Autumn 2021 Season – Sunday nights, 7 p.m. (arrive by 6:45) Admission by donation.

Here’s the lineup. To find out more about each film, hover over the title, click the underline. Sunday evenings. English-language film one week, foreign the next. Sep 19. The Lady Eve Sep 26. Nights of Cabiria Oct 3. Chef Oct 10. Pop Aye Oct 17. Life, Animated Oct 24. The TAMI Show Oct 31. Onibaba…

Sunday, Oct. 17. Life, Animated

USA, 2016. Documentary, 91 minutes. Autism is such a frustrating condition, both from the inside trying to communicate out, and from the outside trying to communicate in. However, here’s one example at least of a breakthrough of the most unexpected and fascinating kind. Joseph Campbell liked to say something to the effect that each of us is the central figure in the epic tale that is our life, and that we use our personal collection of legends and film scenes to help us navigate life’s difficult situations. This film is proof of that assertion. Life, Animated tells the remarkable story of how Owen found a pathway to language and a framework for making sense of the world through Disney animated films.

“The effect not only lies in the story or the people portrayed in it, but in the potential to make other people better.”

“A wonderful example of the power of cinema and humanity.”

“Few documentaries are this life-affirming and utterly joyous.”

“His journey into adulthood may be complicated by his autism but his life is not a tragedy. He’s every bit as vivacious as those dancing, singing characters in the movies he loves.”

Sunday, October 31. Onibaba

Onibaba, Japan, 1964, 103 minutes. English subtitles. Horror movies are not my thing, nor is gratuitous violence. However, the theme of the realities of war turning us all into beasts is so unflinchingly yet artistically handled in this visually stunning film, I’m recommending it as the perfect fright on a Halloween night. Deep within the…

Sunday, July 25. Children of Heaven

Children of Heaven. Iran, 1997, 1hr 28 min. Drama. As an Iranian family struggles financially, 8-year old Ali loses his younger sister’s just-repaired pair of school shoes. The young pair dream up a plan to stay out of trouble: they’ll share his shoes and keep it a secret from their parents! This simple tale shows…

Sunday, Sept. 26. Nights of Cabiria

Nights of Cabiria, 1957, Italy, 1hr 43 min. Director, Federico Fellini. Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Giulietta Masina (Fellini’s wife) plays Cabiria, a feisty, loud, outspoken and somewhat naïve prostitute waiting for a miracle, and one of the most unforgettable and endearing characters of European cinema. Later, Neil Simon adapted the script into the Broadway…

Sunday, Sept 19. The Lady Eve

The Lady Eve USA, 1941, 1hr 37 min. Comedy. Director Preston Sturges. Barbara Stanwyck stars as a con artist who sets her sights on wealthy Henry Fonda, the dolt to end all dolts. “Stanwyck completely upstages Fonda who looks as delicate as a Lalique vase. Her chemistry is more with the dads: with Coburn and…

Whistle Down the Wind

Whistle Down the Wind, England, 1961, 1 hr 39 Minutes. Drama. After a confusing exchange with a strange man they find hiding in their family barn, (Alan Bates), Kathy Bostock (Hayley Mills) and her young siblings jump to the conclusion that the man — in reality an escaped killer — is none other than Jesus…

Sunday, August 15, Jazz on a Summer’s Day

Jazz on a Summer’s Day. USA. 1958. 1hr 25 min. Documentary This film could be more accurately titled Jazz and a Summer’s Day. Although the principal emphasis is on the performances, director Bert Stern’s camera fills us with illuminating images of America at its best. Whether its a birds-eye view of the rich in their…

Sunday, Nov 7. Yomeddine

Yomeddine, Egypt. 2018. 1hr 37 min. Drama. Two outcasts, a Coptic leper and his orphaned apprentice, leave their leper colony for the first time and embark on a journey across Egypt to search for what remains of their families. Despite the unpromising premise, this is a surprisingly comic, uplifting film. “As Gamal, himself raised in…

Sunday, July 11. East Side Sushi

EAST SIDE SUSHI – USA. 90 Minutes. Light Drama. Juana, a Mexican-American single mom, is tired of barely supporting her daughter and father by operating a food truck in a dicey Los Angeles neighbourhood. Her ambition is to be a Sushi chef, and the only obstacles are the objections of her family, her race, and…

Thurs. Nov 5. Big Night

BIG NIGHT – USA. 1992. Drama. 1hr 47 minutes. It’s the late ’50’s, and Chef Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and businessman Secondo (Stanley Tucci) are immigrant brothers from Italy who open their dream restaurant, Paradise, in New Jersey. However, Primo’s authentic food is too unfamiliar for the local tastes, and the restaurant is struggling. Their only…