Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
2018-11-15 16:00 - 17:27 (America/Toronto) | Annual Barrie Film Festival
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
Screening: Thursday, November 15, 2018 – 4pm, 7pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Directed by: Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky
Written by: Jennifer Baichwal
Narrated by: Alicia Vikander
Documentary, PG, 87 minutes, Language: English/Russian/Italian/German/Mandarin/Cantonese with English subtitles (Canada)

“To say that there are no easy answers to planetary woes is to state the obvious. But the film seeks to reveal rather than lecture, in the hope that our eyes will convince our brains to act before it’s too late.” – Peter Howell, Toronto Star

“Stunningly, even hypnotically shot – from the world’s largest landfill in Kenya, to the most polluted city in Russia (Norilsk, Siberia) to tons of tusks representing 10,000 dead elephants. A hard doc to walk away from unaffected.” – Jim Slotek, Original Cin

“As always, the images they capture are stunning and damning in equal measure.” – Andrew Parker, The Gate

A cinematic meditation on humanity’s massive reengineering of the planet, Anthropocene is a four years in the making feature documentary film from the multiple-award winning team of Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky.
Third in a trilogy that includes Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2013), the film follows the research of an international body of scientists, the Anthropocene Working Group who, after nearly 10 years of research, are arguing that the evidence shows the Holocene Epoch gave way to the Anthropocene Epoch in the mid-twentieth century, as a result of profound and lasting human changes to the Earth.
From concrete seawalls in China that now cover 60% of the mainland coast, to the biggest terrestrial machines ever built in Germany, to psychedelic potash mines in Russia’s Ural Mountains, to metal festivals in the closed city of Norilsk, to the devastated Great Barrier Reef in Australia and massive marble quarries in Carrara, the filmmakers have traversed the globe using high-end production values and state of the art camera techniques to document the evidence and experience of human planetary domination.
At the intersection of art and science, Anthropocene witnesses, in an experiential and non-didactic sense, a critical moment in geological history — bringing a provocative and unforgettable experience of our species’ breadth and impact.

Official Selection – Toronto International Film Festival, 2018

Program is Sponsored by:

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch [Film/Q&A]
2018-11-15 19:00 - 20:27
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
Directed by: Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky
Written by: Jennifer Baichwal
Narrated by: Alicia Vikander
Documentary, PG, 87 minutes, Language: English/Russian/Italian/German/Mandarin/Cantonese with English subtitles (Canada)

GUEST Q&A | 7 pm screening
Nicholas de Pencier is a Director, Producer, and Director of Photography working in documentary, performing arts, and dramatic film. He is President of Mercury Films Inc., the Toronto-based production company he shares with his partner, Jennifer Baichwal. Selected credits include Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles (International Emmy), The Holier It Gets, (Best Canadian Doc, Hot Docs), The True Meaning of Pictures (Gemini, Best Arts), Hockey Nomad(Gemini, Best Sports), Manufactured Landscapes, (TIFF Best Canadian Feature; Genie, Best Doc), and Act of God (Gala Opening Night, Hot Docs), Long Time Running (Gala presentation, TIFF 2017). Producer and Director of Photography of Watermark (Special Presentation, TIFF & Berlin, Toronto Film Critics Award, Best Canadian Film, CSA Best Documentary), and Black Code (TIFF 2016), which he also wrote and directed.

“To say that there are no easy answers to planetary woes is to state the obvious. But the film seeks to reveal rather than lecture, in the hope that our eyes will convince our brains to act before it’s too late.” – Peter Howell, Toronto Star

“Stunningly, even hypnotically shot – from the world’s largest landfill in Kenya, to the most polluted city in Russia (Norilsk, Siberia) to tons of tusks representing 10,000 dead elephants. A hard doc to walk away from unaffected.” – Jim Slotek, Original Cin

“As always, the images they capture are stunning and damning in equal measure.” – Andrew Parker, The Gate

A cinematic meditation on humanity’s massive reengineering of the planet, Anthropocene is a four years in the making feature documentary film from the multiple-award winning team of Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky.
Third in a trilogy that includes Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2013), the film follows the research of an international body of scientists, the Anthropocene Working Group who, after nearly 10 years of research, are arguing that the evidence shows the Holocene Epoch gave way to the Anthropocene Epoch in the mid-twentieth century, as a result of profound and lasting human changes to the Earth.
From concrete seawalls in China that now cover 60% of the mainland coast, to the biggest terrestrial machines ever built in Germany, to psychedelic potash mines in Russia’s Ural Mountains, to metal festivals in the closed city of Norilsk, to the devastated Great Barrier Reef in Australia and massive marble quarries in Carrara, the filmmakers have traversed the globe using high-end production values and state of the art camera techniques to document the evidence and experience of human planetary domination.
At the intersection of art and science, Anthropocene witnesses, in an experiential and non-didactic sense, a critical moment in geological history — bringing a provocative and unforgettable experience of our species’ breadth and impact.

Official Selection – Toronto International Film Festival, 2018

Program is Sponsored by:

Sink or Swim - 4PM
2018-12-05 16:00 - 18:02, 2018-12-06 16:00 - 18:02
Sink or Swim (Le Grand Bain)

Screening:
Wednesday, December 5 – 4pm, 7pm
Thursday, December 6 – 4pm, 7pm
Location: Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Co-written and Directed by: Gilles Lellouche
Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Guillaume Canet, Benoît Poelvoorde, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Virginie Efira
Drama/Comedy, Not Rated, 122 minutes, Language: French with English subtitles (France)

“A surefooted crowdpleaser with enough warmth and the committed talents of a stellar ensemble cast to fend off any sense of predictability.” – Allan Hunter, Screen International

Directed by Gilles Lellouche and starring some of France’s best male actors (Guillaume Canet, Mathieu Amalric and Jean-Hugues Anglade) wearing Speedos, Sink or Swim is pure feel-good entertainment.
A group of depressed middle-aged men address their collective midlife crisis when they learn of the existence of a team of male synchronised swimmers at their local pool. Amateurs are welcome, which is just as well given that the rum bunch of current members are neither very synchronised nor especially professional.
Braving the skepticism and ridicule of those around them, and trained by fallen champion Delphine (Virginie Efira), the group sets out on an unlikely adventure. They get to know each other in depth, exposing their flaws in the privacy of the changing rooms or in the bar after training in the pool, before setting themselves an overambitious objective: representing France in the world championships in Norway. On the way they rediscover a little self-esteem and a lot about themselves and each other.

AWARDS:

Won – Mel Hoppenheim Audience Award, CINEMANIA Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Best Film, Prix Louis Delluc, 2018

Sink or Swim - 7PM
2018-12-05 19:00 - 21:02, 2018-12-06 19:00 - 21:02

Christmas in a box
2018-12-20 16:00 - 17:30, 2018-12-20 19:00 - 20:30
Christmas in a Box (Noël en boîte)
Written and Directed by: Jocelyn Forgues
Cast: Janick Hébert, Zachary Amzallag, Michèle Vinet, Stéphane Paquette, Vincent Poirier
Comedy, Not rated, 90 minutes, English and French with English subtitles (Canada)

Screening: Thursday, December 20, 2018 – 4pm and 7pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Sophie, a U.S. TV star, finds out shortly before Christmas that she is the subject of compromising photos. Under the pretext of granting the photographer an exclusive interview in exchange for the pictures, the young woman invites him to spend Christmas at her aunt’s in northern Ontario. Will Sophie successfully come to terms with her painful past?
Christmas in a Box is a “feel-good” romantic comedy that takes place during the holiday season and whose main theme is the unconditional love of family. This was filmed in Mattawa, Ontario just east of North Bay.

Program is Sponsored by:

The Fireflies Are Gone
2019-01-09 16:00 - 17:36, 2019-01-09 19:00 - 20:36, 2019-01-10 16:00 - 17:36, 2019-01-10 19:00 - 20:36
The Fireflies Are Gone (La disparition des lucioles)

Screening:
Wednesday, January 9 – 4pm, 7pm
Thursday, January 10 – 4pm, 7pm
Location: Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Written and Directed by: Sébastien Pilote
Cast: Karelle Tremblay, Pierre-Luc Brillant, Luc Picard, François Papineau
Drama, Not Rated, 96 minutes, Language: English and French with English subtitles (Canada)

“This is a satisfying, slightly mournful seriocomedy that’s equal parts cynical, hopeful, and ambivalent.” – Dennis Harvey, VARIETY

“It’s not a novel premise, but Pilote delivers the requisite insights and atmosphere in an engaging way, and his two leads are simply terrific.” – Norman Wilner, NOW Toronto

It is near the end of high school, and Léo (Tremblay) dreams of escape. She feels stuck in her small-town, industrial Québécois life. The easiest target for her frustrations is her stepdad, a local talk-radio celebrity on the wrong side of a political divide that forced her union-organizing father out of town. Léo misses her father and yearns to leave, but her rebellion du jour only seems to manifest itself as a feeling of uneasiness. Enter Steve (Pierre-Luc Brillant, C.R.A.Z.Y), a much older metal-head who still lives in his mother’s basement. Léo is fascinated and sees in him much more than the archetypal loser he may appear to be. As their relationship grows over the summer, an ever-present longing lingers beneath the surface of their friendship — and Léo must decide how to express her deep desire for something more. However, the tenacious vigour of Léo’s teenage angst, brought to life by the magnetic Tremblay, sets this film apart from the director’s earlier work. Winner of the Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at TIFF 2018, this film revels in exquisite close-ups and dreamy musical flourishes that harkens back to classic melodramas; Pilote creates an evocative pop fantasy amidst the customary political tensions in a small Quebec town.

AWARDS:

Winner, Best Canadian Feature Film, Toronto International Film Festival, 2018
Nominee, Best Film, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2018
Nominee, Best Feature Film, Torino Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Best Cinematography, Whistler Film Festival, 2018

Falls Around Her
2019-01-17 16:00 - 17:40, 2019-01-17 19:00 - 20:40
Falls Around Her
Screening: Thursday, January 17, 2019 – 4pm, 7pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Written and Directed by: Darlene Naponse
Cast: Tantoo Cardinal, Lewis Hodgson, Rob Stewart, Tina Keeper, and Johnny Issaluk
Drama/Thriller, NR, 100 minutes, Language: English and Ojibwa with English subtitles (Canada)

“Falls Around Her is legendary Cree and Métis actor Tantoo Cardinal’s first lead role in a feature film – and she’s enthralling in it.” – Samantha Edwards, NOW Toronto

Mary (Tantoo Cardinal) is a renowned Anishinaabe musician who comes home to Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation in northern Ontario, exhausted by many years on the road touring internationally with her band. She returns to the land to restore herself but her past success makes her a commodity to some, and it can be tricky to hide from the demands of the outside world.

Her sister Betty (Tina Keeper) senses there may be more to Mary’s need for isolation and urges her to reconnect with family and old friends. As Mary gets out more and even starts dating, it seems as though new possibilities are on the horizon. However, the past has a way of catching up, and when Mary starts to hear disturbing noises around her cabin, she becomes paranoid that someone may be after her.

Mary knows how to survive, but she also deserves to thrive. And that means gathering the ability to be open to the healing that comes from love, self-expression, family, community, and, especially, the land. (TIFF/DANIS GOULET)

Capernaum - 4PM
2019-02-06 16:00 - 18:00, 2019-02-07 16:00 - 18:00
Capernaum

Screening:
Wednesday, February 6 – 4pm, 7pm
Thursday, February 7 – 4pm, 7pm
Location: Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Co-written and Directed by: Nadine Labaki
Cast: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Cedra Izam
Drama, 14A for language and some drug material, 120 minutes, Language: Arabic with English subtitles (Lebanon/USA)

“A wonderfully complex and rich coming of age story that doesn’t sugar coat the reality of life for those on the fringes of society.” – Rosalyn Try-Hane, Liquid Marmalade
“It’s a deeply assured piece of direction, and though it only plays a few emotional notes, they are ones that won’t soon leave your memory.” – Emily Yoshida, New York Magazine/Vulture
“Given its stark visuals, its authentic acting by non professionals, and its humanism, Capernaum has become the obvious entry by Lebanon to our Academy Awards.” – Harvey S. Karten, Big Apple Reviews

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum (“Chaos”) tells the story of Zain (Zain al Rafeea), a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the “crime” of giving him life. The film follows the gutsy streetwise child as he flees his negligent parents, survives through his wits on the streets, takes care of Ethiopian refugee Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw) and her baby son, Yonas (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole), being jailed for a crime, and finally, seeks justice in a courtroom. This film was made with a cast of non-professionals playing characters whose lives closely parallel their own. Following her script, Labaki placed her performers in scenes and asked them to react spontaneously with their own words and gestures. When the non-actors’ instincts diverged from the written script, Labaki adapted the screenplay to follow them. While steeped in the quiet routines of ordinary people, with an expansive palette: without warning it can ignite with emotional intensity, surprise with unexpected tenderness, and inspire with flashes of poetic imagery. Although it is set in the depths of a society’s systematic inhumanity, Capernaum is ultimately a hopeful film that stirs the heart as deeply as it cries out for action.

AWARDS: 21 Wins, 23 Nominations

Nominated, Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, Academy Awards, USA, 2019
Nominated, Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language, Golden Globes, USA, 2019
Winner, Jury Prize, Prix de la citoyenneté, and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival, 2018
Nominated, Best Feature, Adelaide Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Achievement in Directing, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, 2018
Nominated, Best International Independent Film, British Independent Film Awards, 2018
Winner, Audience Award – US/International Narrative Feature, Calgary International Film Festival, 2018

Capernaum - 7PM
2019-02-06 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-02-07 19:00 - 21:00

The Silent Revolution - 4PM
2019-02-21 16:00 - 17:51
The Silent Revolution
(Das Schweigende Klassenzimmer)
Screens:
Thursday, February 21, 4:00 pm
Friday, February 22, 7:00 pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Click Here to Buy Tickets

Director: Lars Kraume
Cast: Leonard Scheicher, Tom Gramenz, Lena Klenke, Jonas Dassler, Florian Lukas, Isaiah Michalski
Drama/History, PG, 111 min. Language: German and Russian with English subtitles (Germany)

“[A] solid, good-looking piece of filmmaking which is elevated by a clutch of strong performances from the young cast.” – Wendy Ide, Screen International

“We face before us a wonderfully atmospheric historical drama, played with extreme soundness by all the cast and, especially, by the younger actors.” – José Martín, El antepenúltimo mohicano

In 1956 East Germany, a group of senior high schoolers demonstrate solidarity with recent victims of the Hungarian Revolution. Their brief, silent protest ignites underlying tensions and leads to grave consequences. Lars Kraume (The People vs. Fritz Bauer) examines a fascinating moment in German history — just a few years before the construction of the Berlin Wall begins — with this film based on the true story of a high-school classroom that becomes the site of a political battle of wills. When Kurt (Tom Gramenz) and Theo (Leonard Scheicher) sneak into a West German cinema and catch the pre-feature newsreel, they see a very different depiction of the uprising in Budapest than what they’ve heard at home, in the East German town of Stalinstadt. The young men return home inspired at the thought of an idealistic revolution. After debating with their classmates about the virtues of the Hungarian uprising, Kurt and Theo persuade a majority of their peers to join them in a two-minute observation of silence during class, in solidarity with those killed in the struggle. Their teacher is shocked and confused, and reports the incident to the principal, Direktor Schwarz (Florian Lukas, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Goodbye Lenin!). Despite trying to contain the situation, Schwarz can’t keep his bosses from hearing of the political protest. As the story spreads through the upper levels of the administration, the students slowly realize the growing gravity of their situation. Deftly weaving together threads of political tension, adolescent rebellion, and institutional menace, Kraume asks us to consider the connection between a nation’s identity and its influence on the identities of its young people, who are just beginning to question their place in society.

Awards: 5 Wins, 8 Nominations
Winner, Best Young Actor (Jonas Dassler) Bavarian Film Awards, 2018
Winner, Director, Film by the Sea International Film Festival, 2018
Nominated, Outstanding Feature Film/Best Cinematography/Best Costume Design, German Film Awards, 2018
Nominated, Best Young Actor (Jonas Dassler) German Screen Actors Awards, 2018
Jameson CineFest – Miskolc International Film Festival, 2018
Nominated, Audience Award-World Cinema Independent, Mill Valley Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Best National Director, Munich Film Festival, 2018

Sponsored By:

Free Solo - 7PM
2019-02-21 19:00 - 20:40
Free Solo

Thursday, February 21 – 7:00 pm
Saturday, February 23 – 2:00 pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Click Here to Buy Tickets

Directors: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
With: Alex Honnold, Jimmy Chin and Tommy Caldwell
Documentary, PG for brief strong language, 100 min. (USA)

“A breathtaking portrait of a man engaged in arguably the most dangerous sport in the world.” – Louis Proyect, Counterpunch.org

“You don’t have to be a fan of rock climbing to love Free Solo.” – Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star

“…stunning cinematography in chronicling star rock climber Honnolds’ career and his rise to the peak (so far). What’s thought-provoking is [the] focus not just on the physical but the psyche of those involved…” – Diana Cheng, Ripple Effects

“Alex Honnold’s Free Solo climb should be celebrated as one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever.” – The New York Times

From award-winning documentary filmmaker Chai Vasarhelyi and world-renowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin, the directors of “MERU,” comes FREE SOLO, a stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock … the 3,200-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park … without a rope. FREE SOLO is an edge-of-your seat thriller and an inspiring portrait of an athlete who challenges both his body and his beliefs on a quest to triumph over the impossible, revealing the personal toll of excellence. As the climber begins his training, the armor of invincibility he’s built up over decades unexpectedly breaks apart when Honnold begins to fall in love, threatening his focus and giving way to injury and setbacks. Vasarhelyi and Chin succeed in beautifully capturing deeply human moments with Honnold as well as the death-defying climb with exquisite artistry and masterful, vertigo-inducing camerawork. The result is a triumph of the human spirit that represents what The New York Times calls “a miraculous opportunity for the rest of us to experience the human sublime.”

Awards: 14 Wins, 44 Nominations
Nominated, Best Documentary Feature, Academy Awards, USA, 2019
Nominated, Audience Award, Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival, 2018
Nominated, Best Documentary Feature, Camden International Film Festival, 2018
Winner, The Unforgettables, Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US, 2019
Winner, Critics Choice Documentary/Best Cinematography, Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, 2018
Winner, Audience Award, Mill Valley Film Festival, 2018
Winner, People’s Choice Award, Documentary, Toronto International Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Audience Award, Documentary Feature, Virginia Film Festival, 2018

Pick of the Litter - 4PM
2019-02-22 16:00 - 17:21
Pick of the Litter
Screens:

Friday, February 22 – 4:00 pm
Saturday, February 23 – 12:00 pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

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Directed by: Dana Nachman and Don Hardy
Documentary, PG, 81 min. (USA)

“A complete delight, a much-needed balm for the soul.” – Los Angeles Times

“By far the most joyous time you’ll have at the movies all year.” – San Diego Reader

Pick of the Litter follows a litter of puppies from the moment they’re born and begin their quest to become guide dogs for the blind. Cameras follow these pups through an intense two-year odyssey as they train to become dogs whose ultimate responsibility is to protect their blind partners from harm. Along the way, these remarkable animals rely on a community of dedicated individuals who train them to do amazing, life-changing things in the service of their human. The stakes are high and not every dog can make the cut. Only the best of the best. The pick of the litter. With deft storytelling skill, directors Dana Nachman and Don Hardy (the two previously co-directed the feature docs The Human Experiment, Witch Hunt, and Love Hate Love) introduce us to a group of unique canine characters along with their human counterparts. Pick of the Litter is a wonderful reminder of the extraordinary relationships we have with our dogs, especially those that we work beside each day.

Awards: 8 Wins, 4 Nominations

Winner, Audience Award-Documentary, Cinequest San Jose Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman (Dana Nachman), Cleveland International Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Audience Award-Documentary, Gasparilla International Film Festival, 2018
Nominee, Top 20 Audience Favourites, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2018
Winner, Favourite Special Screening, Napa Valley Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Audience Award-Documentary, Newport Beach Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Audience Award-Documentary, Omaha Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Women in Cinema Lena Sharpe Award, Seattle International Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Audience Award, Best Feature-Documentary, Woods Hole Film Festival, 2018

Sponsored By:

The Silent Revolution - 7PM
2019-02-22 19:00 - 20:51

Pick of the Litter - 12PM
2019-02-23 12:00 - 13:21

Free Solo - 2PM
2019-02-23 14:00 - 15:40

Bathtubs Over Broadway - 2:15PM
2019-02-23 14:15 - 15:42
Bathtubs Over Broadway
Screens:
Saturday, February 23 – 2:15 pm
Sunday, February 24 – 8:00 pm – festival closer

Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

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Co-written and directed by: Dava Whisenant
With: David Letterman, Florence Henderson, Jello Biafra, Martin Short and Chita Rivera
Comedy/Documentary, PG for brief language, 87 minutes (USA)

“Anyone who loves musical theater owes it to themselves to see “Bathtubs Over Broadway,” a delightful deep-dive documentary into one man’s obsession with the obscure world of industrial musicals…” – Peter Debruge, Variety

“By presenting the gleeful idiosyncrasy of these artists’ flamboyantly poetic renderings of arch-prosaic subjects, Young and Whisenant confront colossal matters of aesthetic theory with a sly wink.” – Richard Brody, New Yorker

When he started as a comedy writer for the “Late Show With David Letterman”, Steve Young had few interests outside of his day job. But while gathering material for a segment on the show, Steve stumbled onto a few vintage record albums that would change his life forever. Bizarre cast recordings marked “internal use only” revealed full-throated Broadway-style musical shows about some of the most recognizable corporations in America: General Electric, McDonald’s, Ford, DuPont, Xerox. Steve didn’t know much about musical theater, but these recordings delighted him in a way that nothing ever had. While tracking down rare albums, unseen footage, composers and performers, Steve forms unlikely friendships and discovers that this discarded musical genre starring tractors and bathtubs was bigger than Broadway.

Awards: 10 Wins, 10 Nominations

Winner, SummerDocs Audience Award, Hamptons International Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Humour & Humanity Award, Heartland International Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Audience Award, Nantucket Film Festival, 2018
Nominee, Top 20 Audience Favourites, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2018
Winner, Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award, Tribeca Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Most Popular International Documentary Film, Vancouver International Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Exuberance in Documentary Filmmaking, Traverse City Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Honorable Mention, Gibson Music Films/Music City Corporation, Nashville Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Audience Choice Award, Sidewalk Film Festival, Birmingham, Alabama, 2018
Nominated, Audience Award/Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design or Animation, Cinema Eye Honours Awards, US, 2019

Sponsored By:

The Woman Who Loves Giraffes - 4PM
2019-02-23 16:00 - 17:23
The Woman Who Loves Giraffes
The Story of ANNE INNIS DAGG
Screens: Saturday, February 23, 4:00 pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Includes Q&A with Director Alison Reid and Dr. Anne Innis Dagg

Tickets: $10 (includes HST)
Advance tickets are available at Uptown Theatre, located at 55 Dunlop Street West, Barrie (during theater’s regular box office hours);
or online by clicking the link below. Service fees apply.

Click Here to Buy Tickets

Directed by: Alison Reid
With: Dr. Anne Innis Dagg, Mary Dagg, Fred Bercovitch and Lisa Clifton-Bumpass
Documentary, PG, 83 min. (Canada)

“Alison Reid deserves high praise for fine storytelling, combining ecology and social-justice issues while focusing on a woman ahead of her times, whose ambitions were thwarted by institutional sexism.” – Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star

“Reid makes the viewer feel joy and pride for all of Dagg’s groundbreaking successes and sadness and anger at the patriarchal constructs that derailed her professional career for over thirty years.” – Andrew Parker, The Gate

In 1956, four years before Jane Goodall ventured into the world of chimpanzees and seven years before Dian Fossey left to work with mountain gorillas, in fact, before anyone, man or woman had made such a trip, 23-year-old Canadian biologist, Anne Innis Dagg, made an unprecedented solo journey to South Africa to become the first person in the world to study animal behaviour in the wild on that continent. When she returned home a year later armed with groundbreaking research, the insurmountable barriers she faced as a female scientist proved much harder to overcome. The Woman Who Loves Giraffes retraces the steps of Anne’s groundbreaking 1956 journey to South Africa to study giraffes in the wild — and discovers a startling contrast between the world of giraffes she once knew and the one it has become.

Q&A with ALISON REID – DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/WRITER

ALISON REID is an award-winning director who began her career as a stunt coordinator and second unit director. After accumulating 300 credits, she formed Free Spirit Films to produce projects diverse in genre but similar in their exploration of the human spirit. Reid received the 2007 Crystal Award for Emerging Director from DGC/WIFT. Her independent feature, The Baby Formula (2009), sold internationally, won the Audience Award at the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival, Best LGBT Film at Nashville Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Zenith at Montreal World Film Festival. Her television directing credits include Saving Hope, Heartland and Murdoch Mysteries.

Sponsored By:

Muhi - Generally Temporary - 6PM
2019-02-23 18:00 - 19:30
Muhi – Generally Temporary
Saturday, February 23, 6:00 pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

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Directors: Rina Castelnuovo and Tamir Elterman
With: Muhammad El-Farrah, Hamuda Abu Naim El Farrah and Buma Inbar
Documentary, PG, 89 min. Language: Hebrew and Arabic with English Subtitles
(Germany/Israel)

“With chubby cheeks, a goofy smile, and an inquisitive manner, the film’s namesake brings joy to Muhi.” – Zach Rausnitz, Washington City Paper

For the past seven years Muhi, a brave and spirited Palestinian boy has been living in an Israeli hospital, unable to return to his home in Gaza. Caught between two worlds and two peoples, Muhi is raised in paradoxical circumstances that transcend identity, religion and the conflict that divides his world. His time at the hospital is running out and Muhi now faces the most critical choices of his life.

Awards: 1 Win, 7 Nominations

Nominated, Audience Award, Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival, 2017
Nominated, Best Documentary, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2017
Winner, Israeli Competition/Debut Film, DocAviv Film Festival, 2017
Nominated, Best Film, Hamptons International Film Festival, 2017
Nominated, Audience Award/Best Documentary, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2017
Nominated, Human Rights Competition, Istanbul International Film Festival, 2018
Nominated, Best Documentary Feature, San Francisco International Film Festival, 2017

Sponsored By:

Stan & Ollie - 8PM
2019-02-23 20:00 - 21:37
Stan & Ollie
Screening:
Saturday, February 23, 8:00 pm
Sunday, February 24, 12:00 pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

Click Here to Buy Tickets

Director: Jon S. Baird
Cast: Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly, Shirley Henderson, Nina Arianda and Danny Huston, Rufus Jones
Biography/Comedy/Drama, PG for some language/smoking, 97 min.
(United Kingdom/Canada/USA)

“Stan & Ollie has plenty to say about the things that bring us together, and the things that keep us together.” – Adam Graham, Detroit News

“A delightful romp with the duo considered by some to be the best comedy team of the 20th century.” – Harvey S. Karten, Big Apple Reviews

“Stan & Ollie is a joyous ode to an iconic duo’s final few years that portrays its subjects with the love and attention its audience craves.” – Gus Edgar, Film Inquiry

Laurel & Hardy, one of the world’s great comedy teams, set out on a variety hall tour of Britain in 1953. Diminished by age and with their golden era as the kings of Hollywood comedy now behind them, they face an uncertain future. As the charm and beauty of their performances shines through, they re-connect with their adoring fans. The tour becomes a hit, but Stan & Ollie can’t quite shake the spectre of Laurel and Hardy’s past; the long-buried ghosts, coupled with Oliver’s failing health, start to threaten their precious partnership. A portrait of the most tender and poignant of creative marriages, they are aware that they may be approaching their swan song, trying to rediscover just how much they mean to each other.

Awards: 2 Wins, 19 Nominations
Nominated, Golden Globe, Best Performance of an Actor – Musical or Comedy (John C. Reilly), Golden Globes, USA, 2019
Nominated, Best Actor (Steve Coogan)/Best Supporting Actress (Nina Arianda)/Best Casting/Best Costume Design, British Independent Film, 2018
Winner, BSFC Award, Best Actor (John C. Reilly), Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, 2018
Winner, SDFCS Award, Best Body of Work (John C. Reilly), San Diego Film Critics Society Awards, 2017

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Stan & Ollie - 12PM
2019-02-24 12:00 - 13:37

My Mother's Letters - 2PM
2019-02-24 14:00 - 15:27
My Mother’s Letters

(Les lettres de ma mère)

Screening: Sunday, February 24, 2:00 pm
Uptown Theatre, 55 Dunlop St. W., Barrie

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Written and Directed by: Serge Giguère
Documentary/Biography, PG, 87 min. Language: French with English subtitles (Canada)

In this very personal and poetic film, veteran documentarian Serge Giguère pores through 100 letters written by his late mother to him and his 15 siblings. In them, she details the trials and tribulations of raising 16 children in rural Quebec, while helping to run a family carpentry business. Through inventive and playful techniques, Giguère brings the stories alive, applying creative approaches to family photographs, archival footage and staged re-enactments. He mixes his mother’s stories with his own memories and those of his siblings, some of whom hear for the first time what their mother had to say about them. Through these intertwining stories, the film presents not only a testament of a mother’s complicated love for her many children, but also offers an intimate look at 1950s working class Quebec. (Aisha Jamal/Hot Docs Film Festival)

Awards:
Compétition Nationale Longs métrages – RIDM 2017

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