Reel Stories 2012
Tickets: $9
Advance tickets are available in person at:
Uptown Theatre (formerly Imperial Theatre), 55 Dunlop Street West, Barrie (during box office hours)
MacLaren Art Centre, 37 Mulcaster Street, Barrie
Tourism Barrie Office, Southshore Community Centre, 205 Lakeshore Drive, Barrie
Unfortunately online tickets are not available for this event.
*Please note that during the event, tickets will only be available at the venue's box office - February 3 to 5.
February 3 – 5, 2012
Location: Uptown Theatre (formerly Imperial Theatre), 55 Dunlop Street West, Barrie
Discover extraordinary stories from this thought-provoking weekend of fact-based films. Includes documentaries and features inspired by real people and events.
Film Descriptions
Director: Wim Wenders
With: Dancers of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch
Documentary, G for some sensuality/partial nudity and smoking, 103 minutes, Language: German, Russian, Italian, French, Slovenian, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese with English subtitles (Germany/France)
Screening: Friday, February 3, 7:00 pm
PINA is a feature-length dance film featuring the unique and inspiring art of the great German choreographer and artistic genius Pina Bausch who died in the summer of 2009. The filmmaker takes the audience on a sensual, visually stunning journey of discovery into a new dimension: straight onto the stage with the legendary dance ensemble and follows the dancers out of the theatre into the city and the surrounding areas of Wuppertal – the place, which for 35 years was the home and center for Pina Bausch's breath-taking creativity.
Note: this will be screened in 35mm, 2D not shown in 3D.
Directors: Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks
With: Ronald Wright, Stephen Hawking, David Suzuki, Margaret Atwood and Jane Goodall
Documentary, Rated G and not recommended for young children, 86 minutes (Canada)
Screening: Saturday, February 4, 1:00 pm
Humanity's ascent is often measured by the speed of its progress. But what if progress is actually causing us to spiral downwards, towards collapse? Inspired by Ronald Wright's bestselling non-fiction book "A Short History of Progress", SURVIVING PROGRESS, shows how past civilizations were destroyed by "progress traps". As pressure on the world's resources accelerates and nations are bankrupted by the financial elites, can our financially and ecologically inter-twined planet escape a final, catastrophic progress trap? With potent images and illuminating insights from some of the world's great contemporary thinkers, this requiem to progress also poses a challenge as it attempts to prove that making apes smarter isn't an evolutionary dead-end.
Q&A following the screening of SURVIVING PROGRESS with guest Harold Crooks, Co-Director/Writer.
Harold Crooks is an author and writer/producer whose award-winning and acclaimed
documentary film credits include: The Corporation; Karsh Is History; Pax Americana
And The Weaponization of Space; The World Is Watching; Bhopal: The Search for
Justice; and the TV series Black Coffee. He is a recipient of a Genie Award of the
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television; a Gold Hugo at the Chicago International
Film Festival; a Leo Award for Best Screenwriter (Documentary) of the Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences Foundation of B.C.; a National Documentary Film Award (Best
Writing Category) at 1996 Hot Docs!; a Writers Guild of Canada Top Ten Awards
finalist; a Commonwealth Fellowship, India; and a Fund for Investigative Journalism
(Washington, DC) travel grant.
Director: Walter Hill
Cast: Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca and Jami Gertz
Drama, PG for coarse language, 99 minutes (USA)
Screening: Saturday, February 4, 4:30 pm
A passion for blues music is evident in this 1986 cult classic inspired by the legend of Mississippi blues master Robert Johnson. With a blend of adventure, romance and music, the film takes gifted young guitarist Eugene Martone (Ralph Macchio) into a dangerous and challenging new world as he struggles with the devil and his destiny. Obsessed with unlocking the mysteries of the blues, the fledging musician finds cantankerous Willie Brown (Joe Seneca), a master of the blues harmonica and frees him from prison. The unlikely duo hoboes from New York to Mississippi as Martone searches for runaway Frances (Jami Gertz). A rich mixture of Delta blues and driving rock featuring Ry Cooder and Steve Vai, the film takes Martone and Brown on an intense odyssey that leads the story to a dramatic climax at the Crossroads.
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Julia Ormond, Dougray Scott, Dame Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper and Emma Watson
Drama, 14A for coarse language and mild sexuality/reference, 99 minutes (United Kingdom/USA)
Screening: Saturday, February 4, 7:00 pm
Saturday, February 4, 9;00 pm - Additional Screening just added!
Few celebrities have been able to rival the allure and magnetism of screen legend Marilyn Monroe. In MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, director Simon Curtis offers a fascinating dramatized glimpse of what went on behind the scenes during the shooting of one of Hollywood’s most challenging film productions, THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL. Based on Colin Clark’s memoir "The Prince, The Showgirl, and Me," the film recounts the young man’s experiences as assistant to director Lawrence Olivier, as well as the personal relationship he shared with the fragile screen star. One of the most compelling films of 2011, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN features a stand-out performance by Michelle Williams portraying Hollywood’s most tragic and enduring icon.
Written and Directed by: Werner Herzog
Documentary, PG for mature thematic material and some disturbing images, 106 minutes (Canada/Germany)
Screening: Sunday, February 5, 1:00 pm
In his fascinating exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas, master filmmaker Werner Herzog probes the human psyche to explore the reasons why people commit murder and why a state imposes the death penalty. In intimate conversations with those involved, including 28-year-old death row inmate Michael Perry (scheduled to be executed within eight days of appearing on-screen), Herzog achieves what he describes as "a gaze into the abyss of the human soul." Herzog's inquiries also extend to the families of the victims and perpetrators as well as a state executioner and pastor who've been with death row prisoners as they've taken their final breaths. As he's so often done before, Herzog's investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory.
Director: Anthony Baxter
With: Michael Forbes, Donald Trump
Documentary, PG, 95 minutes (United Kingdom)
Screening: Sunday, February 5, 4:00 pm
In this David and Goliath story for the 21st century, Donald Trump is not a subtle man. When the tycoon developer sets out to build the world's most luxurious golf resort, he chooses the very birthplace of the sport as his proposed site. Nestled between ancient sand dunes and rolling greens, the picturesque town of Balmedie seems perfect, aside from the concerns of a handful of residents who immediately worry over the impact that the mammoth project will have on their beloved natural habitat. When farmer Michael Forbes refuses to sell his land to make way for the shovels, Trump's bullying tactics belie his goodwill publicity appearances. Filmmaker Anthony Baxter personally braves the brewing battle's front lines, the police and the Donald himself in this down and dirty development exposé.
Director: Cindy Meehl
With: Buck Brannaman, Robert Redford
Documentary, PG some language may offend, not recommended for young children, 89 minutes (USA)
Screening: Sunday, February 5, 7:00 pm
BUCK, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful technique in handling horses. A real-life "horse whisperer', he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment. Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses – and people – with his understanding, compassion and respect. In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life; BUCK tells a truly American story about an ordinary man who has created an extraordinary life in spite of tremendous odds.
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