New title added to 70mm Festival!

VERTIGO! 70mm print from the1996 restoration.

We are currently juggling the schedule to fit a couple screenings of Vertigo. The full locked down schedule will be on-line by Tuesday Aug. 3rd. We will also start selling festival passes in early August. Festival passes are $40.00 CND. We also have a official hotel which is across the street from the venue, the Four Points Sheraton. With a discounted rate starting at $119.00 for a double room. For more on the festival go here.

August 18: Crime Wave + Skip Tracer

August 18: Indy 16mm Double Bill, Mayfair Theatre, $10.00

Crime Wave, 1985, Directed by John Paizs, 80mins, 1.37, mono, rated AA, 16mm print from the Winnipeg film group, expect some print wear.

John Paisz's Crimewave is one of the best films produced out of the Winnipeg Film Group in the 1980's. Along with Guy Maddin, Paisz was able to deftly capture a bit of the uniqueness of the “Centre of the Country” filtered through classic film genres and cinema history. More accessible than the works of Maddin, Paizs' Crimewave is a good-natured look at the process of film making itself. Paisz later went on to direct many of the mini-filmed segments of the CBC series Kids in the Hall, and a similar off-kilter sensibility is equally on display here. A true gem of a film.  Go here for an interview with director John Paizs.






Skip Tracer, 1978, Directed by Zale Dalen, 94mins, 1.37, mono rated AA, 16mm print from Queens University

Skip Tracer, 1977, Directed by Zale Dalen

 Director Zale Dalen's feature film debut, Skip Tracer was shot on location in Vancouver in the late 1970's. It's a hardscrabble drama concerning a bill-collector attempting to regain past glory by tracking down all his “skips” - people who have skipped out on paying their bills. Enthusiasts of this little-seen film insist that it is a lost classic, one of the best Canadian films produced in the past 40 years, and a stringent commentary on life as lived in the back-alleys and “mean streets” of our cities. Rarely seen on the big screen since its debut, this is your chance to make up your own mind

for more information on these two films read John Yemen's preview at Unfolding Magazine.

Neil Young Double Bill July 21st

July 21st: Neil Young Double Bill

Mayfair Theatre, 7pm $10.00 gets into both films.

Lots of prizes before the show including the Greendale Comic.


Rust Never Sleeps, 1979, Directed by Neil young, 103mins, 1.85, Dolby A, rated PG, original 35mm print, may have some wear.

Neil young has directed a number of musical based films including Déjà Vu, Greendale, Human Highway, and Journey Through The Past. Rust Never Sleeps is generally considered the best pure music film out of the bunch because it’s just Neil and his band playing for 90 minutes (there's a reason Neil Young fans are often called “Rusties”). This film documents a 1978 concert at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Young's performance and set list really make this film soar, starting with an acoustic set on a 12-string a guitar and moving onto some grungier rock stuff with his backing band Crazy Horse. Young is in top form and the film captures a momentous time period in the history of rock n' roll and Neil Young's career: Punk is in, bloated progressive rock is on the way out, and the 80’s will be a mess, but Neil will make it out alive. Warning: this original print of Rust Never Sleeps includes old film stock, so expect it to be a little rusty around the edges…but still totally watchable.


Greendale, 2004, Directed by Neil Young, 87mins, 1.85, Dolby Digital/DTS, rated PG, 35mm studio print

Neil Young's Greendale project involved a concept album and tour captured live in this feature film. It ties together a lot of his artistic preoccupations including the faded idealism of the 60's generation, the crisis of the environment, the personal failings of his flawed protagonists and his hopes for the next generation. Set in the fictional town of Greendale, California, using an interconnected series of vignettes of characters, with their lives and struggles expressed through songs. Rather than following the approach of a traditional stage musical, instead we see actors appear with Neil Young singing for all the characters. The film is also shot in glorious Super-8 film format (the old home-movie format) which adds to the film’s “home made” rough-around-the-edges aesthetic. Greendale is a project that could have easily fallen apart if it had been approached in a heavy-handed manner. However, Neil Young's trademark sly sense of humour, attention to songwriting craft, clever use of the “school play” structure lift this project out of the ordinary. Ambitious and fresh, it proves once again that Neil Young is Canada's superlative songwriter, and not a bad filmmaker either.

For more on Neil Young film's read John Yemen's Article on Unfolding.ca

Coming Soon! 70mm Film Festival and Canadian Indies on 16mm

Don't forget about the 70mm Film Festival we are hosting Sept. 24-26th. Tickets and programs will be available mid-Aug from our website or at the Museum of Civilizations box office. Check back in early August for more details.

Get ready for some classic 70mm epics and 80's action on 70mm film with 6-track sound.

For more on the festival go here

Also in August we are presenting two very rare 16mm Canadina features. These films are not on DVD so this could be your only chance to see two unknown classics.