Stargazers and movie buffs will descend on the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Thursday for a night of fun and film.

The opening gala for the Calgary International Film Festival will include a showing of “Midnight’s Children.”

Directed by Canada’s own Deepa Mehta, it’s based on the Booker Prize winning novel by Salman Rushdie.

Celebrities slated to walk the red carpet include Mehta; actor and director Jason Priestley; country crooner George Canyon; Graham Wardle and Michelle Morgan from “Heartland”; and Duncan Ollerenshaw, better known as Mr. Toole from “Hell on Wheels.”

The social event will be hosted by Alberta Culture Minister Heather Klimchuk.

Executive Director Stephen Schroeder tells 660News this may be their biggest opening week ever.

“We’re really happy this year with the line-up,” he says. “We have a couple of fascinating spotlight series this year, including the spotlight on 3D that folks are very excited about, exploring the direction that 3D filmmaking is going in.”

Also special to this year’s festival will be a 20-year retrospective of the Western classic, “Unforgiven.”

“Part of the reason we’re celebrating it is because it was made here in Alberta and was a real watershed moment for the Alberta film production industry,” he says.

With films from more than 100 countries, Schroeder says there really is something for everyone.

Tickets are still available for “Midnight’s Children” on Ticketmaster.

The Calgary International Film Festival runs until September 30th.

For a complete list of this year’s featured films click here.