Calgary is going to the movies

David MarrelliChaotic. Frenzied. Everything’s abuzz. That’s how the offices of the Calgary International Film Festival are these days as it launches into its sixth season on September 23. And it seems like that is how the life of David Marrelli, BA’00, LLB’00, has been for the last several years as well.

An education in law is not the usual requirement for starting and running an international film festival, but the two happened simultaneously for Marrelli.

He had been working on his BA for years, filling in courses here and there while juggling full-time jobs in the construction business and sharing duties raising his daughter. When it came time for law school, Marrelli decided to buckle down and attend full time

“As a mature student, I knew it was going to be tough to attend law school and juggle everything else. But I wanted to go through the program with my whole class. As well, managing that workload on a full-time basis was a key learning component,” says Marrelli. “Essentially, it’s a bootcamp for the mind.”

Once he made it through his first year of “bootcamp,” Marrelli said he felt much more confident taking on Herculean tasks. So when the idea of starting a film festival came up with a friend, he was ready to jump on board. A new massive undertaking was added to Marrelli’s balancing act. Finessing a business plan and selling the idea of the festival was combined with his studies over the next two years.

“A big part of my job with the festival, even now, is selling it—getting people to believe in it.”

Building a festival that appeals to the mainstream audience as much as to the committed cinephile has been a major part of the challenge. But it’s the opportunity to find that middle ground that Marrelli finds so compelling. It’s also the opportunity to build and reflect community.

“You’re able to present so much in a film festival,” he explains. “One film can represent the work of dozens or hundreds of people. It’s a lot of creative energy to bring together, share and celebrate. It can reflect so many facets of humanity.”

Ironically, Marrelli has fewer opportunities to watch films now than he had a few years ago. In just six years, the 10-day festival has grown exponentially, with more than 400 films running this year. Hopefully, the chaos and frenzy will subside just enough for Marrelli to catch a few of those flicks himself.

By Leslie Strudwick

David Marrelli, director of the Calgary International Film Festival, has a handful of films he’s determined not to miss at this year’s festival: Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man, Deepa Metha’s Water, the French film Hidden, and the “mockumentary” The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico.