Puzzle - 7PM
2018-09-05 19:00 - 20:43, 2018-09-06 19:00 - 20:43 (America/Toronto) | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Puzzle
Wednesday, September 5, 2018 – 4pm, 7pm
Thursday, September 6, 2018 – 4pm, 7pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie
Tickets: Adults $10 | Senior/Students $8

Directed by Marc Turtletaub
Cast: Kelly MacDonald, Irrfan Kahn, David Denman, Bubba Weiler, Austin Abrams, Liv Hewson
Drama, 14A for coarse language, 103 minutes (USA)

“As with a jigsaw puzzle, the overall picture may look familiar, but there’s a real sense that craftsmanship has gone in to making sure each of the pieces fit satisfyingly together.” – Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film

“We should be grateful that it exists, if only because it affords a long-overdue leading role to Kelly Macdonald …” – Peter Debruge, Variety

PUZZLE is a closely observed portrait of Agnes, who has reached her early 40s without ever venturing far from home, family or the tight-knit immigrant community in which she was raised by her widowed father. That begins to change in a quietly dramatic fashion when Agnes receives a jigsaw puzzle as a birthday gift and experiences the heady thrill of not only doing something she enjoys, but being very, very good at it.

World Tour Paddling Film Festival
2018-09-05 20:00 | Meridian Place, 30 Simcoe Street, Barrie, ON, L4M 1A7, Canada
Happy Paddling Presents:

Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Meridian Place, Downtown Barrie
Starts at dusk (approx. 8-8:30pm), weather permitting (rain date is Sept 6). Admission is free.

Since 2006, the Reel Paddling Film Festival World Tour has been showcasing the very best paddling films. The World Tour screens in more than 120 cities around the world… You’ll be inspired to explore rivers, lakes and oceans, push extremes, embrace the paddling lifestyle and appreciate some incredibly beautiful, wild places.

Sponsored by:

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Puzzle - 4PM
2018-09-06 16:00 - 17:43 | Annual Barrie Film Festival

Beast - 4PM
2018-09-20 16:00 - 17:47 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Beast
Thursday, September 20, 2018 – 4pm, 7pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie
Tickets: Adults $10 | Senior/Students $8

Written and directed by: Michael Pearce
Cast: Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Geraldine James
Drama, 14A for coarse language, sexual and disturbing content, 107 minutes (United Kingdom)

“There is nothing more enjoyable than a film that shatters your expectations, turning a confident hunch about what’s coming next into smithereens of doubt. The British thriller “Beast” does it strikingly well.” – Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Beast is a pitch black ride into the recesses of the human soul, and Buckley is the film’s cold, dark heart.” – Adam Graham, Detroit News

“The dark nail-biter eschews the obvious at every turn and is less a whodunit than a twisted moral meditation grounded by its mesmerizing leading lady.” – Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic

Moll is 27 and still living at home, stifled by the small island community around her and too beholden to her family to break away. When she meets Pascal, a free-spirited stranger, a whole new world opens up to her and she begins to feel alive for the first time, falling madly in love. Finally breaking free from her family, Moll moves in with Pascal to start a new life. But when he is arrested as the key suspect in a series of brutal murders, she is left isolated and afraid. Choosing to stand with him against the suspicions of the community, Moll finds herself forced to make choices that will impact her life forever.

Awards:
Nominated – Best Screenplay, Miami Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Narrative Feature Competition, Montclair Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Best Film, Stockholm Film Festival, 2017
Nominated – Platform Prize, Toronto International Film Festival, 2017
Nominated – Sutherland Award, First Feature Competition, London Film Festival, 2017

Beast - 7PM
2018-09-20 19:00 - 20:47 | Annual Barrie Film Festival

RGD - Graphic Means - 7PM
2018-09-25 19:00 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
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Attend the film screening of documentary Graphic Means at Uptown Theatre in Barrie!

Graphic Means – A History of Graphic Design Production
Date: September 25, 2018
Location: Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop Street West, Barrie
Time: 7:00 pm
Doors open at 6:30pm!

Graphic Means explores the world of graphic design before it was digital, specifically when design was completed by the hands of industrious workers, and various ingenious machines.
The film features interviews with industry icons such as Ellen Lupton, Steven Heller, Adrian Shaughnessy, April Greiman, and Tobias Frere-Jones.

Why watch this film?
Director Briar Levit said it best: “Designers could carry on without knowing these processes, and still make brilliant work… But to understand the continuum of our discipline, what generations before us did, and what they learned so that we were then able to move on to the next technology – that’s very rewarding.”
For the rest of this interview, visit Design Week‘s website.

Fun fact: The Graphic Means team is all women!

Pricing:
Advance tickets: RGD Members & GDC Members – $8; Non-members – $10
At the door: RGD & GDC Members and seniors – $10; Non-members – $12

Interested in attending? Register online!

This event is supported by the Barrie Film Festival.

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Boom for Real - 7PM
2018-09-28 19:00 - 20:18 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Friday, September 28, 2018 – 7:00 pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie
Tickets: Adults $10, Senior/Students $8

Directed by: Sara Driver
With: Alexis Adler, Luc Sante, Fred Brathwaite aka Fab 5 Freddy, Lee Quiñones, Jim Jarmusch
Documentary, 14A for coarse language, 78 minutes (USA)

“What’s admirable about the film is how Driver gives the cross-pollinating forces of music, media, fashion and art such concise, firsthand exploration.” – Nathalie Atkinson, Globe and Mail

“What’s refreshing about Sara Driver’s look-back documentary…is the frisky, contemplative, ground-level angle it takes on its hype-magnet of a subject.” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

A look at Jean-Michel Basquiat’s life pre-fame, and how New York City, the times, the people and the movements around him formed the artist he became. Boom For Real weaves the story of Jean-Michel and the city with never before seen works, writings and photographs. Director Sara Driver worked closely and collaboratively with her friends and other artists who emerged from that scene: Nan Goldin, Jim Jarmusch, James Nares, Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quinones, Luc Sante and many others. As they participated in the film with their thoughts, period film footage, music, images, and anecdotes of their young friend, they helped visually tell the story of Jean-Michel’s downtown NYC – pre Aids, President Reagan, the real estate and art boom, and before anyone was motivated by money and ambition. The definition of fame, success and power were very different than today – to be a penniless but published poet was the height of success, until everything changed in the early 1980’s. This is New York City’s story before that change.

Nominated – Best Documentary and Direction, Cleveland International Film Festival, 2018

Shown in partnership with the MacLaren Art Centre, Carnegie Days 2018.

The Bookshop - 4PM
2018-10-03 16:00 - 17:53 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
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The Bookshop

Screening:
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 – 4pm, 7pm
Thursday, October 4, 2018 – 4pm, 7pm
Location: Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Written and Directed by: Isabel Coixet
Cast: Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Nighy
Drama, PG for mature theme and tobacco use, 113 minutes
(United Kingdom/Spain/Germany)

“Bill Nighy shines as Brundish” – The Hollywood Reporter”

“Evokes the sensation of losing yourself in a good book. Emily Mortimer is simply perfect.” – One Room With a View

In 1959 England free-spirited widow Florence Green (Emily Mortimer) risks everything to open a bookshop in a conservative East Anglian coastal town. While bringing about a surprising cultural awakening through works by Ray Bradbury and Vladimir Nabokov, she earns the polite but ruthless opposition of a local grand dame (Patricia Clarkson) and the support and affection of a reclusive book loving widower (Bill Nighy). As Florence’s obstacles amass and bear suspicious signs of a local power struggle, she is forced to ask: is there a place for a bookshop in a town that may not want one? Based on Penelope Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel and directed by Isabel Coixet (Learning to Drive), THE BOOKSHOP is an elegant yet incisive rendering of personal resolve, tested in the battle for the soul of a community.

Awards:
Winner, Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain, 2018
Winner, Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Goya Awards, 2018
Winner, Best Picture, José María Forqué Awards, 2018

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The Bookshop - 7PM
2018-10-03 19:00 - 20:53, 2018-10-04 19:00 - 20:53 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
The Bookshop

Screening:
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 – 4pm, 7pm
Thursday, October 4, 2018 – 4pm, 7pm
Location: Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Written and Directed by: Isabel Coixet
Cast: Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Nighy
Drama, PG for mature theme and tobacco use, 113 minutes
(United Kingdom/Spain/Germany)

“Bill Nighy shines as Brundish” – The Hollywood Reporter”

“Evokes the sensation of losing yourself in a good book. Emily Mortimer is simply perfect.” – One Room With a View

In 1959 England free-spirited widow Florence Green (Emily Mortimer) risks everything to open a bookshop in a conservative East Anglian coastal town. While bringing about a surprising cultural awakening through works by Ray Bradbury and Vladimir Nabokov, she earns the polite but ruthless opposition of a local grand dame (Patricia Clarkson) and the support and affection of a reclusive book loving widower (Bill Nighy). As Florence’s obstacles amass and bear suspicious signs of a local power struggle, she is forced to ask: is there a place for a bookshop in a town that may not want one? Based on Penelope Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel and directed by Isabel Coixet (Learning to Drive), THE BOOKSHOP is an elegant yet incisive rendering of personal resolve, tested in the battle for the soul of a community.

Awards:
Winner, Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain, 2018
Winner, Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Goya Awards, 2018
Winner, Best Picture, José María Forqué Awards, 2018

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The Bookshop - 4PM
2018-10-04 16:00 - 17:53 | Annual Barrie Film Festival

This Mountain Life
2018-10-12 19:00 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Directed by: Grant Baldwin
Written by: Grant Baldwin and Jenny Rustemeyer
Adventure/Documentary | PG | 80 min. | Canada/USA

SCREENING:
Friday, October 12 – 7:00 pm [Festival Opener]
Sunday, October 21 – 3:30 pm

“Breathtaking cinematography and brilliant aerial imagery.” – Alexander Rogalski, Hot Docs 2018

The awe evoked by mountainous landscapes is universal, yet few people ever venture into genuine wilderness. Living amongst us is a special breed of people, undefined by age, gender, profession or background: for them, the draw of the mountains is all-consuming. After months of preparation, Martina and her 60 year-old mother Tania embark on a 6 month, 2300 km journey which takes them from Squamish, BC to Alaska, through a relentless alpine wilderness. There are others who share a passion for the mountain life: a group of nuns inhabiting a cloistered retreat to be closer to God; a risk-taking photographer; an impassioned climber; a focused snow artist; a couple who has been living off grid for nearly 50 years: what is it that leads these adventurous people to sacrifice everything – comfort, family, personal safety – for such an existence? Shot in cinematic detail, This Mountain Life attempts to answer the question and offers a riveting portrait of idealistic passion set high in the stunningly beautiful peaks of British Columbia.

Opening Night Party
2018-10-12 21:00 - 23:00 | Drors, 98 Dunlop Street West, Barrie, Ontario, L4N 1A7, Canada
Opening Night Party
Friday, October 12, 9:00 pm (doors open 8:30 pm)
Drors Studio, 98 Dunlop St. W., Barrie
Party Tickets: $15 Film Tickets: $10

Celebrate the launch of our 21st Barrie Film Festival at our not-to-be missed Opening Night Film and Party. Start the evening at the Uptown Theatre for the festival opener, This Mountain Life, a breath-taking and riveting portrait of human passion set high in the snowy peaks of British Columbia, Canada.
After the screening head to Drors Studio for the Opening Night Party where the Mark Hathaway Trio will provide a great selection of pop, funk and jazz music along with tasty hors d’oeuvres from The Local Gastropub.
Film Tickets are sold separately. Opening Night Tickets are limited!

Sir
2018-10-13 13:00 - 14:39 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Sir
Written and Directed by: Rohena Gera
Cast: Tillotama Shome, Vivek Gomber, Geetanjali Kulkarni
Drama | 14A | 99 min. | Hindi/English/Marathi with English subtitles | India/France

SCREENING:
Saturday, October 13 – 1:00 pm
Wednesday, October 17 – 7:00 pm
Click here to buy tickets!

“Gera is a female Indian director making her mark celebrating women’s empowerment against dire economic odds. Her direction exudes a simple grace that transcends local issues.” – Maggie Lee, VARIETY
“The premise could be soapy but the film combines an appealing, understated sweetness with a certain naivety – perhaps even a willfully turned blind eye – when it comes to the uneasy power dynamic between the two characters.”– Wendy Ide, SCREEN DAILY
Ratna works as domestic live-in help with Ashwin, a man from a wealthy family. Although Ashwin seems to have it all, Ratna can sense that he has given up on his dreams and is somewhat lost. On the other hand, Ratna who seems to have nothing, is full of hope and works determinedly towards her dream. As these two worlds collide and the two individuals connect, the barriers between them seem only more insurmountable…

2 WINS, 4 NOMINATIONS:
Won – Gan Foundation Support for Distribution, Cannes Film Festival, 2018
Won – World Cinema Amsterdam Audience Award, World Cinema Amsterdam, 2018
Nominated – Youth Jury Award, Film by the Sea International Film Festival, 2018

Skate Kitchen
2018-10-13 13:30 - 15:10 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Skate Kitchen
Written and Directed by: Crystal Moselle
Cast: Rachelle Vinberg, Nina Moran, Dede Lovelace, Kabrina Adams and Jaden Smith
Drama | 100 min. | 14A for coarse language, sexual content, and substance abuse | Not suggested for sensitive or young viewers | USA

SCREENING:
Saturday, October 13 – 1:30 pm

Click here to buy tickets!

“Moselle believes in the power of girls. The friendships through which Camille learns how to be loved become the anguish that breaks her heart and the forgiveness that humbly heals her.” – Carly Lewis, GLOBE AND MAIL
“A touching ode to the rewards and challenges of female friendship…” – Justin Chang, LOS ANGELES TIMES

Camille, an introverted teenage skateboarder (newcomer, Rachelle Vinberg) from Long Island, meets and befriends an all-girl, New York City-based skateboarding crew called Skate Kitchen. She falls in with the in-crowd, has a falling-out with her mother, and falls for a mysterious skateboarder guy (Jaden Smith), but a relationship with him proves to be trickier to navigate than a kick flip. Writer/director Crystal Moselle immersed herself in the lives of the skater girls and worked closely with them, resulting in the film’s authenticity, which combines poetic, atmospheric filmmaking and hypnotic skating sequences. Skate Kitchen precisely captures the experience of women in male-dominated spaces and tells a story of a girl who learns the importance of camaraderie and self-discovery.

1 WIN, 4 NOMINATIONS:
Won – Grand Jury Award/Honourable Mention, Outstanding U.S. Narrative Feature, L.A. Outfest, 2018
Nominated – International First Film, Jerusalem Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Futurewave Youth Jury Award – Best Feature Film, Seattle International Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Audience Award – Best of Next!, Sundance Film Festival, 2018

McQueen
2018-10-13 15:30 - 17:21 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
McQueen
Co-directed by: Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui
Documentary | 14A for coarse language, mature theme and nudity | 111 min. | United Kingdom

SCREENING:
Saturday, October 13 – 3:30 pm, Uptown Theatre
Wednesday, October 17 – 4:30 pm, Uptown Theatre
Click here to buy tickets!

“There’s so much fresh air in this stunningly good biography that it feels like you’ve never encountered a rags-to-riches, tortured-artist story before. Not just for fashion lovers.” – Mary Ann Johanson, FLICK FILOSOPHER
“McQueen the designer delighted in showing us the skull beneath the skin. McQueen the documentary finds his beating pulse and broken heart.” – Tom Stone, SUNDAY TIMES

McQueen is a personal look at the extraordinary life, career and artistry of designer Alexander McQueen. Through exclusive interviews with his closest friends and family, recovered archives, exquisite visuals and music, this film is an authentic celebration and thrilling portrait of an inspired, yet tortured fashion visionary.

3 NOMINATIONS:
Nominated – Best Documentary – Best Social Political Documentary, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2018
Nominated – Best Documentary, Tribeca Film Festival, 2018

Ash is Purest White
2018-10-13 16:00 - 18:21 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Ash is Purest White (Jiang Hu Er Nü)
Written and Directed by: Zhangke Jia
Cast: Tao Zhao, Fan Liao, Yi’nan Diao and Zheng Xu
Drama/Romance | NOT RATED | 141 min. | Chinese/Mandarin with English subtitles | China/France/Japan

SCREENING:
Saturday, October 13 – 4:00 pm, Uptown Theatre
Click here to buy tickets!

“Occasionally dream-like and frequently transcendent, the film brilliantly portrays an ever-evolving Chinese landscape struggling with the many changes of the 21st century.” – Tom Augustine, NEW ZEALAND HERALD
“The best performance seen in eight days at Cannes was by Zhao Tao in Jia Zhangke’s Ash Is Purest White, a too-rare subgenre of the crime drama: the life of a gangster moll.”– Kent Turner, FILM-FORWARD.COM
“There’s a timeless quality to Qiao and Bin’s relationship, to its elemental cycles of loyalty, power, and humiliation.” – Bilge Ebiri, VILLAGE VOICE

Qiao is in love with Bin, a local mobster. During a fight between rival gangs, she fires a gun to protect him. Qiao gets five years in prison for this act of loyalty. Upon her release, she goes looking for Bin to pick up where they left off. Ash is Purest White is the most recent contribution to director Zhangke’s body of work as a record of 21st century China and its warp-speed transformations.

2 WINS, 5 NOMINATIONS:
WON – Prix du Jury-ICS Cannes Award, Best Actress (Tao Zhao), International Cinephile Society Awards, 2018
NOMINATED – Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival, 2018
NOMINATED – Best International Film, Jerusalem Film Festival, 2018

Short Film Showcase
2018-10-13 18:30 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
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Short Film Showcase
Saturday, October 13, 6:30 pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop Street West, Barrie
Tickets: $10
A festival highlight for our audience, this program presents a highly varied selection of films submitted by regional, national and international filmmakers. Curated by our panel of judges, all of the short films screened at the event will also be eligible for the Simcoe Audio Video People’s Choice Award. Ballots for voting will be available at the screening and all of the awards will be announced directly following the screening at the Filmmakers’ Party, which will take place across the street at Mavricks Music Hall Side Room. A very big thank you to all those who submitted their work!

Short Film Line-up
Please note that this program is unrated and may contain coarse language, bullying, adult themes, drug and sexual references.

HOTBOX
Directed by Faith Howe | 7:56 | Simcoe County Category | Canada
Human nature never fails to challenge, just ask naive “it’s all about the love” Maggie, as she manages a different set of circumstances each time the door opens at her new yoga studio.

I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE (YA NO TE QUIERO)
Directed by Francisco Hervada Martín | 2:00 | Open Category | Spanish with English subtitles | Spain
The time ends with everything, except with the promises.

L.A. LIQUOR
Directed by Jensen Vinca | 7:14 | Open Category | USA
A year after Los Angeles riots of 1992, Miles, a young African American male, has an eventful night in a liquor store owned by a racist Korean couple.

NEIGHBORS
Directed by Zach Price | Written by Dacy Howell | 9:22 | High School | Canada
Two brothers move into their new house, to find that they now live beside a man who is possessed by an evil clown spirit.

BIRTHPLACE
Documentary | Directed by Jorik Dozy and Sil van der Woerd | 5:00 | Open Category | Indonesia
The symbolic story of a man arriving on a perfect Earth, who encounters his nemesis in the form of ocean pollution.

JOURNAL
Directed by Thomas Stubbington | 2:45 | Simcoe County Category | Canada
A short storytelling piece explaining the importance of a journal.

TALENT SCOUT
Animation | Directed by José Herrera | 7:00 | Open Category | Spain
Dominique was the most prestigious talent scout in París. Now he has become a shadow of his former self until he discovers Sofía, a Spanish flamenco dancer…

18
Directed by Mitch Graszat | 7:28 | Simcoe County Category | Canada
On her 18th birthday, a girl decides to move on from her rough past.

ACCORD
Directed by Johan Erik Lallerstedt | 3:33 | Open Category | USA
A hungry street musician finds the perfect sidewalk real-estate, but he isn’t the only one.

THE RUNNER
Directed by Darya Amirshahi and Matthew Choi | 5:22 | High School Category | Canada
When high school soccer player, Darya Amirshahi suffers a critical injury that ends his season, he fails to make the team the ensuing year and faces an internal battle where he must find out who he is and if his future is worth
the risks.

THEIR FUN DAY
Drama | Directed Paul Arredondo | 4:36 | Simcoe County Category | Canada
High school life can be pretty fun. Parties, classmates and good music will always be part of a great mix. Every day is just a blast. But, what if your fun day is somebody else’s nightmare.

CHORUS
Directed by César Tormo | 4:00 | Open Category | Spanish with English subtitles | Spain
A teenager rehearses a song in her room while her father listens behind
the door.

THE PLANE RIDE
Comedy | Directed by W. Joseph Horne | 1:16 | Simcoe County Category | Canada
A humorous story about an elderly couple taking their first plane ride.

L’HOMME ET LE POISSON
Animation | Directed by Lewis Leon | 4:08 | Open Category | French with English subtitles | Canada
Set against the backdrop of a vast, frozen tundra; a grizzled fisherman gets his comeuppance from a vindictive, yet familiar fish.

MY RED BALL
Directed by Sebastian Marin | Written by Esabella Strickland | 3:00 | High School Category | Canada
An urban legend about a girl in a forest and her red ball.

SCARLET
OR: A POSTMODERNIST DECONSTRUCTION OF YOUNG LOVE UNDER THE CORPOCRACY OF LATE-CAPITALISM
Directed by Calyx Passailaigue | 8:50 | Simcoe County Category | Canada
The children of two rival businessmen meet for a late night tryst under a table.

PIECES
Directed by Brendan Hiles | 5:34 | Simcoe County Category | Canada
A couple trying to figure out what love is and how it does and doesn’t
change us.

Awards Presentation / Filmmakers’ Party
Saturday, October 13, 9:00 pm
Mavricks Music Hall Side Room, 50 Dunlop Street West, Barrie
Admission: Free
Immediately following the Short Film Showcase, please join us across the street at Mavricks Music Hall Side Room for the awards presentation and some celebrating!
DJ Funk 98 will provide a great selection of music along with tasty hors d’oeuvres from Made in Mexico, Milestones and Ricardo’s.
Always a fun party, join us to mingle with the filmmakers who participated in this year’s Shorts competition!

Transit
2018-10-13 19:00 - 20:41 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Transit
Written and Directed by: Christian Petzold
Cast: Franz Rogowski, Paula Beer, Godehard Giese and Lillien Batman
Drama | PG for mature theme, language may offend, tobacco use | Not suggested for sensitive or young viewers | 101 min. | German/French/French Sign Language with English subtitles | Germany/France

SCREENING:
Saturday, October 13 – 7:00 pm
Tuesday, October 16 – 4:30 pm
Get your tickets here!

“Evoking Casablanca, this tragic romance is gorgeous to look at and often thrilling, its central gimmick of telling a historical story in the modern day paying off surprisingly well.” – Tom Augustine, New Zealand Herald
“Assumed identities, heartbroken children, complex love triangles and the realisation that inertia is hell in itself all feature in this thoughtful, soulful film.” – Sarah Ward, Concrete Playground

German troops are fast approaching Paris. Georg, a German refugee, escapes to Marseille in the nick of time. In his luggage, he carries the documents of an author, Weidel, who has taken his own life in fear of his persecutors. Georg has memorized Weidel’s papers and assumes his identity. He delves into the quasi-existence of flight: refugee chatter in the corridors of a small hotel, the consulates, cafés and bars that line the harbour… He befriends Driss, the son of his comrade Heinz, who died on the run. Why move on at all? Are new beginnings possible elsewhere anyway? Everything changes when Georg falls in love with the mysterious Marie. Is it devotion or calculation that has led her to share her life with a doctor before journeying on in search of her husband?

1 Win and 7 Nominations:
Won – Best Film, Nuremburg Film Festival “Turkey-Germany”, 2018
Nominated – Best Film, Berlin International Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Best Film, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, 2018
Nominated – Best Film, Sydney Film Festival, 2018

Awards/Filmmakers Party
2018-10-13 21:00 - 23:00 | Mavricks Music Hall Side Room, 50 Dunlop Street West, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
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Awards Presentation / Filmmakers’ Party
Saturday, October 13, 9:00 pm
Mavricks Music Hall Side Room, 50 Dunlop Street West, Barrie
Admission: Free
Short Film Showcase Line up
Immediately following the Short Film Showcase, please join us across the street at Mavricks Music Hall Side Room for the awards presentation and some celebrating!
DJ Funk 98 will provide a great selection of music along with tasty hors d’oeuvres from Made in Mexico, Milestones and Ricardo’s.
Always a fun party, join us to mingle with the filmmakers who participated in this year’s Shorts competition!

The Miseducation of Cameron Post
2018-10-14 13:00 - 14:31 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Written and Directed by: Desiree Akhavan
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck and Jennifer Ehle
Drama | 14A for mature thematics, coarse language, sexual content and substance abuse | 91 min. | USA

SCREENING:
Sunday, October 14 – 1:00 pm
Thursday, October 18 – 4:30 pm
Get your tickets here!

“It might be the highest compliment to say that the film version does not at all feel compromised in the transfer to screen; it tones nothing down.” – Kent Turner, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a scrapbook made by the people who were there.” – Ty Burr, BOSTON GLOBE
Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) looks the part of a perfect high school girl. But after she’s caught with another girl in the back seat of a car on prom night, Cameron is quickly shipped off to a conversion therapy centre that treats teens “struggling with same-sex attraction.”

At the facility, Cameron is subjected to outlandish discipline, dubious “de-gaying” methods, and earnest Christian rock songs-but this unusual setting also provides her with an unlikely gay community. For the first time, Cameron connects with peers, and she’s able to find her place among fellow outcasts. Together, this group of teenagers forms an unlikely family as they fight to survive.

1 WIN, 6 NOMINATIONS:
WON – Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic, Sundance Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Best International Film, Jerusalem Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Best LGBTQ Film, Molodist International Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Best Feature Film, Seattle International Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Best Film, Sydney Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Grand Jury Prize – Narrative Feature Competition, Dallas International Film Festival, 2018

Love, Gilda
2018-10-14 13:15 - 14:41, 2018-10-15 16:00 - 17:20 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Love, Gilda
Directed by: Lisa D’Apolito
Featuring: Gilda Radner, Michael Radner, Chevy Chase, Anne Beatts, Bill Hader, Laraine Newman, Martin Short, Paul Shaffer and Lorne Michaels
Documentary | PG for mature theme, coarse language and tobacco use | 86 min. | Canada/USA

SCREENING:
Sunday, October 14 – 1:15 pm, Uptown Theatre
Monday, October 15 – 4:00 pm, Uptown Theatre
Get your tickets here!

“Forty years later, her comedy looks more sublime than ever. As you watch “Love, Gilda,” though, it becomes clear that what made Gilda Radner special – and uproarious – was her spirit: open, smiling, generous, euphoric.”– Owen Gleiberman, VARIETY
“To D’Apolito’s credit, her film doesn’t dwell on the sadness. Rather, it’s a celebration of a performer who revolutionized comedy and inspired future generations.” – Al Alexander, THE PATRIOT LEDGER
Love, Gilda opens a unique window into the honest and whimsical world of beloved performer Gilda Radner, whose greatest role was sharing her story. Working with the Radner estate, D’Apolito unearthed a collection of diaries and personal audio and videotapes documenting her childhood, her comedy career, her relationships and ultimately, her struggles with cancer. These never-before-seen-or-heard footage and journal entries form the narrative spine of the documentary, allowing Gilda to tell her own story – through laughter and sometimes tears.

WON – Audience Award – U.S. Documentary, Cinetopia Film Festival, 2018

The Third Murder
2018-10-14 15:00 - 17:04 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
The Third Murder (Sandome No Satsujin)
Written and Directed by: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Cast: Masaharu Fukuyama, Mikako Ichikawa, Koji Yakusho and Suzu Hirose
Crime/Drama/Mystery | PG for mature theme | 124 min. | Japanese with English subtitles | Japan

SCREENING:
Sunday, October 14 – 3:00 pm
Get your tickets here!

“Themes bristle; ambiguity is a form of play; understated visual notions accrue in nourishing widescreen compositions; behavior is inexplicable; lyricism lies in a serene command of detail. This is a loving, lovely work by a master filmmaker.” – Ray Pride, Newcity
“The Third Murder creatively examines how truth bends in favor of judicial economy. It’s a tricky bit of thoughtful filmmaking from an emerging Japanese master.” – Jonathan W. Hickman

Leading attorney Shigemori takes on the defence of murder-robbery suspect Misumi who served jail time for another murder 30 years ago. Shigemori’s chances of winning the case seem low – his client freely admits his guilt, despite facing the death penalty if he is convicted. As he digs deeper into the case, as he hears the testimonies of the victim’s family and Misumi himself, the once confident Shigemori begins to doubt whether his client is the murderer after all.

6 Wins, 13 Nominations:
Won – Best Film, Best Supporting Actress (Koji Yakusho), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Awards of the Japanese Academy, 2018
Nominated – Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, 2017
Nominated – Best Film, Best Editor, Best Cinematographer, Asian Film Awards, 2018
Nominated – Golden Lion – Best Film, Venice Film Festival, 2017

Carmine Street Guitars
2018-10-14 16:00 - 17:20 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Carmine Street Guitars
Directed by: Ron Mann
With: Rick Kelly, Cindy Hulej, and Dorothy Kelly
Featuring: Eszter Balint, Christine Bougie (Bahamas), Nels Cline (Wilco), Kirk Douglas (The Roots), Eleanor Friedberger, Bill Frisell, Dallas Good (The Sadies), Travis Good (The Sadies), Dave Hill, Jaime Hince (The Kills), Stewart Hurwood, Jim Jarmusch (Sqürl), Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Band), Marc Ribot, Charlie Sexton
(Bob Dylan Band)
Documentary | PG for coarse language | 80 min. | Canada

SCREENING:
Sunday, October 14 – 4:00 pm, Uptown Theatre
Friday, October 19 – 4:00 pm, Uptown Theatre
Get your tickets here!

“Like the great musicians who come in and out of Kelly’s shop, Mann knows how to hit the right notes and how long to hold them, creating a nice rhythm that allows the room for charming interludes” – Stephen Saito, MOVEABLE FEST
“Our world is indeed digitalizing, brutalizing, evacuating its own soul, but in certain rare islands of utopian harmony they still make them like they used to, and it’s wonderful to watch. And listen to.” – Shelly Kraicer, CINEMA SCOPE

Once the centre of the New York bohemia, Greenwich Village is now home to luxe restaurants, and buzzer door clothing stores catering to the nouveau riche. But one shop in the heart of the Village remains resilient to the encroaching gentrification: Carmine Street Guitars. There, custom guitar maker Rick Kelly and his young apprentice Cindy Hulej, build handcrafted guitars out of reclaimed wood from old hotels, bars, churches and other local buildings. Nothing looks or sounds quite like a Rick Kelly guitar, which is the reason they are embraced by the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Jim Jarmusch, just to name a few. Featuring a cast of prominent musicians and artists, the film captures five days in the life of Carmine Street Guitars, while examining an all-too-quickly vanishing way of life.

Eighth Grade
2018-10-14 17:30 - 19:04 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Eighth Grade
Written and Directed by: Bo Burnham
Cast: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson and Missy Yager
Comedy/Drama | 14A for coarse language and sexual content | 94 min. | USA
SCREENING:
Sunday, October 14 – 5:30 pm, Uptown Theatre
Sunday, October 21 – 3:00 pm, Uptown Theatre
Get your tickets here!

“Eighth Grade is personal, uncomfortable, and lovely, a slice-of-life look into current adolescence, our reliance on social media, and growing into oneself.” – Roxana Hadadi, CHESAPEAKE FAMILY MAGAZINE
“An achingly honest film about some of the ghastliest years of adolescence. Funny, tender and endearing.” – Rafer Guzman, NEWSDAY

In his feature film directorial debut, comedian Bo Burnham deftly encapsulates the awkwardness, angst, self-loathing and reinvention that a teenage girl goes through on the cusp of high school. Given that the 27-year-old stand-up comic achieved fame as a teenager himself through YouTube by riffing on his insecurities, he is uniquely capable as the film’s writer and director to tell the story of Kayla, an anxious girl navigating the final days of her eighth grade year. Like Burnham did more than a decade ago, 13-year-old Kayla turns to YouTube to express herself, where she makes advice blogs in which she pretends to have it all together. In reality, Kayla is sullen and silent around her single father and her peers at school, carrying out most of her interactions with her classmates on Instagram and Twitter. Her videos are a clever narrative tool that provide insight into her inner hopes and dreams, much like an inspirational online diary. One of Eighth Grade’s biggest triumphs is in its realism.

6 WINS, 3 NOMINATIONS:
Won – Audience Award, Chicago Critics Film Festival, 2018
Won – Truly Moving Picture Award, Heartland Film, 2018
Won – Audience Award – Best Narrative Feature, San Francisco International Film Festival, 2018
Won – Best Film & Best Actress (Elsie Fisher), Seattle International Film Festival, 2018
Won – Audience Favourite, Sundance Film Festival: London, 2018
Nominated – Grand Jury Prize – Narrative Feature Competition, Dallas International Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Grand Jury Prize – Dramatic, Sundance Film Festival, 2018

Blindspotting
2018-10-14 19:00 - 20:35 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Blindspotting
Directed by: Carlos López Estrada
Cast: Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Ethan Embry
Comedy/Drama | 14A for coarse language, disturbing content, graphic violence | 95 min. | USA

SCREENING:
Sunday, October 14 – 7:00 pm, Uptown Theatre
Saturday, October 20 – 7:15 pm, Uptown Theatre
Get your tickets here!

“Racism, gentrification, police brutality, start-up culture, corporate branding, social media, the justice system… Blindspotting is eager to take them all on with style and wit, and it succeeds more often than not.” – Barry Hertz, GLOBE AND MAIL
“The result is a powerful film that the viewer will carry with them long after the credits roll, and a staunch reminder of how much conscious work we must all do to overcome the implicit bias of our surroundings.” – Brian Thompson, FILM THREAT

Collin (Daveed Diggs) must make it through his final three days of probation for a chance at a new beginning. He and his troublemaking childhood best friend, Miles (Rafael Casal), work as movers, and when Collin witnesses a police shooting, the two men’s friendship is tested as they grapple with identity and their changed realities in the rapidly-gentrifying neighborhood they grew up in. Longtime friends and collaborators, Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in this timely and wildly entertaining story about friendship and the intersection of race and class set against the backdrop of Oakland. Bursting with energy, style, and humour, and infused with the spirit of rap, hip hop, and spoken word, Blindspotting, boldly directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada in his feature film debut, is a provocative hometown love letter that glistens with humanity.

4 WINS, 2 NOMINATIONS:
Won – Festival Director’s Award, U.S. Narrative, Cinetopia Film Festival, 2018
Won – Critics Award, Deauville Film Festival, 2018
Won – Best Original Song – “Talk to Me”, Nashville Film Festival, 2018
Won – Director’s to Watch, Carlos López Estrada, Palm Springs International Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic, Sundance Film Festival, 2018

First Reformed
2018-10-14 19:30 - 21:23 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
First Reformed
Written and Directed by: Paul Schrader
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Michael Gaston and Cedric the Entertainer
Drama/Thriller | 14A for gory scenes and disturbing content | Not suggested for sensitive or young viewers | 113 min. | USA

SCREENING:
Sunday, October 14 – 7:30 pm, Uptown Theatre
Saturday, October 20 – 6:30 pm, Uptown Theatre
Get your tickets here!

“First Reformed deserves all praise.” – Peter Howell, TORONTO STAR
“First Reformed is a miracle in its own regard, the rare type of film that leaves us with questions left to answer and for many, a desire to dig into it deeper through a second viewing.” – Colin Covert, MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke) is a solitary, middle-aged parish pastor at a small Dutch Reform church in upstate New York on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, the church is now a tourist attraction catering to a dwindling congregation, eclipsed by its nearby parent church, Abundant Life, with its state-of-the-art facilities and 5,000-strong flock. When a pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) asks Reverend Toller to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist, the clergyman finds himself plunged into his own tormented past, and equally despairing future, until he finds redemption in an act of grandiose violence. From writer-director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, American Gigolo, Affliction) comes a gripping thriller about a crisis of faith that is at once personal, political, and planetary.

4 WINS, 7 NOMINATIONS:
Won – Jury Prize Best Director, FEST International Film Festival, 2018
Won – Best Original Screenplay, International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA), 2018
Won – Narrative Feature Competition, Montclair Film Festival (MFF), 2018
Nominated – Best 2018 Movie Already Seen, Indiewire Critics’ Poll, 2017
Nominated – Best International Film, Munich Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Best Actor (Ethan Hawke) Seattle International Film Festival, 2018

The Wife
2018-10-15 16:30 - 18:10 | Annual Barrie Film Festival
The Wife
Director: Björn Runge
Cast: Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater, Max Irons and Elizabeth McGovern
Drama | 14A for coarse language and mature theme | 100 min. | USA/United Kingdom/Sweden

SCREENING:
Monday, October 15 – 4:30 pm
Sunday, October 21 – 3:15 pm
Get your tickets here!

“The Wife offers viewers a chance to observe one of the finest – and most criminally under praised – actresses of her generation working at the very top of her shrewd, subtle, superbly self-controlled game.” – Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
“Glenn Close has one of cinema’s greatest faces. With one look she can tell you everything while revealing nothing.” – Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch

After nearly forty years of marriage, Joan and Joe Castleman (Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce) are complements. Where Joe is casual, Joan is elegant. Where Joe is vain, Joan is self-effacing. And where Joe enjoys his very public role as Great American Novelist, Joan pours her considerable intellect, grace, charm, and diplomacy into the private role of Great Man’s Wife. Joe is about to be awarded the Nobel Prize for his acclaimed and prolific body of work. Joe’s literary star has blazed since he and Joan first met in the late 1950s. The Wife (based on the novel of the same name by Meg Wolitzer) interweaves the story of the couple’s youthful passion and ambition with a portrait of a marriage, thirty-plus years later – a lifetime’s shared compromises, secrets, betrayals, and mutual love.

NOMINATED – Film and Literature Award, Film by the Sea International Film Festival, 2018
