In honour of Black History Month, Metro Cinema is pleased to present this free curated program of Canadian shorts. Featuring three documentaries, two poetry films, and spanning four decades, this collection only touches on the true diversity of the black diaspora across the Canadian landscape. From the early black loyalist settlers in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, to the recently displaced family of Nasra’s SHEA, these films are tied through their depictions of vibrant and resilient communities, and characterized by a profound sense of interconnection.

24 Days in Brooks
Director: Dana Inkster
Year: 2007
Runtime: 42 Minutes

Synopsis: Over the course of a decade Brooks, Alberta, transformed from a socially conservative, primarily white town to one of the most diverse places in Canada as immigrants and refugees flocked to find jobs at the Lakeside Packers slaughterhouse. This film is a portrait of those people working together and adapting to change through the first-ever strike at Lakeside.

24 Days in Brooks, Dana Inkster, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Black Mother Black Daughter
Directors : Sylvia Hamilton & Claire Prieto
Year : 1989
Runtime : 29 minutes

Synopsis : BLACK MOTHER BLACK DAUGHTER explores the lives and experiences of black women in Nova Scotia, their contributions to the home, the church and the community and the strengths they pass on to their daughters.

Black Mother Black Daughter, Sylvia Hamilton & Claire Prieto, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Shea
Director: Effy Adar
Year: 2020
Runtime: 3 minutes

Synopsis: A family displaced by greed searches for a new home in a foreign place. As they explore they discover pieces of themselves; old and new. SHEA celebrates what has always remained in Black/African peoples, an innate sense of home, luxury and interconnectedness.

Shea by NASRA

Sister Sorrow
Directors: Daliso Mwanza and Salem Zurch
Year: 2020
Runtime: 5 minutes

Synopsis: SISTER SORROW is a poem by Dwennimmen, filmed by pepper’d founders (Daliso Mwanza and Salem Zurch). This interdisciplinary poetry film was shot for the 2020 Found Festival. The project brought together elements of poetry film and music (composed by Biboye Onanuga).

Biboye Onanuga Takeover – “Sister Sorrow” by Dwennimmen – October 21, 2020 from The Works Art & Design Festival on Vimeo.

We Remember Amber Valley
Director: Selwyn Jacob
Year: 1984
Runtime: 25 minutes

Synopsis: WE REMEMBER AMBER VALLEY is a documentary about the settling of the community of Amber Valley. In 1909, a group of 160 African American settlers led by Parson H. Sneed, a clergyman and mason settled the community. Amber Valley is about 100 miles north of Edmonton on the Athabasca River.

Did you know that some of the programming at Metro Cinema is done by community members? Every year we open up a call for submissions to the public where patrons can send us their curated ideas for screenings (it can be anything from a double bill, to an event, to a monthly series), and then our programming committee deliberates and narrows it down to a select few that we show throughout the year.

This month we present “Raquel Welch, I Presume?”, a double bill curated by Allan Mott.

Allan Mott is a professional writer and film lover whose published works includes Scary Movies, an examination of six of his favourite horror films. His online film writing includes pieces for XOJaneUK, The Pulp YEG, One Perfect Shot, Flick Attack, and Canuxploitation, while his more personal work can be found on his own site, VanityFear.com. In 2014, he found out a friend of his got a part-time gig as Raquel Welch’s personal assistant and he kinda freaked out a little. His friend told Raquel about the freak out and she tweeted him from her account the next day. He’s still not over it.

Curatorial Statement:
“Raquel Welch was a sex symbol who couldn’t hide her ambivalence—doing her best work playing beautiful women dealing with attention they never asked for. Her desire to be taken seriously was taken by many as a betrayal of the role society assigned to her. This double bill is dedicated to showing what could have been if filmmakers, critics, and audiences saw beyond her famous curves and actually listened to what she had to say. (Plus, there will be some fun musical numbers before each movie from her 1970 “million dollar” TV special, Raquel!)”

Buy tickets to Kansas City Bomber

Buy tickets to Hannie Caulder

Throughout Covid-19, Metro Cinema has worked very hard and been very lucky to avoid any known cases associated with our staff or patrons.

Unfortunately, one of Metro’s staff members tested positive for Covid-19 on December 23. This staff member is experiencing mild symptoms and is now resting and isolating at home. While this person did not work in a public-facing role, several of Metro’s staff members were in close contact.

Metro has a small group of staff, so to allow these close contacts the opportunity to self-isolate, we have made the difficult decision to close temporarily out of an abundance of caution.

Metro will remain closed from December 23, 2021, to January 9, 2022. Advance purchased tickets will be refunded.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience this may cause. We take the safety of our staff and community very seriously. All Metro’s staff are fully vaccinated, provided with PPE, and Metro’s policies remain above and beyond government and AHS regulations.

During a time when all Albertans are recommended to reduce personal interactions, we feel that this is a responsible decision, despite the disappointment caused by these cancellations.

Thank you for your support, and we wish you a safe and restful holiday season.

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who supported Metro through our raffle. The winner has been contacted. Congratulations to Kyle O!

Metro Cinema is excited to announce our Season Launch 50/50 Fundraiser! Funds raised by this raffle will help us continue to bring Edmonton the very best indie, new release, local, and classic films!

You can enter the raffle here. Sales end at noon on Tuesday, November 30.

Job Posting – Programming Manager

Metro Cinema is a community-based not-for-profit society devoted to creating and fostering opportunities for the exhibition of diverse, unique shared viewing experiences in Edmonton. We are dedicated to the presentation of film and video in many forms, hosting a thousand events each year in the historic Garneau Theatre.

Metro is seeking a Programming Manager with a passion for cinema, an appreciation of film as an art form, and a love of community engagement to join our team. As Programming Manager, you will design, coordinate, and implement film exhibition at Metro Cinema on a daily basis. You’ll work closely with staff, community stakeholders, and the Metro Cinema Programming Committee to build and execute the long-term programming vision and fulfill the society’s mandate.

Responsibilities:

●        Booking and scheduling daily screenings

●        Maintaining relationships with film distributors and negotiating the terms of film exhibition

●        Selecting films that support Metro Cinema’s mandate, broad curatorial vision, and policies

●        Ensuring that programming reflects Metro Cinema’s dual commitment to maintaining high aesthetic standards and fostering the growth and diversity of our audience

●        Coordination with other staff and community stakeholders to help plan screenings, special events, and community partnerships

●        Coordinating classification of content whenever required

●        Tracking of statistical data related to film category and attendance

Competencies:

●        A breadth of contemporary and historic film knowledge from a global perspective

●        Excellent written and verbal communications skills

●        Outstanding organizational skills and the ability to handle complex time-sensitive logistical issues and prioritize multiple deadlines

●        An ability to contextualize films in a social or artistic sense, and an appreciation for a wide variety of cinematic styles and film categories

●        Creativity and flexibility while balancing the needs of various stakeholders

●        The ability to lead a working group and work within a collaborative environment

●        Familiarity with Microsoft Office and Google Suite software

Prior experience with film distribution, film exhibition and programming, and a technical understanding of contemporary presentation formats are assets but not required.

This is a full-time, permanent position. We offer a flexible work schedule, with most work during daytime, weekday hours. Some evening and weekend work is required. This position includes extended health coverage and a starting salary between $38,000 to $45,000 annually, depending on experience.

Send your cover letter and resume in confidence to director@metrocinema.org.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, November 24, 2021.

Metro Cinema is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a safe, positive, and inclusive workplace free of discrimination and harassment. We employ personnel without regard to age, race, colour, ethnic background, citizenship, gender identification, sexual orientation, disability, family status, and any status protected by the statutes and laws of Canada and Alberta.

Download PDF:

Programming Manager Job Posting Metro Cinema 2021

After many conversations with our staff, board, and community, Metro Cinema has made the decision to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test result (within 72 hours) for all customers, staff, and volunteers over 12 years of age.

We have the utmost respect for your privacy, and we are following the lead of sports and entertainment venues, independent cinemas, and arts organizations across the country, and around the world. We don’t make this decision lightly, but a near future without government mandated health protections looms, and we continue to invite film fans to the safest environment we are able to offer.

As cases climb, vaccines are the best tool available to slow the spread of the virus, prevent serious outcomes, and allow us to continue to gather safely at the Garneau.

We thank you for your support, and for sticking with us through many changes and challenges.

Effective September 20, 2021.

For more details and ways to present your proof of vaccination, please visit our website at: https://metrocinema.org/covid-19-measures/

With the removal of Alberta restrictions on July 1, Metro remains cautious and optimistic for the future. At this time, we plan to maintain our limited capacity below 30%, our seating plan layout with social distancing in place, and we continue to require face coverings for staff and customers, except while seated in the auditorium enjoying concession snacks.

Our staff are important to us, and their comfort and safety while dealing directly with the public is our first priority. We want to be sure that each of them (and each of you) has the opportunity to get the protection of two vaccine doses before we remove or reduce safety measures. These extended efforts are temporary, and we hope they make our reopening permanent. If we continue to work together for a little longer, we will get through the last leg of this journey safely.

Thank you all for joining us in this abundance of caution, and we can’t wait to see you back at the Garneau.