Being a bit off the beaten path has its benefits, says an organizer with the North of Superior Film Association’s 22nd annual film festival.
Because of Thunder Bay’s size, often films with Oscar buzz pass the city by. But there’s still plenty of interest in movies like Selma, Birdman and Still Alice, which were not available in this market during their first run but highlight a jam-packed festival lineup later this month.
Other highlights include Citizenfour, Al Pacino in The Humbling and Red Army, which showcases the famed Russian Five who led the Soviet Union to hockey supremacy in the 1980s.
“We’re moviegoers like everyone else,” Mascarin said. “With the advent of the Oscars ceremony it was our thinking we would see at least one of these titles that we’ve booked. And they just didn’t appear.”
Mascarin added they were continually checking with staff at SilverCity, but were told it appeared the films’ distributers were likely going to bypass Thunder Bay.
“The phone has been ringing off the hook for Still Alice. Once we booked that title, it led us to consideration for Birdman and finally to Selma, which was the last title we booked for the festival,” Mascarin said.
Still Alice stars Juliane Moore, who won an Oscar for her performance, portraying a women with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Birdman won best picture, best director and Academy Awards for cinematography and original screenplay, while Selma took home the Oscar for best original song and Citizenfour won the best documentary feature trophy.
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“We’re very excited to have these movies and to have the people to have the opportunity to see them on the big screen,” said Mascarin, who is most looking forward to Citizenfour, about the Edward Snowden affair.
The lineup includes movies from around the world, including Wild Tales (Argentina), Les Combtattants (France), the Oscar-nominated Leviathon (Russia), Timbuktu (Mauritania) and ’71, Frank and Sunshine on Leith, all from the United Kingdom.
The festival, slated for April 12 and 19, will kick off on April 9 with special screenings of Dustin Hoffman’s Boychoir and the Second World War thriller Phoenix.
Ticket prices have increase slightly this year, said organizer Catherine Powell.
Six-pack tickets are $36, and memberships are $10 annually. Single tickets are $7 for members and $10 for non-members.
Powell recommends coming early, as only Still Alice is being shown more than once.
“Most of our members know this, that you have to get here early because we do sell out sometimes. And with this family lineup there are going to be lineups and maybe a few sellouts with these films.”
Tickets will be available starting Thursday at the UPS Store on Memorial Avenue and will be sold at the April 9 screening.
The lineup:
- Birdman
- Selma
- Still Alice
- Citizenfour
- Wild Tales
- Les Combattants
- Leviathon
- Timbuktu
- Living is Easy with Shut Eyes
- The Wind Rises
- '71
- Frank
- Sunshine on Leith
- The Humbling
- Locke
- Obvious Child
- Red Army
- Tu dors Nicole
- An Eye for Beauty
Thursday, April 9
- Boychoir
- Phoenix
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- Sleeping Giant
- Beyond the Edge
- The Maker
- jump jump
- Impersians
