The films to be screened at this year’s Kamloops Film Festival have been named.
The 23rd annual Kamloops Film Festival has 23 films on its docket and will run from March 7 to March 16 at Paramount Theatre, 503 Victoria St.
Thursday, March 7
Adventure documentary This Mountain Life kicks off the festival with the story of a mother and daughter’s six-month trek through the province’s treacherous Coast Mountains, a route never before completed by a female duo. The film won best snow sport film at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. (7 p.m.)
Friday, March 8
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch is directed by Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky and Nicholas de Pencier, and film explores humanity’s impact on Earth. Its accolades include best film nominations at critics association awards in Vancouver and Toronto. (6 p.m.)
Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz and Uma Thurman star in Lars von Trier’s latest, The House That Jack Built, about a highly intelligent killer who sees murder as an art form. The horror film made headlines at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 when a mass of viewers walked out after some of the film’s most graphic scenes. (9 p.m.)
Saturday, March 9
If you have young children or are a Disney fanatic, you probably already know the words to every song in Disney’s Frozen. That will come in handy at the festival’s screening of Frozen: Sing-along Edition, this year’s family-friendly event. (Noon)
Lebanese film Capernaum tells the story of Zain, a 12-year-old boy who sues his parents over their neglect as he serves a five-year prison sentence for a violent crime. (2 p.m.)
Edge of the Knife is a historical drama set on Haida Gwaii that tells the story of Adiits’ii, who, plagued by guilt over the death of a friend’s son on a fishing expedition, retreats into the wilderness. (5 p.m.)
Finding Big Country, another documentary in this year’s festival, tells the story of super-fan Kat Jayme’s quest to track down Bryant “Big Country” Reeves, the player around which the now-defunct Vancouver Grizzlies hoped to build their NBA team. (7 p.m.)
Suspiria stars Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton and Doris Hick and tells the story of the darkness at the centre of a world-renowned dance company. The fantasy/horror won best special effects at the Venice Film Festival and best score at the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Awards. (10 p.m.)
Sunday, March 10
Sir is a film out of India that tells the story of a prosperous young Indian man who falls in love with his servant, a widow who dreams of becoming a tailor. (2 p.m.)
Comedy/drama film The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova is about two estranged siblings who must travel to the Polish city of Dombrova to fulfil the dying wish of their grandmother — to bring home the bones of their childhood dog. (5 p.m.)
Never Look Away is inspired by real-life events spanning three eras of German history through an art student, tormented by his past, who has fled to West Germany. (8 p.m.)
Monday, March 11
Willem Dafoe plays Vincent Van Gogh in Eternity’s Gate, a biographical drama of the Dutch post-impressionist painter’s final days. Dafoe earned a nomination for best performance at the 2019 Golden Globes. (6 p.m.)
The Grizzlies tells the story of Inuit youth who take to lacrosse and find purpose. Directed by Miranda de Pencier, the biographical drama follows a true story account. The Grizzlies won the outstanding directorial achievement award at the Directors Guild of Canada awards in 2018. (9 p.m.)
Tuesday, March 12
French film Sink or Swim puts some of France’s best male actors in speedos. The feel-good film is about a team of male synchronised swimmers stocked with depressed men going through midlife crises. (6 p.m.)
Natalie Portman stars in Vox Lux, and she has been lauded for her “risk-taking” performance. The story focuses on her character Celeste, who is mounting a comeback years after an incident derailed her rising career as a young pop star. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and Portman received a nomination for best actress for the role at the Florida Film Critics Circle Awards. (9 p.m.)
Wednesday, March 13
Paul Dano’s directorial debut is set in 1960s Montana. Wildlife tells the story of a mother and teenage boy who are left to fend for themselves after their father, left purposeless after losing his job, abandons them to fight a nearby wildfire. (6 p.m.)
Japanese film Shoplifters tells the story of Osamu and Shota, who spend their days shoplifting in Tokyo to subsidize their low-income lives. After encountering Yuri, a girl locked out, in need and showing signs of abuse, they welcome her into their practice as police try to track her down. Shoplifters won the Palm d’Or at Cannes, best film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and best international film at the Munich Film Festival. (9 p.m.)
Thursday, March 14
English film The Bromley Boys tells a coming-of-age love story revolving around the worst football team in Britain. (6 p.m.)
Alfonso Cuaron, who directed Children of Men and Gravity, has returned as the writer and director of Roma. The film chronicles a year in the life of a middle-class family’s maid in 1970s Mexico City and won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and was nominated for three Golden Globes. (9 p.m.)
Friday, March 15
Circle of Steel is a drama about an oil and gas worker who is forced to address her ethics and moral compass as rumours of layoffs circle. The film, set in Alberta, is the work of Calgary-based director Gillian McKercher. (6 p.m.)
Pawel Pawlikowski, named best director at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, is behind Cold War, a Polish film that tells the story of a turbulent love affair in the 1950s inspired by the director’s own parents’ relationship. (9 p.m.)
Saturday, March 16
Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges star in Ben is Back, the story of a drug-addicted teenage boy who returns to his family’s home unexpectedly on Christmas Eve. (3 p.m.)
Kayak to Klemtu closes out the festival with the story of a 14-year-old determined to testify against a pipeline project who must travel the Inside Passage along the shores of the Great Bear Rainforest. This adventure/family film took home two awards for best director and actor at the American Indian Film Festival and was the audience’s choice at the ImagineNative Film and Media Arts Festival. (6 p.m.)
Tickets will be available at Paramount Theatre, 503 Victoria St. during the festival and Moviemart, 367 St. Paul St. in advance. Single tickets are $11, $10 for seniors and $5 for students and children. Passes will also be available online. A full festival pass is $150, $80 for 10 films, and $40 for five films.
