THE MOVIE MAN
Directed by Matt Finlin | 90 min | Canada
A true love letter to independent movie theatres, The Movie Man introduces us to colourful entrepreneur Keith Stata and his bizarre multiplex set deep in the forest of a small town in Northern Ontario. Keith opened Highlands Cinemas during the summer of 1979. What began as a single screen transformed into a 5-screen multiplex showing first-run films. But after 40 years in business, Keith is forced to confront his current limitations, dwindling health, and a global pandemic.
Changes in technology, dwindling ticket sales, a popcorn-eating bear, and his 50 cats all contribute to the chaos. Despite his steadfast passion, we follow Keith as he faces complications due to COVID-19. With no family and few friends to help, Keith confronts the insurmountable challenges of keeping his unlikely cinema open for another season.
Preceded by the short film :
When the Gifts Arrive
Directed by Sergio Eduardo Munoz Esquer | 14 min | Mexico
A night in the life of Felipe, a man who travels Mexico's state of Chihuahua dressed as Santa Claus, delivering gifts to public hospitals, explores every aspect of the gift-giving process, from the physical to the emotional.