Feb 8, 2019
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.
Giddy up cinema lovers! March and April are an embarrassment of riches at the Cinematheque. I’m particularly excited for the Winnipeg Film Group: Found In Translation Tour which has two programs featuring tons of local cinematic gems made by many of my personal heroes. I’d also like to highlight Bill Morrison’s Decasia which is a meditation on the decay of celluloid film. Decasia pairs well with the continuation of the incredible Restoration Tuesdays series. Of note is the March 12th screening of Detour featuring an introduction from Guy Maddin and Skype conversation with Ben Crossley-Mara from the legendary Janus Films. — Ryan Steel, Cinematheque Box Office
It’s getting harder for me to narrow down my picks to just a few selections each program. This time around, a few of my favourite films of 2018 (Minding the Gap, Burning, The House That Jack Built) butt up against one of my all-time favourites (Rocco and His Brothers) and the return of a favourite local festival (Alliance Francaise French Film Fest). Lots of favourites! March/April will supply us with no shortage of cinematic experimentations: Shakedown, Decasia, and the Anita Lebeau program are sure to expand Winnipeg’s film IQ. We’ve been working hard at building up a head of steam towards a festival of new film restorations in 2020, and have invited professionals in the field to share their knowledge on Restoration Tuesdays. Don’t miss the chance to hear from giants Janus Films and Milestone Films. — David Knipe, Cinematheque Operations Manager
The Swedish entry for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, Border (Gräns) is one of the weirdest films I have seen in ages. I loved it. Part romance, part horror film and deeply moving. Former Winnipeg based director Danishka Esterhazy has created a terrific suspense thriller, Level 16, about a boarding school where young girls are being trained in the virtues of obedience and cleanliness. Four years before Jane Goodall, 23-year-old Canadian biologist Anne Innis Dagg was the first person to study animal behavior in the African wild, she is the unsung hero of The Woman Who Loves Giraffes. The Legendary Cree and Métis actor Tantoo Cardinal gives a terrific performance in Darlene Naponse’s new feature Falls Around Her which will be introduced by Tina Keeper who has a great role as her sister Betty. — Dave Barber, Senior Cinematheque Programmer
Nothing has me more excited this program then being able to watch a double dipping of film noir in March with our Restoration Tuesdays screenings of The Hitch-Hiker and Detour. These fantastic pulp films will have you entertained but also showcase the brilliant low budget independent film making showcase of the 40s and 50s in the United States. We are also saying farewell to our Distribution Coordinator Stephanie Berrington in May as she moves away, but before she goes she will be curating our Secret Cinema Series. Come join us in the Black Lodge Studio as we screen her long awaited pick! — Eric Peterson, Cinematheque Head Projectionist
Bill Morrison’s Decasia is on my list of films that I am quite embarrassed to have never seen, so I’m rather thrilled to finally get a chance to be immersed by this magnum opus of decayed celluloid—in a proper setting. Also I’m fairly jealous that while on vacation in the USA, David got to see a fabled one-night-only screening of Lars Von Trier’s director’s cut of The House That Jack Built, which caused the distributor to get in piping hot water with the MPAA, so we cinema fans should rejoice at the opportunity to see this verboten, perverse and provocative tour de force. Lastly, please join us for a very special edition of Secret Cinema curated by our departing Distribution Coordinator, Stephanie “Cousin Stephie” Berrington, and help us give her a proper Winnipeg send off. — Jaimz Asmundson, Cinematheque Programming Director
The Woman Who Loves Giraffes is going to be a beautiful and wild ride (excuse the pun) and I am excited to learn more about a woman who spent her life passionately studying a majestic creature. I am also extremely excited for Level 16 directed by Danishka Esterhazy, she was one of the first people from the Winnipeg film industry I ever met and I can’t wait to see her new film! — Thomas Hanan, Cinematheque Box Office
Another avalanche of great films in this program. A few that I’ll draw your attention to includes the rare screening of The Last Supper by Cynthia Roberts, the harrowing critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning feature drama about AIDS and euthanasia
which won the 1995 Berlinale Best Feature Film Gay Teddy Bear. (This screening is accompanied by a Master Class as part of my Creative Producing Series of workshops.) The restoration of Ida Lupino’s creepy, brilliantly directed 1953 film noir classic The Hitch-Hiker is an absolute must-see as is Winnipeg filmmaker Danishka Esterhazy’s chilling dystopian thriller Level 16. — Greg Klymkiw, Executive Director