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.
This year’s Oscars nominations were revealed to have included no female directors. My March/April picks are but a small effort to tilt the universe a little bit and draw attention to some of the many immensely talented women directors working in film. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night by Ana Lily Amirpour (April 9-23) immediately jumps at you out off the page as “the first Iranian vampire western” and with its excellent reviews considering it to be one of the best films of the year. Sol by Marie-Hélène Cousineau & Susan Avingaq (March 21) reflects on the alarming youth suicide rate in the arctic. And finally, Winnipeg’s own Danielle Sturk reflects on the impact and legacy of Canadian dance icon and choreographer Rachel Browne in A Good Madness (April 22-25).
— Cecilia Araneda, Executive Director
As you can see, our March/April program guide is jam-packed with fantastic films from around the world and exclusive partner events such as the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival (March 6-21) which features the best Canadian works at last year’s TIFF including two fantastic short film programs (featuring my personal favourite short of last year – Matthew Rankin’s labouriously intricate and handcrafted tribute to WWII vet hero Andrew Mynarski) and the return of the Architecture+Design Film Festival (April 15-19). I’m also very curious to see The Last Pogo Jumps Again (April 25-May 2), Colin Brunton and Kire Paputts’ three-hour epic documentary of the early Toronto punk scene. Debbie Wall of Winnipeg’s first all-girl-punk band, The Wurst, will be introducing the screenings and on the opening night we’ll have a record sale across the hall at Platform Gallery starting at 6:30 pm with music by DJ Ack!
— Jaimz Asmundson, Programming Director
Some of my highlights include Xavier Dolan’s electrifying film Mommy (March 6-12) which is a must see in addition to Corbo (March 20-22), the riveting thriller about how one young man was lured in into the militant Quebec, separatist group the FLQ. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s new film Two Days, One Night (March 26-April 5) features a powerful performance by Marion Cotillard about a woman facing the prospect of losing her job. Susan Algie and her curatorial team have assembled a great line up of world-class documentaries in the architectural world and design in the upcoming Architecture+Design Film Festival. Finally, Cassandre Pérusse will be here from the Wapikoni organization to introduce a great collection of Aboriginal shorts in the Wapikoni Mobile 10th Anniversary Retrospective (April 30), a collaboration between Urban Shaman, Cinematheque and Wapikoni.
— Dave Barber, Programming Coordinator
Susan Algie at the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation works hard every year to bring together a great program of architecture and design films. During the Festival you’ll see me dreaming of Palm Springs life at The Nature of Modernism and Quiet Elegance (April 16) as well as Mon Oncle (April 18). Not just documentaries, the festival includes locally made shorts and a walking tour. Also, because I’ve been on a horror movie kick lately, I’m strangely excited for The Babadook (March 20-28), however I will have my eyes closed for most of it. Lastly, I encourage you to watch the Wapikoni Mobile 10th Anniversary Retrospective. It’s original programming that you will see nowhere else.
— Kristy Muckosky, Operations Manager
The two films that have piqued my interest are Leviathan (March 1-5) and The Babadook. They both look terrifying but for vastly different reasons. Leviathan is an Oscar-nominated film about Russian corruption and one man’s attempt to stand up for what is rightfully his. This is a film that was almost banned in Russia because officials claimed it to be too grim of a take on modern Russia. So, it must be good. The trailer for The Babadook gave me the chills, and I am reasonably desensitized to the horror genre. This film is about a boy with behavioural problems who discovers a “monster under the bed” book that eventually wreaks havoc on his mom and her psyche. If you like the horror genre, watch the trailer then go see the film.
— Mark Borowski, Box Office