(Reel Rave International Film Festival/Facebook)

By paNOW Staff

GOING TO THE MOVIES

Corb Lund film among the lineup at film festival in Waskesiu

Sep 8, 2023 | 3:00 PM

Movie lovers across Saskatchewan will get to enjoy a few award-winning films this weekend as they venture to Prince Albert National Park.

This weekend will mark the 19^th edition of the Reel Rave International Film Festival at the Twin Pine Cinemas in Waskesiu.

A total of six films will be shown from Friday night through Sunday with content coming from around the world.

“This year we have a film from New Zealand, one from Korea, one from Great Britain, one from the United States, one from Canada,” said Film Committee member Robert Hawkins. “They are all films that have won awards either at Cannes or Sundance or Telluride.”

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While there aren’t any Saskatchewan-made films in the lineup this year, the lineup features moving pictures from independent studios, which are often not seen in big-market theatres.

Hawkins has only been on the committee for the past five years but even in that time, he has seen the festival grow substantially. The last couple of years have seen limited participation and the 202 event was outright cancelled due to pandemic restrictions.

“We’re expecting about 1,000 bums in seats which means that could be 400 people seeing two or three films each.”

One of the six films being shown is a Canadian production starring country music star Corb Lund.

This year though, Hawkins anticipates they’ll have a pretty good turnout. ‘Guitar Lessons’ tells the story of a young Metis boy who inherits a guitar from a father he never knew. The boy, played by Kaden Noskiye, convinces Rya, played by Lund to teach him how to play.

“We’re going to get not only some hot licks from Gorb Lund but we’re going to get some acting chops,” said Hawkins who added that writer and director Aaron James Sorenson will be in Waskesiu for the showing and a Q&A time on Saturday night.”

The other films showing this weekend are ‘Saint Omer’, ‘Juniper’, ‘Born in Chicago’, ‘Decision to Leave’, and ‘The Miracle Club’.

Most importantly, the festival will bring some much-needed tourism dollars to Waskesiu as the community transitions from a busy summer to a quiet fall.

“The hotels get filled up, the restaurants are busy, the merchants see a flurry of business. At the second week of September, things are starting to really close up for the year,” said Hawkins. “At that time of year, to bring any business to the park is welcome by the local merchant establishment.”

For more information about the festival, you can visit the Reel Rave International Film Festival on Facebook and Instagram.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com