DETROIT — On the opening night of last year's Windsor International Film Festival, a filmmaker slipped WIFF executive director Vincent Georgie a copy of their new movie on a USB drive for consideration at this year's event.

It's an example of how, when it comes to programming a film festival, there is no offseason, or even an off night.

"It's truly 12 months of work," says Georgie, on the phone from Windsor last week. "We've been going at it very hard for months and months and months. Last year when we closed, we packed up shop, we all kind of caught up on a little bit of sleep, and we were back into it within a week."

This year's WIFF — which does, in fact, include the film that was handed to Georgie at last year's opening — kicks off Thursday, Oct. 29, at three venues in downtown Windsor, just over either of the two international bridges (or through the Tunnel) from Detroit. It runs through Nov. 8.

In all, 232 films will play at this year's festival, one more than last year, a figure achieved earlier this week when the new Tom Ripley installment, "A Talent for Murder," became a last-minute addition to the slate.

The festival, now in its 22nd year, will showcase films from 55 countries around the globe, with a special emphasis on Canadian films, which officially represent 51% of the fest's offerings. "That's by design," says Georgie, who holds a Ph.D. in film marketing from HEC Montréal and is also an assistant professor at the University of Windsor.

Last year's festival drew about 50,000 film fans, and the fest is expecting similar numbers this year. Several screenings, including the opening night presentation of James Grey's crime thriller "Paper Tiger," starring Adam Driver, Miles Teller and Scarlett Johansson, have already sold out.

For Metro Detroit movie fans, there is the chance to see a number of highly anticipated films before they hit theaters this side of the river, including the making-of-"Rocky" story "I Play Rocky" (slated to open locally on Nov. 20) and "The Debut," the latest directorial effort from Jesse Eisenberg, which stars Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti (which is headed to theaters in December, and is earning heavy Oscar chatter for Moore).

Buzzed about new movies including the Channing Tatum-starring "Josephine" and the festival hit "Club Kid" are also in the mix, as is "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York," which is favored to earn John Turturro his first-ever Oscar nomination.

Last year's WIFF included four of the five Oscar nominees for best international feature, and this year's fest is looking for similar returns, with selections including the Norwegian drama "Fjord," Spain's "La Bola Negra," Japan's "All of a Sudden," Austria's "Rose," and France's "Minotaur," all of which are considered favorites in the field.

"Minotaur" is set against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and is about a man who discovers his wife has been unfaithful. When he saw it earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, "it gave me a physical reaction," says Georgie. "When that film was done, my arm shot straight up in the theater, and I was shaking my arm, nonverbally cheering this film, for how good it was. That doesn't happen often."

It can't happen often, or Georgie would likely be in a lot of physical pain. He sees upwards of 650 movies a year, so he's clocking several titles a day — not just movies for the fest, but also blockbuster titles such as "The Odyssey" and the latest "Spider-Man" movie, so he's current on all facets of the movie biz. (And because, obviously, he's a movie fan.)

As plugged in as Georgie is, even he wasn't aware of the "Goodfellas" documentary "As Far Back As I Can Remember… The Story of Goodfellas," until it arrived to him as a festival submission. He watched the film and then instantly watched it a second time, and immediately greenlit it for the fest.

"As Far Back As I Can Remember" will make its Canadian premiere at WIFF, and Lorraine Bracco, who was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in "Goodfellas," will be on hand at the premiere and will be honored by the festival.

For Georgie, who has been with WIFF for 18 years, those moments can make the difference at a festival and make the experience unique for movie fans.

"Hyper-eventized special moments really matter," he says.

Other programming at the festival includes a selection of classic and fan favorite titles, including "Thelma & Louise," "Carrie," "A Clockwork Orange" and "The Room"; a series of films that were lost or otherwise overshadowed due to their release during the COVID-19 pandemic; and a whole lot of films waiting to be discovered by audiences.

"Take something for a spin, and figure out what you like or don't," says Georgie, who will be on hand to introduce about 50 of the festival screenings, down from the days when he used to do around 100. "Make sure there is at least one title that is not something you'd normally pick. You can never expand your vocabulary if you're using the same words all the time."

As of right now, the 2027 WIFF schedule is a blank slate, but that's likely to change soon, says Georgie.

"I've got ideas for 2027, but nothing's locked yet," he says. "Someone's going to hand me something at a party and, yeah. The programming never, never, never stops."

Windsor International Film Festival

Oct. 29-Nov. 8

Downtown Windsor

Individual tickets $19, festival passes $360

windsorfilmfestival.com

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