In collaboration with the Film Circuit of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Rotary Club of Ottawa-Stittsville will be showing four films at Landmark Cinemas, Kanata this fall. These films will be screened at 4:00 and 7:00pm. on Monday. The Rotary Club members thank Laurysen Kitchens for again sponsoring this series for the community to enjoy.
The dates for the film showings are September 30th, October 28th, November 25th, and December 16th. The details about each film in the series can be found below.
Series passes are available and ordering a pass is easy. Should you wish to attend the 4:00pm film showings, please email Charles Mossman at charca@yahoo.com or if you opt for the 7:00pm timeframe passes, please email Sandra Burt at sburt@uwaterloo.ca. The price of a pass for the four films is $60. If you are unable to attend all the films, you may send a substitute.
Uproar, September 30 (New Zealand, English and Maori)
This film, set in New Zealand in 1981, touches on international issues of truth and reconciliation. The focus is on apartheid in South Africa, and Maori challenges in New Zealand. We follow the coming-of-age journey of 17-year-old Josh Waaka, son of a Maori rugby hero (deceased) and a British-born white mother, Shirley. In 1981 the South African team of all-white players was slated to play in New Zealand. Many in New Zealand saw the team as a symbol of white supremacy. This event divided the nation and brought issues of racism and Maori treatment in New Zealand to the forefront. Josh is a troubled teen who has issues with his weight, his mixed race, and his shyness. The interplay among elements in Josh’s life, the story of Maori struggles, and strong acting by the main characters results in a powerful film that deals with racial issues, human rights, Maori fortunes, and coming of age.
Wicked Little Letters, October 28 (United Kingdom, France)
This is a film version of events that took place in 1920 in Littlehampton, a charming British seaside town. The residents, especially Edith (Olivia Colman) have been receiving nasty anonymous letters, filled with curse words and scandalous prose. Edith is a spinster, living a repressed “pious” life with her parents, and firmly under the control of her domineering, religious zealot father. Edith’s neighbour Rose (Jessie Buckley) is a rowdy, irreverent Irish immigrant with a young, engaging daughter, living with a man who is not the child’s father. Although the two women have somewhat friendly relations, Edith spreads the rumour that Rose is the author of these letters. What follows is a twisted tale of prejudices, “fake news”, discrimination, but also heroism and loyalty. This dark comedy sends a powerful message that things are not always as they appear to be.
Perfect Days, November 25 (Japan, with subtitles)
This Japanese film, the creation of German director Wim Wenders, has been Oscar-nominated for best International Feature Film. The film has an unlikely hero – 60-year-old Hirayama, a solitary man whose job it is to clean public toilets in Tokyo, and who lives alone in a small apartment filled with plants. Each day repeats the previous one, and Hirayama finds peace and harmony in this repetition and pleasure in nature and the satisfaction of doing his job well. Hirayama is a lover of 60s and 70s British and American rock music of Lou Reed and Nina Simone and has an enviable cassette collection. The film’s title is taken from a Lou Reed disc. The film is a celebration of simple pleasures. But we have clues about the previous life of Hirayama, and the loneliness that sometimes overwhelms him. Is he fleeing from his past? This is a film with multiple layers of meaning, and the Guardian states that it is “a joyous film about sadness and solitude, rejection and despair,” Wim Wenders’ “best feature film in years”.
Sing Sing, December 16 (United States)
The Rehabilitation Through the Arts Program at Sing Sing maximum security prison in the United States is the inspiration for this powerful film. Colman Domingo and Paul Raci lead the cast of this feel-good movie that delivers promise for redemption. Colman plays the role of Divine G Whitfield, an inmate who started the rehabilitation program and was the author of many plays about the program. Also of note is Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, playing himself and working to make a difference in the prisoners’ lives. Clarence is not without some flaws. He is a threatening presence in prison life – and he really needs the help offered by the Rehabilitation Program. Sing Sing is a film that gives us some hope about the future of incarcerated men and delivers some very fine performances from men who have no acting backgrounds. It is, as one critic notes, “a moving celebration of art that sees the inmates as human beings.”
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 of Stittsville and around the world. Some organizations that have received financial support from the Rotarians 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 of Ottawa-Stittsville please visit stittsvillerotary.com or follow the Club on their Facebook page. Rotarians serve our community and beyond!