The Artifact Small Format Film Festival is Calgary’s only celluloid-based film festival, screening shorts shot on Super 8 and 16mm over three nights each spring.
About
Artifact is one of only a handful of festivals in the world that projects exclusively on small-format film. The Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers presents shorts shot on Super 8 and 16mm from local and international filmmakers, projected the old way. The Film/Music Explosion! series pairs filmmakers with live musicians, and workshops and special screenings round out the three nights.
It started in 1992 as the $100 Film Festival, named for the challenge of shooting a short film on four rolls of Super 8 for $100. Over the years it dropped the budget limit and added 16mm, and in 2017 it took the name Artifact Small Format Film Festival. The 2026 edition was its 31st.