HAMILTON — The Hamilton Film Festival begins its 21st edition on Friday, October 16, with an opening gala and a program of locally connected short films at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre.

The venue lists the gala for 6 p.m., followed by the Local Shorts screening at 8 p.m. at 357 Wilson Street East. The film program runs approximately 90 minutes, with a question-and-answer session afterward.

A local opening to a city-wide festival

The lineup includes Sugar, the eight-minute film by Hamilton director Olivia Ellis that won the festival's pitch competition last year. Other selections include Ryan Nesbitt's Swimmers and Jess Blackwell's Value Undetermined.

The festival continues through October 25. Its published schedule spans the Ancaster centre, The Westdale, Playhouse Cinema and Epic Books on Locke Street.

Saturday's program includes Cows Come Home, directed by Katie Uhlmann, at 3:30 p.m., and Adam Yorke's Hamilton-filmed thriller Phreaker at 7 p.m., both at the Ancaster centre.

Tickets and audience guidance

The opening-night venue listing prices admission at $15 plus HST. It warns that the films are unrated and some material may be unsuitable for younger viewers. Readers should check individual descriptions and ticket availability with the venue before travelling.

Sources: Hamilton Film Festival's current program; Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre's opening-night listing; CHCH's October 8 interview about Sugar.

Lead image: downtown Hamilton's Main Street looking east, June 2007 file photograph by Rick Cordeiro, Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Geographic context only; not the Ancaster venue or this year's festival.