The Windsor International Film Festival is seeing its strongest ticket pre-sale campaign on record, with several films being moved to larger venues to meet demand. Festival organizers say advance ticket sales have surged ahead of the 11-day event, with some screenings already requiring venue changes to accommodate audiences. WIFF executive director Vincent Georgie said the strong sales reflect the festival’s continued growth. According to Georgie, ticket sales for the festival’s opening-night film, Paper Tiger, are up 509 per cent compared with the same point in last year’s pre-sale campaign. He said demand has been especially strong for Paper Tiger, the closing-night film The Debut, and As Far Back As I Can Remember: The Story of Goodfellas, which is expected to feature an appearance by actor Lorraine Bracco. Georgie said it is the first time the festival has had to move films to larger venues because of pre-sale demand. Among the films drawing significant interest are local filmmaker Jakob Skrzypa’s The Historical History of Canada, which was moved after selling out, as well as I Play Rocky and the Terry Fox documentary Run Terry Run. Georgie said several films are outperforming expectations, with strong demand well before the festival begins. He also pointed to growing interest from outside the region, noting ticket sales data shows visitors are purchasing tickets from across Ontario and Canada. Georgie encouraged moviegoers to purchase tickets early, warning that some screenings could sell out before the festival opens. This year’s Windsor International Film Festival runs from Oct. 29 to Nov. 8 and will feature 232 films from 55 countries.
