The Tivoli Theatre is hosting the second annual 7th Siding Film Festival’s third screening event on Oct. 26, which will mark the first time that films have been projected onto the theatre’s screen since curtains closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have been part of the Kootenay Film Society and we will definitely be there for them for their Oct. 26 screening,” said Bonnie Geddes, the owner of Tivoli Theatre.
However, Geddes noted that the viewing does not mean that Tivoli is officially open.
“It’s not the official launch, we’re just hosting the event,” she said. “I’m still waiting for the completion of small details and renovations, but I’m committed to opening before the end of the month.”
READ MORE: Owner of Creston’s Tivoli Theatre hoping to re-open theatre doors by the end of October
Richard Reeves, the president of the Kootenay Film Society, said that the event will help Geddes test the “new normal” waters.
“We were thinking that we can just rent it for one night and make it work. We’re only allowed 50 people, while the theatre holds 250,” said Reeves. “It’s going to be a nice way for Bonnie to see how it works. I’m just glad.”
He added that he’s “very excited” to have the event indoors and back at the cinema, after the first two screenings for this year’s festival were hosted outside at the Tilted Brick Gallery’s outdoor space in August and the Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery in September.
“I really like the big screen. I got into the filmmaking for that community, the one that brings people together in a cinema with a big screen and big sound,” said Reeves.
The screening will feature a total of 12 short-films, which range in length from one minute to 25 minutes.
“This one is really close to Halloween. We have all these short films that are a little more on the darker side. There are some psychological horror films, and a few are dealing with uncomfortable subject matter,” said Reeves. “It’s a little bit of the heavier side in that way, and hopefully it doesn’t make people too uncomfortable. It would be nice if people left the cinema and felt a bit more peace, love and compassion.”
The screening will be the third of four single-evening festival showings, with the final viewing taking place sometime in November. This year’s festival received more than 1,000 entries from filmmakers from all over the world, which includes countries such as England, Germany, India and more.
In total, 55 films were selected, which are being spread out over the festival’s four screenings.
READ MORE: Creston’s second annual 7th Siding Film Festival to return next week
Showings for October’s screening are scheduled for 7:30 p.m., while theatre doors will open at 6:45 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by emailing admin@kootenayfilmsociety.com.
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: aaron.hemens@crestonvalleyadvance.ca
@aaron_hemens
aaron.hemens@crestonvalleyadvance.ca
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