Firehall Films is the Yukon Film Society's monthly screening series at the Old Fire Hall. Documentaries, foreign films, film classics, and independent Canadian film and media art - films that you just won't see anywhere else. See you at the flickers.
December 13
7pm - Only
(Dir. Ingrid Veninger + Simon Reynolds) Punk Films Inc, 2008, 73 min
Fresh from screenings at TIFF, VIFF and Festivale Internationale Cinema di Roma, this charming indie feature is about the only day two 12-year olds have to kick around together.
9pm - Two views of the Baffin Island Region
Quviasukvik (Happy Day)
(Dir. Igloolik Isuma - Zacharias Kunuk, Paulossie Qulitalik, Norman Cohn) 1995, Inuktitut w English subtitles, 29 min
It's almost a month since the sun disappeared. Back in the stone house everyone wakes up to Christmas Day. Today for Inuit Christmas is a strange mix of ritual; some from the old life and some from the new. Either way, with lots of meat from a good year hunting, and a warm shelter against the blowing cold, this is a joyful time for celebration and stories. One of a series of films depicting the old ways of the Inuit, by the creators of Atanarjuat and the Journals of Knud Rasmussen.
Edge of Ice
(Dir. William Hansen/NFB) 1986, 56 min
An outstanding natural history of the intricate ecosystem along the edge of the Arctic ice. Edge of Ice uses stunning footage shot underwater, on the surface and even inside ice crystals. It reveals a magnificent world and the creatures that inhabit it: from microscopic algae and tiny arthropods, to seal, walrus, whale and humans. The film's two narrators, one white and one Inuit, present complementary viewpoints.
January 9
7:30pm - Atlantic Filmmakers Film 5+ Short Films
A collection of 11 shorts produced at the Atlantic Filmmakers Co-operative in Halifax, NS. Thom Fitzgerald, Andrea Dorfman and other maritime bright lights.
9pm - The Last Waltz
(Dir. Martin Scorcese) 1978, 117 min
Long before he shined the light on the antics of Henry Hill and Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas, and before he guided Robert De Niro to an Oscar-winning performance in Raging Bull, Martin Scorcese directed a documentary on the music group The Band. Considered to be one of the best music documentaries ever made, Last Waltz documents The Band's famous last show-and presents some of the finest musicians of the 1970s.
January 10
8pm - The U.S. and Us
(Dir. Quinn) British Columbia, 27 min
Visiting artist, Quinn will lead a discussion about Canada/ U.S. relations, Canadian sovereignty and multilateral trade agreements.
screens with Manhattan Odyssey
February 6
8pm - Frozen River
(Dir. Courtney Hunt) USA, 97 min
Set in a real-life smuggling zone on a Native American reservation between New York State and Quebec where the lure of fast money presents a daily challenge to single moms who would otherwise be making minimum wage. Strapped for money and having been deserted by her husband, working class Ray (Melissa Leo), reluctantly teams up with Lila (Misty Upham), a widowed Mohawk Indian, to smuggle illegal immigrants across the frozen St. Lawrence River from Canada to the U.S. in the trunk of a Dodge Spirit. Both women swear each trip will be their last, but one final run across the river leads to a showdown with the law on all sides.
February 7
8pm - Black History Month Program - Films about Canadian Black Culture
March 6
8pm - Aboriginal Architecture Living Architecture
(Dir. Paul M Rickard) Québec, 2005, 92 min
Across the continent, political, financial and cultural changes have created a renaissance of Native design. Modern Aboriginal architects are turning to ancient forms, adapting them in response to changes in the natural and social environment, and creating contemporary structures that hearken to the past. This documentary provides a virtual tour of seven Aboriginal communities — Pueblo, Mohawk, Inuit, Crow, Navajo, Coast Salish and Haida — revealing how each is actively reinterpreting and adapting traditional forms for contemporary purposes.
Film Website | Filmmaker's Website
March 7
8pm - YFS salutes the 10th Anniversary of the Dawson Intl Short Film Festival
Four short films from the first 10 years of the Yukon's landmark International short film festival. Programmed by co-founder and festival director, David Curtis.
April 8
Recent films by Winnipeg's Deco Dawson
Filmmaker in attendance.
The Old Fire Hall
1st Ave. and Main St.
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4137 C 4th Avenue
Whitehorse, YT
Y1A 1H8
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Corner of 4th Avenue and Jarvis Street. Enter off Jarvis Street. Beside China Garden.
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867 393 3456
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