While movie theatres were able to open several weeks ago with the shift to Stage 3 reopening in the province, Sudbury Indie Cinema has taken a bit longer to reopen.
But it will finally reopen its doors to the public Aug. 5.
Sudbury Indie Cinema explains that the earlier-than-expected move to Stage 3 took some niche businesses by surprise.
“With only one week’s notice, it really wasn’t possible for The Indie to shift gears from 0 to 100: to staff up; develop a month’s worth of programming; readjust the physical space to whatever the new guidelines may require; and promote the films we’ve selected,” said programmer Beth Mairs.
“In the case of an independent cinema such as the Indie, since we operate on a calendar system, we needed a full slate of at least 10 unique titles to be able to re-open. That’s a very different model than the commercial chains that book three Hollywood blockbusters and play them as long as they keep making money.”
Further complicating matters was that the Cannes Film Festival ran in July this year.
In the days between the Step 3 announcement and the re-opening date, Mairs said the distributors whom arthouse cinemas deal with were attending Cannes screenings to pick up titles for theatrical release in North America, and so it was nearly impossible to get a response from anyone.
But once it’s up and running next week, Sudbury Indie Cinema will experiment with running films seven days a week through until Labour Day to make up for lost time.
Here’s a rundown of what you can watch next week:
Minari (opens Aug. 5)
A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother.
PIG (opens Aug. 6)
Nicholas Cage plays a truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness who must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped. Certified 98-per-cent Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Annette (opens Aug. 6)
Fresh off a win at Cannes 2021, Annette is a musical film directed by Leos Carax. The plot follows a stand-up comedian (Adam Driver) and his opera singer wife (Marion Cotillard) and how their lives are changed when they have their first child; Simon Helberg and Devyn McDowell also star.
French Exit (opens Aug. 8)
This acclaimed film sees Michelle Pfeiffer as broke socialite Frances Price dig into one of her juiciest roles yet. Director Azazel Jacobs’ film, based on the Giller-shortlisted novel by Patrick deWitt, is a low-key, melancholy farce, and it’s a showcase for the veteran star’s vibrancy.
Also coming up at the Indie: Beans on Aug. 12, Gunda on Aug. 12, Hors Normes/The Specials Aug. 13, Undine Aug. 27 and Nine Days Aug. 27.
In addition to these theatrical runs, the Indie is also poised to host the fifth edition of Queer North Film Festival Aug. 19-22. The 2020 edition was cancelled, as the organizers weren’t keen on running a virtual film festival in the warm summer months.
But, with the Indie re-opening for in-theatre screenings, Queer North jumped on board fast to set August dates. Queer North Film Festival is currently the only LGBTQ film festival in Northern Ontario. Queer North spans four days, drawing crowds from across the region with film premieres, artist talks and socials that focus squarely on queer and trans-themed films and videos from Canada and around the world.
Learn more at SudburyIndieCinema.com.
