Saturday, February 20, 2016

Apparently we didn’t miss anything by skipping last night’s movie; the film was corrupted and couldn’t be shown so they reran Brooklyn, a movie we had already seen. They hope to have the Friday night feature film available for showing at another date.

This was a full day of films – a real test as to whether or not we wanted to be there.

Sugar Coated

We started at 10 AM with Sugar Coated. Although we always knew sugar was bad for us they make a link between the increase in several metabolic diseases and the increase in sugar consumption. There is also evidence that the sugar industry covered up, bought or slanted information in much the same way the tobacco industry did. Needless to say there were no sugary treats purchased for the remainder of the day.

Haida Gwaii: On The Edge of the World

This was a beautiful documentary on the Haida Gwaii area of Northern BC, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. I’ve always wanted to visit the area and this film did nothing to change that. A very strong group of people that reminded me somewhat of the community we have in Powell River.

Ever the Land

This was probably my least favourite film of the festival. I expected a more in-depth look at the life of the aboriginals of New Zealand but the documentary focused on one aboriginal tribe during the construction of their community centre – the first building in New Zealand to meet the Living Building Challenge specifications..

The Lady in the Van

Everyone wanted to see this film – the Saturday night performance was sold out, as was the extra showing they scheduled for Sunday afternoon. My understanding from last night was that there were still tickets left for the third screening. And no wonder it was so popular – how often do we get to see Maggie Smith in a starring role. I loved the movie so much that I’ve placed a hold on the book from the library. It comes back through our Cinematheque series and I just may go again!