The Wild Hunt, the first feature by Film Production grad Alexandre Franchi, is riding success at last fall’s Toronto International Film Festival all the way to Slamdance.

The film, which Alexandre directed and co-wrote, sets up a good-natured look at LARPers (live-action roleplayers) inside a medieval fantasy world of their own creation before suddenly turning everything on its ear after a young man follows his girlfriend into the game.

In Toronto, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, it won the award for Best Canadian First Feature and ultimately earned a place on TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten for 2009.

The film drew praise from critics, with Variety saying that “first-time feature director Alexandre Franchi deserves mainstream cred for his own cheeky role-play — initially impersonating a benign satirist of the rubber sword-swinging set when his ultimate goal is a good deal more savage.”

Making Slamdance, the well-known Sundance alternative, is another big notch in an incredibly successful run for an indie feature. The Wild Hunt is screening twice, on January 24 and January 26, at the festival. Check out the film’s official website here.