A new film fest series has returned to Port Alberni for the fall of 2023.
The series opens on Sunday, Sept. 24 with “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” In this romantic comedy, a documentary filmmaker (Lily James) sets out, camera in hand, to follow her old friend (Shazad Latif) on every step of his journey towards an arranged marriage, while re-examining her own pattern of disastrous liaisons.
The next show, titled “Past Lives,” will take place Sunday, Oct. 22. In this decades-spanning romance from writer-director Celine Song, two people fatefully reunite in New York City after being wrested apart 20 years ago. The movie explores the ties between two people over the course of their lives and the acceptance of loss that becomes a defining part of adulthood.
The final show of the Fall Film Fest series will be “The Miracle Club” on Sunday, Nov. 19. This follows the story of three generations of close friends, Lily (Maggie Smith), Eileen (Kathy Bates), and Dolly (Agnes O’Casey) of Ballygar, Ireland, who win a pilgrimage to the sacred French town of Lourdes. The women, with their old friend Chrissie (Laura Linney), set out on the journey that they hope will change their lives. Along the way, old wounds are reopened, forcing the women to confront their pasts even as they travel in search of a miracle.
Film Fest Port Alberni is a fundraising initiative of the Alberni Valley Museum. The films are distributed through The Film Circuit, a division of the Toronto International Film Festival, with the intent of providing the community with quality films that would not otherwise be available to the local theatre.
All films are shown at 5 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre in Port Alberni. Season passes and tickets are available in advance at the Alberni Valley Museum and single tickets may be sold at the door, subject to availability.