BY VICKI GILHULA

Cinéfest organizers say it every year. And every year for the past 21 years, it’s been true. Sudbury’s International Film Festival gets bigger and better.

The 2009 festival will start Saturday, Sept. 19 and run for eight days. A gala film will be shown on the first night of the festival — usually reserved for an opening party — and the regular schedule will start Sunday, Sept. 20 at noon.

All films will be shown at SilverCity Cinemas.

The longer schedule will allow organizers to avoid scheduling conflicts, said Tammy Frick, Cinéfest’s executive director, at a news conference Tuesday to announce some of the festival films.

The work of two Sudbury filmmakers will be shown this year as part of the Northern Connection series. The Woman of Ahhs, a film by Sudbury born and raised director and screenwriter Ben Paquette, is about a handsome, charming, lovelorn musician named Jude Garland on a quest to find a mystery woman.

Son of The Sunshine, a film about a young man with Coprolalia Tourette’s Syndrome, was co-written by former Cinéfest staffer Matthew Heiti. The Sudbury Secondary graduate studied acting at Ryerson University.

The possibility of showing films made by Sudbury citizens was no more than just a dream 21 years ago when some people got together to organize a festival, which would give Sudbury audiences access to Canadian and foreign films that are not shown at mainstream theatres. The festival, through a series of workshops and industry forums, has encouraged filmmakers like Paquette and Heiti.

The theme of the 2009 festival, which will feature 104 films, is “Adventures Abound.” In keeping with the current trend for vacations at home or “staycations,” people can see the world from their theatre seat, said Frick.

She admitted that attracting corporate sponsors in a tight economy hasn’t been easy, but there are some new sponsors, and others are extending their commitments.

The prices of the film passport and tickets will remain at 2008 prices. The all-inclusive passport is $200, gala films are $19.50 each; a package of 10 regular films is $85.50; a package of four regular films is $38.50. A single “rush” ticket is $10.