Check out what’s playing at Cinematheque in the Now Playing section and purchase advance tickets. Download a PDF copy of the March/April program guide.
“Whether feeding handmade images through a homemade, hand-cranked film projector or using live image manipulating techniques, Vancouver-based artist Alex Mackenzie succeeds in transforming the cinema space into one that is extremely intimate and reminiscent of the early days of cinema when the moving image seemed magical. Mackenzie’s work is very inspiring and I encourage you all to check out his new film performance, Apparitions. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Cecilia Araneda for her ten years as Executive Director of the Winnipeg Film Group. She has been instrumental to the renewed success of the Cinematheque and has made the WFG a more inclusive space for filmmakers of all backgrounds and cultures. Also, she has personally been a very valuable mentor to me in my five years at Cinematheque. Thank you Cecilia, you’ve left some pretty big shoes to fill! We all wish you much success in your next adventure.”
— Jaimz Asmundson, Cinematheque Programming Director / Interim Co-Executive Director
“As a film distributor I am fortunate to be able to attend a variety of film festivals and in 2016 I went to Cannes. There I waited in line for over an hour to see Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson but unfortunately for me it sold out. But I was waiting outside in the bright sun of the French Riviera so I can’t really complain. Luckily the film will be playing at the Cinematheque and I can finally see it! If you want to support female directors then I strongly encourage you to see Nova Scotian, Ashley McKenzie’s debut feature, Werewolf, which screened at the Berlin International Film Festival. Quebec’s Xavier Dolan’s newest film, It’s Only the End of the World (Juste la fin du monde), which ended up winning the Grand Prix at Cannes, is at the top of my must-see list for this year. And get your tickets early for Menorca by Winnipeg filmmaker John Barnard, preceded by Fabian Velasco & Milos Mitrovic’s Imitations. I anticipate sell outs!”
— Monica Lowe, Distribution Director / Interim Co-Executive Director
“The best film I saw at last year’s TIFF was the three hour epic from Quebec—Those Who Make Revolution Halfway, Only Dig Their Own Graves—Brave, imaginative and operatic! It plays as a part of Canada’s Top Ten with several other acclaimed features and shorts. Inuit director Zacharias Kunuk is back to introduce his new feature Maliglutit which is based on John Ford’s 1950s classic The Searchers. And inspired by early stereo imaging, legendary Vancouver experimental film artist Alex MacKenzie will present his expanded cinema work, Apparitions. I also highly recommend experimental filmmaker Mike Hoolboom’s beautifully photographed Incident Reports—an “episodic love letter set against the city’s intimacies and haunts” of the streets of Toronto. And watch for great Winnipeg premieres of Circus Without Borders and John Barnard’s acclaimed Winnipeg feature Menorca.”
— Dave Barber, Cinematheque Programming Coordinator
“There are so many amazing things happening at Cinematheque this program, it is hard to spotlight just a few. But I’ll do my best! The sprawling German melodrama comedy Toni Erdmann; Jim Jarmusch’s spare, poetic Paterson; and the hybrid-reality Dark Night all have me brimming with excitement and anticipation. The lineup for Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival, courtesy of TIFF, proves that Canadian film can go head-to-head with the world’s best. Of special regard are Zacharias Kunuk’s latest Maliglutit (Searchers), and Anne Émond’s Nelly, based on the life of Quebecois writer and provocateur Nelly Arcan. Lastly, I perennially look forward to the Alliance Française French Film Festival. This year a couple of my all-time favourite French films will be shown: Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Wages of Fear and Diabolique. Don’t be surprised if you see me at the theatre every night in March and April!”
— David Knipe, Cinematheque Operations Manager
“This program promises to be a fruitful and exciting one. Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie, along with the rest of Astron 6, inspired me to make films. They are undeniably some of the best filmmakers to come out of Winnipeg. The incredibly talented duo made The Void, which I had chance to check out at Fantastic Fest last fall. It is a definite must see for horror fans, as the two brilliant filmmakers were able to throw in a little bit of everything into their feature to make a great film. It will prove to be enjoyable for horror fans and cinephiles alike.”
— Milos Mitrovic, Cinematheque Technical Liaison
“Back again this year is the Alliance Française French Film Festival which along with some new films such as Daguerreotype and The Stopover, includes classics such as Wages of Fear, Eyes Without a Face and Diabolique. Also playing is Toni Erdmann which tells the story of a prankster father who disguises himself to reconnect with his work obsessed daughter. This film has landed on almost every film critics’ top of 2016 lists and was nominated for an Oscar this year in the Best Foreign Film category.”
— Eric Peterson, Cinematheque Box Office & Projection