The Windsor International Film Festival is celebrating a record-breaking year. The 22nd annual festival ran from October 29 to November 8 in downtown Windsor, featuring 232 films from 55 countries. More than 38,000 people attended this year, with over 30 per cent of movie goers being tourists. The festival’s popularity was clear from the start, with several sold-out screenings and events, including the opening and closing films. Some screenings even had to be moved into larger theatres to accommodate the crowds. Vincent Georgie, Executive Director and Chief Programmer of WIFF, says the festival continues to gain popularity every year. “There was a lot of packed houses, a lot of sold out films, our opening and closing films were sold out, a lot of local films sold out, I Play Rocky was sold out, the Lorraine Bracco event was super popular, and we just saw some packed houses really for the 11 days... and to go and have our biggest attendance ever, it just bodes well for the future and we can all be proud of it.” He says they kept hearing how incredible the atmosphere was, along with great films. “The opening film Paper Tiger with Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, the closing film with Julianne Moore called The Debut, the Lorraine Bracco special did sell out as an event,” says Georgie. “We had so many big, exciting films that so many people wanted to watch that it became a destination. I mean, we met people that came to WIFF exclusively just for The Goodfellas event... that drove down just for that one night. Just incredible stuff.” He says they’re seeing more tourists attend the festival. “Last year we were at about 17 per cent outside of market, this year it’s over 30 per cent. So there’s a really big jump, which we’re really proud of, we put a lot of effort into bringing tourists here. So we’re very proud of that, it shows that the effort has been noticed. And also WIFF is a world class event that Windsor has built, so it’s not surprising that people from across Ontario, across Canada, and throughout the States want to come and visit WIFF.” Georgie says they also heard from many local businesses such as restaurants, bars, hotels and even Uber drivers who benefited from the increased traffic. Planning is already underway for next year’s festival, which will return to downtown Windsor from October 28 to November 7, 2027.
