Before the Sun: Aitamaako'tamisskapi Natosi. March 15th 9:30pm

 Showing March 15th at 9:30 pm

March 15th: 9:30 BEFORE THE SUN

AITAMAAKO’TAMISSKAPI NATOSI:

Directed by Banchi Hanuse, 2023, Canada, 88 minutes 

Don’t miss Nuxalk filmmaker Banchi Hanuse’s intimate and thrilling profile of Logan Red Crow, a young Siksika woman in the golden plains of Blackfoot Territory, as she prepares for one of the most dangerous horse races in the world: the Indian Relay. A sport for the truly brave, the Relay’s bareback riders vault from horse to horse in short, exhilarating races. As she prepares to make history by joining the men’s competition at the Calgary Stampede, Logan’s courage is repeatedly put to the test. There’s no hiding from the dangers of North America’s original extreme sport. Gentle and reflective yet unshakable in her determination, Logan is a champion in the making. Besides her skill and sheer grit, she has a loving family, an elite group of horses, and a home on her ancestral lands. Offering the dual pleasures of serenity and suspense – lyrical immersion in rural life alternating with thrilling race footage – the connections explored here are profound and lasting: those between father and daughter, animal and human, family and community, ancestral tradition and contemporary life. Graceful, compelling and uplifting, this inspirational portrait of radiant heroism has won four Leo Awards – including for Best Cinematography – and Audience Awards at the Vancouver and Calgary International Film Festivals. Named Best Documentary at San Francisco’s American Indian Film Festival, it also received a Special Jury Mention at the Port Townsend Film Festival “for capturing the soul of cinema.”

THE TRAILER:

and a clip:

Who's Yer Father? March 15th at 7:00pm

 Showing at 7 pm on March 15

March 15th: 7 pm WHO’S YER FATHER

Jeremy Larter CANADA, 2023 English 110 minutes 

Principal Cast: Chris Locke, Susan Kent, Jess Salgueiro

Who’s Yer Father? is a delightful Canadian crime-comedy with a charming East Coast twist. Directed by Prince Edward Islander Jeremy Larter, this quirky caper is set against the picturesque backdrop of the island's sandy shores and tight-knit community. Larry Constable (Chris Locke) is a down-and-out private investigator. In fact, he’s PEI’s only P.I., though his enthusiasm far outweighs his investigative prowess. When Luke Thorne, a wealthy seafood tycoon, needs help investigating suspicious black-market lobster sales on the other side of the island, he naturally turns to Larry. Plucky but hapless, Larry dives headfirst into the case and finds himself immersed in the scenic rural community of Sandbar Cove. There, he meets Rhonda, a local convenience store clerk (Susan Kent, This Hour Has 22 Minutes) who quickly takes to helping him solve his case. When Larry and Rhonda discover a secret about Thorne’s wife, they hatch a plan to blackmail her and escape to start a new life together, but you know what they say about the best laid plans! An oddball love letter to the East Coast, Who’s Yer Father? masterfully captures the essence of Maritime life, blending genres of humour, crime, and romance. Even the title is a nod to a local colloquialism; “who’s yer father” is a shorthand way for islanders to figure out if they know each other. And in a province of 170,000 people, chances are they do! Larter’s film is a heartwarming and entertaining addition to the Canadian cinema canon.

THE TRAILER:

The 24th Annual Cinema CNC Film Festival [revisited]

 

THE FESTIVAL IS POSTPONED

Dear Friends of Cinema CNC: 

up until 40 minutes ago, the Film Festival was going to go ahead; however, Provincial and Municipal initiatives to address the outbreak of Covid-19 have necessitated cancelling of large events for the near future. This means that there will be no festival this weekend.

It is our intention to postpone the festival until a more disease-free period [early May?] and, ideally, the line-up will remain the same. This means that tickets purchased and passes acquired will remain valid, just for a different day.

These are early minutes, so I haven't completely thought-out how best to proceed with refunds for those who would prefer this. Rest assured, you will be refunded, if that's what you desire.

Otherwise, the festival will happen, as promised, just on different days... stay tuned.

Unless, of course, this is the end-times as prophesied, in which case we will have some other concerns to discuss.

Please share and forward and tell your friends who might not see this message.

With sincere apologies,

Peter

The Twentieth Century - March 15th: 9:30

The Twentieth Century

Director: Matthew Rankin

Cast:: Daniel Beirne, Sarianne Cormier, Mikhaïl Ahooja, 

Year: 2019

Runtime: 90 minutes 

Country: Canada

Language: English

Winnipeg’s Matthew Rankin (The Tesla World Light) doubles down on his signature mode of gonzo history films with this bizarro biopic of William Lyon Mackenzie King, which reimagines the former Canadian Prime Minister’s early life as a series of abject humiliations, both professional and sexual.

Critical Notes

"The movie is full of demonstrative acting and self-consciously verbose dialogue..., but other touches underscore the serious critique beneath the heightened silliness." - Kevin Ritchie, NOW Toronto

 The Trailer!

Antigone - March 15th: 7 pm

Antigone 

Director: Sophie Deraspe 

CANADA, 2019
French w/ English subtitles 109 minutes 

Principal Cast: Nahéma Ricci, Nour Belkhiria, Rawad El-Zein, Rachida Oussaada, Antoine Desrochers, Paul Doucet, Nathalie Tanous, Hakim Brahimi, Benoit Gouin, Kathleen Fortin 

Gripping, powerful, and of-the-moment, Antigone loosely adapts Sophocles’ Greek tragedy and situates it in contemporary Montreal. The latest from critically acclaimed Québécois writer-director Sophie Deraspe (The Wolves, The Amina Profile) is a compassionate family drama that doesn’t hold back on its indictment of the current refugee and immigrant experience in North America. 

Following the murder of their parents, Antigone, her sister Ismène, her brothers Étéocle and Polynice, and their grandmother Ménécée find refuge in Montreal. They live a quiet, modest life in a tiny apartment in a working-class neighbourhood. A straight-A student seemingly destined for greatness, Antigone (masterfully played by Nahéma Ricci in her first leading role) is the glue that holds the family together. Tragedy strikes when Étéocle is wrongfully gunned down by police during the arrest of Polynice, a small-time drug dealer. Motivated by her sense of duty towards her family and fuelled by the memory she cherishes of her dead parents, Antigone decides to jeopardize her own future to preserve that of her family. 

Winner of the Canada Goose® Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival, Antigone 

acutely explores familial sacrifice, the burden of responsibility, and the nature of justice with exceptional depth and nuance. Although inspired by a story 2,500 years old, Deraspe’s film is a timely meditation — one that prompts serious reflection on immigrant life in an ostensibly welcoming contemporary Canada. 

“The film is an incisive critique of the power imbalance between citizens and immigrants and the hypocrisy of an unjust justice system. It jolts the viewer out of complacency.” 

—Kelsey Adams, NOW Magazine 

The Trailer:

Il Pleuvait des Oiseaux [and the Birds Rained Down] - March 15th: 2 pm

Il Pleuvait des Oiseaux [And the Birds Rained Down] 

Director: Louise Archambault 

CANADA, 2019

French w/ English subtitles 127 minutes 

Principal Cast: Andrée Lachapelle, Gilbert Sicotte, Rémy Girard, Ève Landry, Éric Robidoux, Louise Portal 

The latest from Louise Archambault (Film Circuit favourite Gabrielle), adapted from the acclaimed novel by Jocelyne Saucier, is an elegiac and charming meditation on the possibilities of living outside modernity. 

As the film opens, we meet three hermits living in cabins in the Quebec countryside, miles from civilization. Tom (Rémy Girard, The Barbarian Invasions, Incendies), Charlie (Gilbert Sicotte, The Salesman), and Ted (Kenneth Welsh, Wet Bum, Adoration) fled society years ago, and have eked out a back-to-the-land existence, selling pot to the closest locals with help from local hotelier Stephen (Éric Robidoux, Love in the Time of Civil War). 

But their lifestyle is increasingly endangered by nature, infirmity, and age. Ted collapses from a heart attack. Photographer and researcher Ange-Aimee (Eve Landry) threatens to disrupt their lives when she starts looking for survivors of a catastrophic blaze that happened decades ago, most notably Ted, whose actions during the fire have assumed heroic stature. 

And the Birds Rained Down is a tribute to the need to live independently and on one’s own terms — and to those courageous enough to pursue this. (It’s also a cry for respect for people and their choices, regardless of age.) Driven by an astonishing cast boasting some of Quebec’s most esteemed performers — including Andrée Lachapelle, whose career stretches back to 1954 — the film features one of the most beautiful musical moments of the year, when Girard’s ailing musician Tom, coaxed into performing at a nearby club, delivers a soulful and heartbreaking rendition of one of Tom Waits’ best tunes. 

“Touching, heartbreaking, and dangerously thought-provoking, And the Birds Rained Down will force you to re-examine your relationship with your- self, the world around you, and the people you love.” 

—Anne T. Donahue,  The Globe and Mail 

The Trailer!