The Movie Man (film)

Last updated
The Movie Man
The Movie Man poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byMatt Finlin
Produced byKaren Barzilay
CinematographyMatt Finlin
Edited byJames Yates
Music by Kevin Drew
Production
company
Door Knocker Media
Distributed by Mongrel Media
Release date
  • February 12, 2024 (2024-02-12)(SBIFF) [1]
Running time
88 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The Movie Man is a 2024 Canadian documentary film directed by Matt Finlin. [2] It is about a small independent movie theatre named Highlands Cinemas, which is located in the village of Kinmount in the region of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario. Its eccentric owner, Keith Stata, tries to keep it in business. One of the film's executive producers is Ed Robertson of the band Barenaked Ladies, who's a long-time patron of the theatre. [3] [4]

Contents

The film was released on February 12, 2024, at the 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival. [1]

Reception

In a positive review, Sarah Bea of Exclaim! wrote, "The Movie Man is a solid independent documentary that, despite some faults, remains a charming slice of Kawartha life." [2]

Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail wrote, "[W]ith his charming and humble new documentary The Movie Man, Canadian director Matt Finlin delivers an ode to the theatrical experience that is genuine without slipping into easy sentimentality. While the sometimes thin, sometimes jumbled film won't turn around an industry in very real peril, it should embolden already hardcore cinephiles to keep fighting the good fight." [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto International Film Festival</span> Annual film festival in Canada

The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organization behind the film festival is also a permanent destination for film culture operating out of the TIFF Lightbox cultural centre, located in Downtown Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cineplex Entertainment</span> Canadian entertainment company

Cineplex Inc. is a Canadian operator of movie theater and family entertainment centers, headquartered in Toronto. It is the largest cinema chain in Canada; as of 2019, it operated 165 locations, and accounted for 75% of the domestic box office.

The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June 2020. In addition to the annual festival, Hot Docs owns and operates the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, administers multiple production funds, and runs year-round screening programs including Doc Soup and Hot Docs Showcase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Blum</span> Canadian actor, writer and producer

Jack Blum is a Canadian writer, producer, director, story editor, actor, educator and communications consultant based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With his longtime partner Sharon Corder, he has written and produced more than fifty hours of television drama for both Canadian and American broadcasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Officer</span> Canadian writer, filmmaker, and ice hockey player (1975–2023)

Charles Officer was a Canadian film and television director, writer, actor, and professional hockey player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TIFF Cinematheque</span>

TIFF Cinematheque is a year-round programme of the Toronto International Film Festival devoted to the presentation, understanding and appreciation of Canadian and international cinema through carefully curated programming. It features acclaimed director's retrospectives, national and regional spotlights, experimental and avant-garde cinema, exclusive engagements of classic films, including many new and rare archival prints. It was established in 1990 after TIFF assumed management of the Ontario Film Institute from Gerald Pratley, creating Cinematheque for the OFI's film screening program while moving the OFI's reference library to the new Film Reference Library.

<i>Small Town Murder Songs</i> 2010 Canadian film

Small Town Murder Songs is a 2010 Canadian neo-noir crime film directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2010. The film is written by Gass-Donnelly, produced by Gass-Donnelly and Lee Kim, and stars Peter Stormare, Jill Hennessy, and Martha Plimpton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Screen Awards</span> Canadian media awards

The Canadian Screen Awards are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media productions. Given annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, the awards recognize excellence in cinematic achievements, as assessed by the Academy's voting membership.

<i>My Internship in Canada</i> 2015 Canadian film

My Internship in Canada is a Canadian political satire film written and directed by Philippe Falardeau. The film premiered in 2015 at the Locarno International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alethea Arnaquq-Baril</span> Canadian Inuk filmmaker

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril is an Inuk filmmaker, known for her work on Inuit life and culture. She is the owner of Unikkaat Studios, a production company in Iqaluit, which produces Inuktitut films. She was awarded the Canadian Meritorious Service Cross, in 2017 in recognition of her work as an activist and filmmaker. She currently works part-time at the Qanak Collective, a social project which supports Inuit empowerment initiatives.

Canada's Top Ten is an annual honour, compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival to identify and promote the year's best Canadian films. The list was first introduced in 2001 as an initiative to help publicize Canadian films.

Ellie Moon is a Canadian-British actress, playwright and screenwriter.

The South Western International Film Festival was an annual film festival in Sarnia, Ontario, staged from 2015 to 2022. Launched in 2015, the festival programs a lineup of Canadian and international films in November each year, at the city's Imperial Theatre and Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery.

<i>Scarborough</i> (2021 film) 2021 Canadian film

Scarborough is a 2021 Canadian drama film, directed by Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson. An adaptation of Catherine Hernandez's 2017 novel Scarborough, the film centres on the coming of age of Bing, Sylvie and Laura, three young children in a low-income neighbourhood in the Scarborough district of Toronto, as they learn the value of community, passion and resilience over the course of a school year through an after-school program led by childhood educator Ms. Hina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Williamson (filmmaker)</span> Canadian film director, cinematographer and editor

Rich Williamson is a Canadian film director, cinematographer and editor, most noted as codirector with Shasha Nakhai of the 2021 film Scarborough. The film won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Picture, and Nakhai and Williamson won the award for Best Director, at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022.

Chandler Levack is a Canadian writer, director, and filmmaker.

Sean Cisterna is a Canadian film director and producer from Orillia, Ontario, most noted for his 2019 film From the Vine.

References

  1. 1 2 Dinaberg, Leslie (February 8, 2024). "What to Watch at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival". Santa Barbara Independent . Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Bea, Sarah (February 28, 2024). "'The Movie Man' Celebrates the Cinematic Marvel of Ontario Cottage Country". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  3. Okazawa, Ben (July 24, 2023). "Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew Scores 'The Movie Man' Documentary About Kawartha Lakes Theatre". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  4. Hammond, Pete (July 21, 2023). "'The Movie Man', A Kind Of Canadian 'Cinema Paradiso' And Underdog New Documentary For Film Lovers, Tries To Find Its Way Into Fall Festivals – TIFF And Telluride, Are You Listening?". Deadline . Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  5. Hertz, Barry (April 25, 2024). "Charming documentary The Movie Man is Cinema Paradiso for Ontario cottage country". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved April 26, 2024.