Guess what, Vancouver movie lovers? The Cinematheque downtown is opening soon after a two-month closure for renovations!! If you’re not familiar, the Cinematheque is a small, one-screen theater downtown on Howe. It has been around since 1972, and they show a variety of movies–old and new, Canadian and international, and every genre you can think of (except for newer Hollywood stuff, you’ll have to go to a regular theater for that). They also show a lot of BC First Nation cinema as well, and they’re volunteer-based! They were closed for the months of March and April to do some renovations, but they’re opening back up to the public on Monday, May 15th. The first screening that night is the South Korean film Walk Up (2022), directed by Hong Sangsoo, at 6:30PM. I, for one, am very excited! I went to one of the last screenings at the end of February, and am so glad that they’re back. Tickets are only $10 for students, which is one, more affordable than a ticket for anything at a regular theater, and two, supporting a good organization.
I’ve been to the cinematheque many times since moving to Vancouver, and it has established itself as one of my favorite spots in the city. It’s perfect because you can bring a friend or two, or you can go by yourself, and the enjoyment is still there. It’s also a really great date spot for that artsy ECUAD student that you might be inexplicably captivated by. Wink, wink. It’s a nice screen, and you get a chance to watch a lot of contemporary films that you may not have known about otherwise, and they also show really crisp restorations of older, beloved films. It’s a really cozy space! I’ve had the opportunity to discover a lot of really neat movies there. Side note, it feels so film-bro-y to call movies “films”, but, I mean, that is what they’re called. And there’s a threshold for how many times I can use the word “movie” in an article about…movies. Films. Whatever. I think it’s kind of lame when people rag on others for being into arthouse cinema or anything that isn’t a Marvel movie. “You just wanna be different!!”, “Stop hating things just because they’re popular!!” Ugh. It is possible to enjoy art films and blockbuster stuff, too
ANYWAY, if you’re a filmbro like I apparently am, you should pay the Cinematheque a visit!