Sunshine Coast Film Society announces its Spring screenings

The Sunshine Coast Film Society has announced its spring lineup of art movies, each of which will be screened for members at the Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt and the Gibsons Heritage Playhouse. 

According to Doug Dyment, the society’s president, society membership is gradually returning to pre-COVID strength of approximately 750 people. The $10 annual membership allows members to purchase tickets for all screenings. 

Eight films are scheduled in a wide range of genres. “I think it’s a good strong group of films,” said Dyment. “There’s documentary, there’s drama, there are thrillers. There’s a Leonard Cohen film.” 

The inclusion of Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song recalls the society’s screening of a Cohen documentary three years ago, which is the only time shows sold out at both venues. 

Movies featuring British actor Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies, Dunkirk) are included at the beginning and end of the season. 

The Outfit will screen at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 9 at the Gibsons Heritage Playhouse and 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12 at the Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt (an update to its original date).  

This is a twist-filled drama from Graham Moore, the writer of The Imitation Game. Rylance plays Leonard, a master tailor/cutter who has fled post-war England for the windy city of Chicago. Among his well-heeled clients is a family of local mobsters.  

Tickets are available online by credit card and with cash only at the door at both theatres. Membership is required and all films are 18+. 

On Jan. 23 (Gibsons) and 28 (Sechelt), the documentary Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song depicts a defining exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his renowned hymn, Hallelujah. The work was approved by Cohen for production just before his 80th birthday in 2015. 

On Feb. 6 (Gibsons) and 11 (Sechelt), Riders of Justice presents actor Mads Mikkelsen and other top-flight Danish actors in a dark revenge comedy about a soldier who returns home when his wife and daughter are involved in a tragic train accident. 

On Feb. 20 (Gibsons) and 25 (Sechelt), Academy Award-winning Minari tells the story of a Korean family that moves from California to rural Arkansas in 1983, beginning life afresh. 

On March 6 (Gibsons) and 11 (Sechelt), the society presents its second film this season by Chloé Zhao (director of Nomadland). The Rider tells of a young rodeo bronc rider who suffers a near-fatal head injury, then undertakes a search for a new identity. 

On March 20 (Gibsons) and 25 (Sechelt), Kosovo’s official submission to the 2022 Oscars — Hive — tells the true story of Fahrije Hoti, whose husband, along with all other military-aged men in her village, has been “disappeared” for seven years. 

On April 3 (Gibsons) and 8 (Sechelt), Collective, the highest-ranked documentary of 2022, showcases the work of a team of investigative journalists as they attempt to unravel a health care fraud in Romania. 

Finally, on April 17 (Gibsons) and 20 (Sechelt), the comedy Phantom of the Open features Mark Rylance as a dreamer who gains entry to the 1976 British Open Golf Championship qualification round, despite never having previously played a round of golf.