Fall has arrived and the Stittsville Rotary Club are hosting their 2026 International Film Series for residents in collaboration with the Film Circuit of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville will be screening four films this fall starting on September 28 and will continue until December 14 with 4:00pm and 7:00pm showings at Landmark Cinemas in Kanata. The film committee of the Rotary Club have selected an eclectic blend of films being shown on September 28, October 26, November 30, and December 14.
Ordering your series pass is easy. Please contact Charles Mossman (charcz@yahoo.com) for 4:00pm passes, or Sandra Burt (sburt@uwaterloo.ca) for 7:00pm passes. Tickets for the 7:00pm showing are almost sold out, with more availability for the 4:00pm showings. The price of a pass for the four films is $60. If you cannot attend all the films, you may send a substitute attendee.
Don’t miss out! The Stittsville Rotary Club look forward to seeing you at Landmark Theatres. The Club appreciates your continued support of the film series and their Club.
September 28: Meadowlarks (in honour of Canada’s National Day For Truth And Reconciliation) English, 92 minutes
Indigenous filmmaker Tasha Hubbard (herself a Sixties Scoop survivor) tells the story of four Cree siblings, separated since childhood as a result of the “sixties scoop”and now in their fifties, reunited for a weekend at a lodge in Banff. Each sibling has had a different childhood journey – representative of the various experiences of Indigenous children removed by governments from their birth families. One reviewer writes that it is an insightful and beautiful film. We are screening it today as one way of recognizing September 30, Canada’s National Day For Truth and Reconciliation.
October 26: Reading Lolita in Tehran, Persian with sub-titles and English, 107 minutes
This film is based on the 2003 memoir of Iranian-American author Azar Nafisi. A professor of English literature, Nafisi and her husband have just returned to Iran from the United States in 1979, when the film begins. She witnesses and lives within the developing Islamic Revolution as she and her husband try to refashion their lives in Tehran. The film is a tribute to the strong women of Iran and their male allies, who look for ways to navigate the new rules that shape their lives in an increasingly oppressive regime.
November 30: The Art of Adventure, English, 86 minutes
In 1957, renowned wildlife artist Robert Bateman and spirited biologist Bristol Foster set out on a global expedition in a rugged Land Rover they call “The Grizzly Torque.” Starting in the UK, their travels take them to the far corners of the earth. From the lush rainforests of the Congo to the vibrant landscapes of India, Bob paints the wonders they encounter, while Bristol films on his 16mm Bolex camera. Fifty-seven years later, the abandoned Grizzly Torque is rediscovered. As its hidden history emerges and a new owner restores it to its former glory, the tale of their environmental activism through art and science unfolds.
December 14: Once Upon A Time In A Cinema, English, 93 minutes
Bring on the popcorn! Lovers of the old-time movie experience will enjoy this Irish romp through one eventful Friday evening in a small-town Irish cinema facing its demise. The location is ideal – the now defunct Royal Cinema in Limerick. This is a heart-warming recreation of an experience that has nearly disappeared.
For more information about the Rotary Club, be sure to visit their website or follow the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville on Facebook.
The profits from the International Film Series support a variety of Rotary Club projects and donations within our community and around the world. Recent organizations that have received financial support from the Rotary Club are Stittsville Food Bank, Richmond Food Bank, Operation Come Home, Dictionaries 4 Life, Water First (a program to train indigenous water quality assurance workers) and ShelterBox (a Rotary International affiliate that provides temporary housing for refugees, including those from Syria, Turkey and Ukraine).
