Aron Theatre Co-op brings tiff to Trent Hills

8th annual tiff celebration brings Toronto’s International Film Festival to the Aron

Article by Sue Dickens/Sept 13, 2018

Campbellford – Roll out the red carpet!

The Toronto International Film Festival (tiff) is returning to Campbellford for its 8th year here thanks to the efforts of the volunteer members and staff of the Aron Theatre Co-op’s tiff committee.

Four films are in the lineup for weekly showings in October.

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival (tiff) began Sept. 6 and wraps up Sept. 16.

“We try and pick some of the best films people here will enjoy. We have a whole group of people who are part of our film selection committee,” said Russ Christianson, founder and board advisor of the Aron Theatre Co-operative.

“These are not the regular ‘mainstream’ films, not the Hollywood superhero movies, not necessarily even big star movies…these are special, exceptional,” he added.

Describing tiff as “the number one film festival in North America,” Russ listed the four films coming to the Aron.

Four films:

The premiere film, “Leave No Trace”, will be shown on Thursday, Oct. 4 at a 2 p.m. matinee and in the evening at 7 p.m.

It’s the third feature film by director Debra Granik. Her first was the gritty “Winter’s Bone” (2010), with the breakout performance by an 18-year-old, and now famous, Jennifer Lawrence.

“Leave No Trace” delves into the father-daughter relationship between Will (Ben Foster) and his teenage daughter, Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie).

“For years, they have lived in nature in a beautiful Portland Oregon forest. Their off-the-grid life comes to an abrupt end when they are discovered and forced into the care of social services,” explained Russ. The dramatic story follows them through their difficulties adjusting to their new life and their journey back to their wilderness home.

The second film “The Wife” will be shown on Oct. 10 (with a matinee on Oct. 11). This movie features well known actress and six-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close and actor Jonathan Pryce.

The third film is “The Children Act” to be shown Oct 17 with an Oct. 18 matinee, which features well known actress Emma Thompson.

The BBC Film production stars Thompson as High Court judge Fiona Maye, who has to make decisions on various court cases involving children.

According to tribute.ca’s tiff coverage, the film has been picked up for U.S. distribution. The movie also stars breakout actor Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk) as a teenager with leukemia who refuses to get a blood transfusion that will save his life.

Stanley Tucci plays Maye’s long-suffering husband in the movie, which is directed by Richard Eyre and based on the novel of the same name by Booker Prize-winning author Ian McEwan.

The fourth is “The Bookshop” to be shown on Oct. 24 (with a matinee on Oct. 25). The drama film stars Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Bill Nighy.

It should be noted that, “tiff movies may or may not get distribution…that’s the thing about tiff movies…part of the reason the filmmakers are there is to get signed for distribution so you may see them come to a movie theatre, but it may not happen,” explained Russ.

“That is why I am saying these are special,” he added.

The Aron is able to access the tiff films because of what is known as the tiff circuit, an organization of tiff.

“The organization encourages smaller communities across Canada to book tiff movies,” he explained.

“The movies at tiff are passion projects by filmmakers and it is not easy making a film, and it’s hard to get a distributor if you are not part of the big Hollywood system,” he noted.

As tiff points out on its website this year, 121 films selected for the Toronto International Film Festival are directed or co-directed by women, accounting for 35% of this year’s titles — an increase over 2017’s 33.6%.

Flex Passes:

Again this year, the Aron is offering its very popular tiff series flex-passes: four movies for $40.

The flex pass can be used in any combination, for example, one person for four films, two for two, or four for one.

Individual tickets at the door will be $12.

Tickets are available at the theatre or at Kerr’s Corner Books in Campbellford.

Sponsors:

The tiff. series at the Aron is made possible by the “generous” support of two tiff series sponsors, World’s Finest Chocolate and Paul Moran’s local Co-operators Insurance agency.

Each of the four films in the series is also sponsored by local businesses: Glover’s Farm Market, Village Paint and Paper, Petrasek Painting, Trent Valley Lanes, and True Saffron Producers.

Watch for the tiff series announcement at: https://arontheatre.com/

and on their facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/arontheatre/