Hunker down with some popcorn and treat yourself to a movie fest.
The Shuswap Film Society presents their Reel Weekend Film Festival Friday, Nov. 2 through Sunday, Nov. 4.
• The screen first lights up at 7:30 Friday night with The Runway.
Doors open at 6:30 and festivalgoers are invited to go early and sample the best of Ireland. This pre-film event will feature refreshments, music and door prizes
Inspired by a true story of a Mexican pilot who lands his plane near Mallow, in Co. Cork, Ian Power’s The Runway is a heart-warming tale of love, laughter and adventure.
This is the story of Paco, who just happens to have been falling asleep to Spanish language tapes as his ma has told him that the father he has never known is a Spanish sailor. Paco adopts the Spanish-speaking pilot and convinces the townspeople to help him get home.
The Runway also shows Sunday, Nov. 4 at 10:30 a.m.
• The Salt of Life – Saturday, Nov. 3 at 10:30 a.m.
Gianni DiGregorio directs and stars in this quiet comedy about a retiree in his early 60s who has become invisible to women of all ages.
No one expects too much of him, not his wife, or his daughter, until his only friend stokes his desire to make a last attempt at love.
• Under African Skies – Saturday, Nov. 3 at 1:15 p.m.
For the 25th anniversary of the wildly successful album Graceland, Paul Simon returns to South Africa for a historic reunion concert – and a look at his landmark album’s turbulent birth.
Interviewing anti-apartheid activists and music legends like Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte and Paul McCartney, the documentary explores both the anatomy of a musical masterpiece and the responsibilities of art.
• Where Do We Go Now? Saturday, Nov. 3 at 3:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
In this comedy, the women of a tiny isolated Lebanese village conspire to bring about peace.
Recently, the men, inflamed by the introduction of television, have decided that the local Christians and Muslims, who have co-existed since time immemorial, are now enemies, though each group is virtually identical in culture.
The women decide to manipulate the hunger and weaknesses of the men they know so well.
• Midnight’s Children – Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 4 at 3:30 p.m.
Directed by Deepa Mehta, written and narrated by Salman Rushdie, and suspended somewhere between fable and history, this film is an enchanting epic that re-imagines India’s history through the lives of two children switched at birth, born within moments of India gaining its independence from Britain.
• Stories We Tell – Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1:15 p.m.
In this Canadian documentary, Sarah Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets kept by a family of storytellers.
She playfully interviews and interrogates a cast of characters of varying reliability, eliciting candid, yet most contradictory answers to the same questions.
As each relates their version of family mythology, present-day recollections shift into nostalgic glimpses of their dead mother. In this deeply personal film Polley discovers that the truth depends on who is telling it.
All films will be shown at the Salmar Classic Theatre and festivalgoers are reminded to enjoy a “reel lunch” at SAGA Public Art Gallery from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday during the festival.
Tickets are available prior to the films at Wearabouts on Alexander Street or at the door – cash only at the door.
Single admission is $7, a five-film pass is $30 and all six films are available with a $35 gold pass. MasterCard and Visa can be used to buy tickets on the film society’s Reserve Line at 250-832-2294.
Festival and gold passes guarantee festivalgoers see the movies at discount prices but do not guarantee admission in case of a sell-out so arrive early to avoid disappointment.
To view festival information online, visit www.shuswapfilm.net.
