-to-face with his future self to find out his future relies solely in his own hands. Based on the writer and creator’s real-life experiences with cancer, THE SPERM BANK is a dark comedy about one of the bizarre, chaotic, existential, and life-affirming situations a cancer diagnosis can cause. It’s not all chemo and tears: sometimes you have to masturbate. <a href="https://ciff2023.eventive.org/schedule/64dac0ffcd428000504e65ba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">THE SPERM BANK will be screened as a part of the SHORTS: AFTER LAUGHTER COMES TEARS package.</a>

THE SPERM BANK

Newly diagnosed with stage 4 testicular cancer, 23-year-old Rob must now take the first big step… masturbate into a cup to protect a future he isn’t sure...

Two teenage friends are roaming the neighbourhood together and having a conversation. The boy asks his friend about her headscarf. As a joke, he rips it off her head and drives away. Afraid of the consequences of being seen, the girl runs after him. The unusual chase leads the two of them to new insights and a bit more openness. <a href="https://ciff2023.eventive.org/schedule/64dac0ffcd428000504e65ba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PIECE BY PIECE will be screened as a part of the SHORTS: AFTER LAUGHTER COMES TEARS package.</a>

PIECE BY PIECE

While two teenage friends roam around the neighbourhood, they just want to pass the time together but new perspectives are revealed.

At a busy downtown café, a woman zones out during a business meeting. A drifting seagull hits the window. The customers notice the incident but quickly stop paying attention. The woman, too, tries to ignore the event but is unable to shake it off. She notices the seagull is still alive but greatly suffering so heads outside to euthanize the bird. Some children watch and yell at her for trying to kill the seagull. She eventually twists the bird's neck and the children move back to their games. While she buries the bird in a nearby flowerbed, her colleagues and the customers stare at her. <a href="https://ciff2023.eventive.org/schedule/64dac0ffcd428000504e65ba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FÁR will be screened as a part of the SHORTS: AFTER LAUGHTER COMES TEARS package.</a> Content Warning-depictions of animal harm

FÁR

A bird hits a window of a café and disrupts its customers. A woman faces a decision on whether to ignore nature or react.

What were Catherine and Louis thinking when they chose a cat with distinctive white spots? It would have been much easier to replace if they had picked the all-black one! Now they will have to tell their daughter Sophie that Nugget’s dead. Unless… DEAD CAT will be screened as a part of the <a href="https://ciff2023.eventive.org/schedule/64dac0ffcd428000504e65ba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SHORTS: AFTER LAUGHTER COMES TEARS</a> package. Content Warning-depictions of animal harm

DEAD CAT

Catherine and Louis struggle when trying to replace a cat for their daughter that needs to be an exact replica.

As a wheelchair user, Jake is constantly watched over by his dad and lauded for his bravery by everyone. Now 18, he's finally been left at home, without supervision, with his best friend June. Together, they plan to use the opportunity to have sex. Unfortunately, Jake's overbearing dad and a spider present some complications. Most of all, they reinforce the macabre nature of life as a disabled person in society. <a href="https://ciff2023.eventive.org/schedule/64dac0ffcd428000504e65ba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DON'T COME IN... YET will be screened as a part of the SHORTS: AFTER LAUGHTER COMES TEARS package.</a>

DON'T COME IN... YET

Tonight’s the night, Paraplegic Jake and his best friend June plan to hook up, but an overbearing dad and a rather large spider present some minor...

Lili, a feisty 10-year-old girl, has always swam topless. When her parents force her to wear a bikini top for a trip to the water park, she rebels: why should she hide her flat chest when her friends, all boys, don't have to? <a href="https://ciff2023.eventive.org/schedule/64dac0ffcd428000504e65ba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DEATH TO THE BIKINI! will be screened as a part of the SHORTS: AFTER LAUGHTER COMES TEARS package.</a>

DEATH TO THE BIKINI!

Lili, a 10-year-old, rebels when her parents force her to wear a bikini top, even though she has always swam topless.

Ruby and Paula are gearing up to be their own bosses through multi-level success magnet FYZZLECosmetics when a small dog, a medium amount of blood, and a box of loose powder conspire against them. Margaret Miller, the film's director, describes POOF as a "plummet into the 9 minutes before the rest of your life. It is a meditation on celebrity, capitalism, and fancy ketchup. It is the story of friendship amidst the clutter." Catherine Curtin (F^¢K 'EM R!GHT B@¢K, CIFF 2022) adds some star power to this hilariously silly short that wowed programmers and audiences at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. <a href="https://ciff2023.eventive.org/schedule/64dac0ffcd428000504e65ba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">POOF will be screened as a part of the SHORTS: AFTER LAUGHTER COMES TEARS package.</a> ﻿Producer Natalie Metzger will be in attendance at the September 24 screening.﻿

POOF

Ruby and Paula are psyched to be their own bosses at FYZZLE Cosmetics when a small dog, a medium amount of blood, and a box of loose powder conspire against...

Canada

SHORTS: AFTER LAUGHTER COMES TEARS

General Admission

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INDUSTRY-Student + 20 Ticket Bundle

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These are all the passes and ticket bundles tied to your account. You can use these passes to book tickets to the 2023 festival happening September 21-October 1, 2023.

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The 24th Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) takes place September 21 - October 1 in the city of Calgary, Canada.

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? No sweat. Many live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.