THE LAST WALTZ

Wednesday December 6 at 7:30 pm at ArtSpring

Don’t miss this very rare opportunity to see the greatest concert film of all time on the big screen, now with HD video quality and remastered 5.1 audio!

On the 45th anniversary of Martin Scorsese’s 1978 masterpiece of music cinema, THE LAST WALTZ is being re-released across Canada to celebrate the life of the legendary Robbie Robertson, who died in August at the age of 80.

Widely considered one of the greatest bands of all time, The Band called it quits with a lavish farewell show at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom on Nov. 25, 1976.

Captured for posterity by László Kovács & Vilmos Zsigmond using 7 cameras, this intimate & immersively cinematic experience features standout performances by such music legends as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, the Staples Singers & Muddy Waters, as well as interviews tracing The Band’s history, substance use and the challenges of life on the road.

Co-presented by Gulf Islands Radio.

PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF

Wednesday, January 24th, at 7:30 pm at ArtSpring

One of the world’s most influential thinkers on trauma, addiction and mental health, Dr. Gabor Maté is widely admired as the author of such bestsellers as In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, The Myth of Normal and When the Body Says No.

In this engaging and painfully honest review of his life’s work, Dr. Maté shares not only his professional theories, but also his personal story: his difficult upbringing in a Jewish family in post-war Hungary, his experience as a student journalist for the Ubyssey, his early reputation as an infuriating contrarian and his work with marginalized communities.

Winning an Audience Award when it premiered in October at VIFF, first-time filmmaker Asher Penn’s PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF encourages us to own our failings, accept our imperfections and prioritize our mental health.

Candidly discussing his own struggles with addictive behaviours, ADHD and fractured relationships, Maté admits: “Part of the problem was that I believed in everybody’s healing but my own.”

20,000 SPECIES OF BEES

Co-presented by DASSI

Wednesday, February 7th, at 7:30 pm at ArtSpring

What if your child is not the child you think you know?

Over the course of an idyllic summer vacation in the beautiful Basque countryside, a sculptor grapples with her identity as an artist in this intimate and understated Spanish film, as she gradually becomes aware that her youngest child is also in emotional turmoil.

Eight-year-old Aitor initially insists on using the gender-neutral name Cocó after it becomes clear that being referred to as male elicits distress. Growing more withdrawn, the child’s only respite lies among the family’s beehives, where Cocó slowly begins to confide in family & friends.

This unforgettable, heart-wrenching story of transition, familial love and acceptance has won multiple awards at film festivals around the world.

Newcomer Sofía Otero, the youngest-ever winner of the Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Actor, headlines an ensemble of astonishingly believable performances in Basque director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren’s surprisingly assured début feature.

CALL ME DANCER

Co-presented by Dance Your Ability

Wednesday, February 21st, at 7:30 pm at ArtSpring

In the bustling and competitive streets of Mumbai, a self-taught acrobatic dancer named Manish defies his working-class parents’ insistence that he follow a traditional path. “Dancing is a hobby for rich kids,” his cab-driver father tells him, counting on his only son’s future financial support.

Neglecting to tell his parents that he has dropped out of business school and used the tuition to pay for dance classes at an inner-city school, Manish is taken under the wing of a curmudgeonly Israeli instructor, who sees his potential and pushes him to new heights.

Ambitious & naturally talented, Manish is determined to succeed as a professional dancer on the world stage, but the odds are stacked against him. His improbable journey will make you stand up and cheer.

Co-directed by a former professional dancer and filmed in India, Israel, the UK & the US, this crowd-pleasing story of hope, heartache and hard work has won multiple Audience Favourite Awards at film festivals around the world.