It’s time to ditch the computer screen for the silver screen: the Atlantic Film Festival (AFF) is being held in Halifax from Sept. 11 to 18. Whether you’re a film aficionado or a Marvel buff, this year’s festival offers much more than yet another night of Netflix binge-watching.
Heartbeat, Screens Sept. 12. 7 p.m. at Park Lane Cinema: Local filmmaker Andrea Dorfman and Halifax-based poet/singer-songwriter Tanya Davis team up to shine the limelight on Halifax’s north end. Davis plays Justine, who has long given up her dream of playing music. Finding herself in an ever-deepening rut, she breaks out the old guitar and hits the streets of Halifax. It’s like Inside Llewyn Davis had a drunken tryst at Gus’ Pub.
Hector and the Search for Happiness, Screens Sept. 12. 6:30 p.m. at Park Lane Cinema: Simon Pegg stars as Hector, who, fed up with the ennui of his psychiatry work, goes on a quest to determine whether or not true happiness exists.
Rainbow Valley* *Screens Sept. 13. 4:45 p.m. at Park Lane Cinema: This doc centres around the titular “Rainbow Valley” amusement park, opened in P.E.I. in 1969 and closed 36 years later. Rainbow Valley explores how the amusement park affected the local community, and how its vacancy lingers still.
Beyond Clueless, Screens Sept. 16. 4:45 p.m. at Park Lane Cinema: A documentary that explores the John Hughes-ian world of the high school drama in cinema. For those of you who have always seen yourself as the John Bender of your social circle, or who watch 16 Candles as an annual birthday rite of passage, Beyond Clueless will both enlighten and romanticise.
1987, Screens Sept. 15. 12 p.m. at Park Lane Cinema: This French-language film centres on a 17-year-old boy with big plans for the summer. Big plans usually have big price tags, and he finds himself slipping into the world of organized crime to curb the cost. It can only go downwards from here.
Canadian Ninja, Screens Sept 16. 9 p.m. at Park Lane Cinema: I really tried to write something original about Canadian Ninja, but the AFF program sums it up so succinctly: “Now a freelancer for the Canadian military, Buck travels to the mysterious and impenetrable Ninja Paradise Island, where Iron Face Yakuzzi and the infamous Communist/Terrorist/Scientist have teamed up to unleash an army of genetically engineered Super Ninjas.” Pure poetry.
But of course, this is only a light smattering of the films being showcased throughout the festival. There are countless Atlantic-produced short films being screened, lectures led by industry pros and even a series of film retrospectives being held at the Dalhousie Art Gallery. Whatever your flavour, don’t miss the opportunity to catch some quality one-on-one time with a film and a bag of popcorn.
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