Media Release

www.banffcentre.ca

For Immediate Release
November 18, 2003

The Banff Centre launches Reel Time film series

Bow Valley film lovers can look forward to a winter season of independent films thanks to The Banff Centre’s Walter Phillips Gallery. On December 1, the Centre will launch Reel Time, a monthly film series featuring favorites from the Toronto International Film Festival. The series will give Bow Valley audiences the opportunity to see an outstanding collection of Canadian and international movies, and to contribute to community causes. Presented by the Centre’s Walter Phillips Gallery (WPG) and Film Circuit, an initiative of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, Reel Time will raise funds to benefit the WPG and local non-profit organizations, such as the Banff Food Bank.

The Reel Time launch takes place December 1, at 7 p.m. at the Lux Cinema Centre in Banff with Lost in Translation. Directed by Sophia Coppola, Lost In Translation focuses on two Americans who meet in Tokyo and spend an increasingly intimate week together amid the unfamiliar sights and sounds of the city. The film, which features Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, and Giovanni Ribisi, confirms Coppola's sensitivity as a filmmaker in a remarkably mature tale about marriage, loyalty, and the suffocation and bewilderment of love.

The Reel Time series will feature festival films at the Lux Cinema on the first Monday of each month, from December through May. Films will include Lost in Translation, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Barbarian Invasions, and The Station Agent. Each film series night will begin with a Canadian short followed by the feature presentation. Local sponsors Altitude Publishing, Avalanche Video, Lux Cinema, Johnny Rays and The Banff Centre will provide door prizes.

“We felt that this initiative would be a way for the community to enjoy some fantastic films, help out local non-profit organizations and socialize,” says Reel Time committee member Lori Ward. “The initial support for this initiative, both from our sponsors and the community, has been overwhelming and we are looking forward to good movies and good times to come!”

Tickets for the launch are $11 and are available now at The Banff Centre Box Office or by calling 762-6301. Five-pack tickets for the remainder of the series will go on sale November 25 and will be available for $48 through The Banff Centre Box Office. Proceeds from ticket sales will support programs at the WPG and a different partner charity each month. The December screening will support the Banff Food Bank. Audience members are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item or cash donation for the Food Bank to the screening. Details on future Reel Time screenings can be found at www.banffcentre.ca/wpg/exhibits/2003/reel_time/

The Reel Time film series is intended to foster an appreciation for, and provide access to, alternative cinema in the Bow Valley. The Walter Phillips Gallery is a not-for-profit public art gallery committed to contemporary art and visual culture. The Film Circuit, an initiative of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, is a grassroots non-profit initiative, which promotes and facilitates screenings of Canadian and international independent films in more than 100 communities across Canada and abroad.

- 30 -

<Return to Top>

Back to Media Releases Page
Back to Communications Home Page
Back to The Banff Centre Home Page