In their thirteenth year of introducing residents to internationally acclaimed films, the Stittsville Rotary Club, in collaboration with the Film Circuit of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), is pleased to be bringing four new films to the screen at Landmark Cinemas. For this winter series, the dates for the 4:00pm or 7:00pm Monday showings are February 24, March 31, April 28, and May 26.
Ordering your series pass is easy. Please contact Charles Mossman (charcz@yahoo.com) for the 4:00pm showing, or Sandra Burt (sburt@uwaterloo.ca) for the 7:00pm showing. The price of a pass for the four films is $60. If you cannot attend all the films, you may send a substitute attendee. Note that these films deal with mature subjects and are not suitable for children.
For the series, the Rotarians will be presenting:
So Surreal: Behind the Masks (Canada, English, 88 min) showing on February 24.
René Magritte, André Breton, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall. We are familiar with these famous painters who were major characters in the post WW II surrealist painting movement. We are less familiar with the tragedy of their accumulation of west coast indigenous masks that became an essential part of their artistic output. This documentary unveils how the surrealists incorporated the Yup’ik and Kwakwaka’wake ceremonial masks into their work. Cree co-director and lead actor, Neil Diamond, tells the story of the quest to bring some of the masks back to their homes. The quest takes Diamond and the viewers, to New York, Alaska, BC, and Paris. This documentary addresses issues of cultural appropriation, reconciliation, and repatriation. Interviewees talk about value and ownership in an entertaining and informative film.
Thelma (US, English 93 min) showing on March 31.
Have you ever been scammed? In this film, a 93-year-old old woman decides to fight back when she learns that her attempt to help her grandson (a truly charming Danny) with $10,000, is part of a phone scam. The film was inspired by director Josh Margolin’s real-life experience with his own grandmother. The ensuing race/struggle is a reminder that age is just a number, and that goodness can prevail. This film brings humour, pathos, and an awareness of the limitations as well as the possibilities of aging to the big screen. Thelma is easy to like, but the other characters in this film give us some amazing performances as well. This film is humane, and timely. Not to be missed.
Crossing (Georgian/Turkish English subtitles, 105 min) showing on April 28.
“Istanbul is a place where people come to disappear.” Lia, a powerful woman who has crossed (hence the title) from Georgia into Turkey to find her niece, takes us on a journey of discovery. Lia is a retired school teacher who is looking for her missing niece, a trans woman (another reference to Crossing) called Tekla. We don’t find Tekla in this film, but we do get a glimpse of the interior life of the Turkish trans community, and we understand that the discovery journey is complex. This is an engaging film. Lia is a
superb lead actor. Her sidekick, Achi, is endearing. This film will leave you with some questions, and few answers.
Small Things Like These (British/Irish, English, 98 min) showing on May 26.
Cillian Murphy, Oscar-winning actor fresh from Oppenheimer, plays Bill Furlong, an Irish coal merchant who witnesses the abuses of the Magdalene Sisters in the laundry workhouses set up for young homeless women in Ireland. Murphy, who is also the film’s producer, has noted the parallels with Canada’s residential schools. The film is based on the narrative of Claire Keegan’s book of the same title and exposes the horrors of some of the nunneries in Ireland in the 1980s. But it also shows how Bill is able to
confront his own past, and the harsh realities of the present. The film’s cinematography, sound design, and score are striking, and the cast delivers stellar performances.
Each of these films has something unique to offer; and, each provides multiple talking points for subscribers as they leave the cinema!
Profits from the International Film Series support a variety of Rotary club projects and donations within our community and around the world. Some organizations that have received financial support from our club are the Stittsville Food Bank, the Richmond Food Bank, Dictionaries 4 Life, Water First (a program to train indigenous water quality assurance workers) and ShelterBox (a Rotary International partner that provides temporary housing for refugees and displaced people).
For information about the Rotary club please visit stittsvillerotary.com or follow them on their Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville – Facebook page. Rotarians serve their community and beyond! Contact the Rotary club at info@stittsvillerotary.com should you have any questions.
