Sometimes timing’s a bitch. Our music issue comes out this Friday, but it turns out that the coming week or two are all about film events. Here’s a few that should be on your radar:

Pray the Devil Back to Hell (Tuesday, October 20, Plaza):
This is pretty short notice, but Afrikadey’s presenting a screening of Pray the Devil Back to Hell tomorrow. The story of a group of unarmed women who helped change the fate of Liberia, this one won the best documentary prize at Tribecca:

Hausu (Thursday, October 29, Plaza):

To be honest, I have almost no idea what’s happening in this trailer, but it looks awesome. A piano that eats people, a picture of a cat that projectile vomits blood, flying severed heads… This Japanese horror movie from the late ’70s is the first co-presentation from the Calgary Cinematheque Society and the Calgary Underground Film Fest, and it looks to be batshit crazy in all the right ways.
Actually, this might be more impressive than the trailer:


Calgary Arab Film Festival (October 23-25, The Uptown):
Calgary’s first Arab film festival kicks off this Friday, October 23 at The Uptown, and it looks like they’ve landed a solid opening line-up. The closing gala film, Salt of This Sea (which CAFF’s artistic director says is the first film written and directed by a Palestinian), looks particularly interesting, but anyone interested in cinematic portrayals of Arabs that go beyond the Hollywood mainstream would do well to check it out:
(That’s actually the subject of one of the films, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People). Here's the Salt of This Earth trailer:

CJSW Funding Drive screenings (Monday, October 26, Plaza):
The CJSW funding drive starts this Friday, and while it’s mostly music events, they’ve got a pretty kick-ass double-feature happening at the Plaza on Monday. At 7pm they’re showing UHF (starring Weird Al and a pre-Kramer Michael Richards), a film chock-full of brilliant parodies like Wheel of Fish and Conan the Librarian. It’s cheesy as all get-out, but surprisingly fun — especially if you have fond childhood memories of the Weird one. Then, at 9pm, it’s the absolute classic Blues Brothers movie, which includes some of the best soul performances ever featured in a ridiculous comedy. Make sure to drink your Orange Whips before getting there.

Hidden Gems Film Festival (November 21-22 and 27-29, John Dutton Theatre)
This one’s a way out, but worth mentioning anyway. When Niru Bhatia was programming films at this year’s Calgary International Film Festival, she ended up with a handful of high quality films that just couldn’t fit into the fest’s schedule. Rather than just get frustrated, she decided to put together a festival of her own. Details are still being finalized, but keep an eye out for a piece on this one Fast Forward in the next few weeks.