In collaboration with the Film Circuit of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville will be screening four inspirational films this fall at Landmark Cinemas Kanata. The films will be screened at 4:00pm and 7:00pm. on Mondays. The Rotarians thank Laurysen Kitchens for loyally sponsoring this series for another year. You won’t want to miss any of these films.
The dates for the screenings are September 29, October 27, November 24, and December 15. Ordering your series pass is easy. Please contact Charles Mossman by email at (charcz@yahoo.com) for the 4:00pm passes, or Sandra Burt by email at (sburt@uwaterloo.ca) for the 7:00pm passes. The price of a pass for the four films is $60. If you cannot attend all the films, you may send a substitute attendee.
Details of the films being screened during the Fall film series are as follows:
September 29: Being Cyrano (Dans la peau de Cyrano) – French with subtitles, 93 minutes.
Fourteen year-old Colin, played by Joachim Arseguel, in effect plays himself in this moving, and sometimes humorous, story of a young man dealing with multiple issues. Colin’s parents are in the midst of an acrimonious divorce. His mother, Delphine, moves back to her home town near Paris, where Colin must attend a new school. Colin has a stutter, and this makes it difficult for him to connect with other students. Enter M. Devarseau, also new to the school, and committed to mounting Cyrano de Bergerac as a school play. Colin will take on the role of Cyrano. The student actors in this film are not professionals, and their performances are key to the film’s strengths. Being Cyrano provides a nuanced examination of friendships, disabilities, gender identity, and unconventional teaching methods. It is a triumph!
October 27: Bob Trevino Likes It, US, English, 102 minutes.
In this film, which is based on the director’s life experiences, Lily Trevino is a young woman struggling to find her place in life. Lily is a home-help assistant who has little or no relationship with her father Bob, who is a louse. She makes her way on social media to a friendship with another Bob Trevino, who is kind, compassionate – the sort of father that she would like to have. Lily “adopts” this social media Bob as the father that she wants to have, and the two develop a strong bond of friendship. This comedy-drama does a good job of entertaining, while exploring Lily’s personal expectations and family relationships in general.
November 24: Secret Mall Apartment, US, English, 90 minutes.
This documentary takes place in Providence Rhode Island, and explores urban gentrification, homelessness, and artistic possibilities. The story begins in 2002 when Fort Thunder, an old mill building that provided low-cost rental housing, was demolished in order to make way for a super-sized shopping mall. Michael Townsend, a member of the Trummerkind Collective, tape artist and art teacher, was one of the tenants of Fort Thunder, and is the central figure in this story of urban protest. Together with seven other other local artists, Michael led the project of building a secret apartment within the new Providence Place Mall, in a show of defiance against gentrification and an exploration of public/private art. The secret clubhouse was not discovered by the mall security guards for nearly four years. This documentary was produced primarily with low-resolution video footage filmed by the group of eight. You will want to learn what happened to the eight, and in particular to Michael, after the secret apartment was discovered!
December 15: The Penguin Lessons, Spain, UK, English/Spanish (subtitles), 110 minutes.
This gem comes to us from the director of The Full Monty, and stars Steve Coogan as Michell, a self- centred Englishman who is hired to teach at a prestigious English boarding school in Buenos Aires. The film is loosely based on true events that occurred during a tumultuous time in Argentinian history. When a coup d’état shuts down the school, Michell travels to Uruguay to have a holiday, and ends up returning to the school with an emperor penguin in tow, rescued from an oil spill. The film focuses on the developing relationship among Michell, his students, and the penguin. We are witnesses to Michell’s personal and political awakening.
Please note that these films deal with mature subjects and are not suitable for children.
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 more information about the Club please visit their website at stittsvillerotary.com or facebook page at Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville. We serve our community and beyond!
