Twelve filmmakers started CSIF Calgary in 1978 because they saw a growing need for film resources and equipment. That’s the whole origin story, and it explains the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers better than any slogan. It’s a non-profit, artist run centre, and it’s still at #100, 1725 10 Avenue SW.
The early years were all about film stock you could hold. Funding in the late 1970s and early 1980s came from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Calgary Region Art Foundation, and it paid for equipment and resources. Members got curious about 8mm and 16mm, so workshops followed to help people sharpen their skills. Everything CSIF does today grows from that loop of gear plus teaching.
The gear part still works the same way. On the equipment page, members get rental rates discounted from commercial prices. Pickup and drop off happen Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 5pm, and Saturdays are by appointment with production staff. Bookings are processed in the order they arrive, with production members first, then associate members, then commercial renters. New members start as Associates, so you can sign up and look around before you commit to a production membership.
Then there’s the Script Club, which we think is the best low pressure door into Calgary filmmaking. It meets the second Tuesday of every month from 7pm to 9pm at CSIF, and it’s open to screenwriters of every level. The first half is feedback on scripts members volunteered ahead of time. The second half digs into a published script from film or television. It’s free for members, and non members can drop in for one trial meeting.
CSIF also runs the Artifact Film Festival, which you’ll find linked from its home page.
We’ve written plenty about where Calgary films get shown. See how CIFF grew from six days in 2000, how CUFF programs Halloween, and where the Calgary Film Centre fits on the production side. CSIF is where independent Calgary filmmakers can rent the gear to make the films that fill those screens.
If you’ve got a script in a drawer, mark the second Tuesday and go.
Related reading from us: Hell on Wheels Set Up Its Railroad Camp in Calgary and A Motors and Music night backed Not In My City with live performances.
Quick answers
CSIF was founded in 1978 by a collective of twelve filmmakers who saw a growing need for film resources and equipment in Calgary. It is a non-profit, artist run centre supporting independent filmmakers.
CSIF is at #100, 1725 10 Avenue SW in Calgary. Equipment pickup and drop off happen Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 5pm, with Saturdays by appointment arranged in advance with production staff.
The Script Club meets the second Tuesday of each month from 7pm to 9pm at CSIF. It welcomes screenwriters of all levels, with feedback on member scripts and a discussion of a published script. It is free for members, and non members get one trial meeting.
Sources: Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers; CSIF Equipment; CSIF Clubs.
