Amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats against the country’s sovereignty, the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) will present a weekend of specialty programming looking at the relationship between Canada and the USA in cinema, including great titles showcasing talent from each country.
WIFF Executive Director and Chief Programmer Vincent Georgie says this is a result of audience member requests.
"We've got this geographic relationship and this trade relationship, and also this human relationship with the U.S., and specifically Windsor-Detroit, and it was really something that was born from our audience, and they said let's look at movies that have talked to us about this and shown us what that relationship is, and some of the ways to that Canada, I think, has been rather exceptional in its leadership with the U.S."
He says the selected movie titles were also chosen by the WIFF audience.
"Our audience knows good movies, let me assure you that," Georgie said. "So a lot of suggestions, and then trying to think of different strands of stories, like, what different angles of stories about this relationship? And just landed on these. We've got a whole weekend of it on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29."
Georgie says the main film being shown is You Are Here: A Come From Away Story, a true story that happened on 9/11.
"There were 40 planes that landed with passengers from the U.S. in Gander, Newfoundland," he said. "Gander, Newfoundland is less than 10,000 people, and nearly 7,000 people on these planes had to land, obviously in a time of crisis in Gander, Newfoundland, and that community took them in and cared for them, and fed them, and loved them."
Georgie says one of the characters from the Come From Away musical and film will join them for the special showing.
Other films being shown include: Canadian Bacon, Argo, The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit and Shepherds.
More details and ticketing information can be found here: https://windsorfilmfestival.com/film/ST00003526/.