A new year, a new schedule

Films move us, captivate us, and make us question our lives in ways unlike any other mediums. When we first started our screenings back in March 2008 with Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring, it was in order to deliver on the mission we had been preaching since our humble beginnings in September 2007 with our film journal, Next Projection: to make great films accessible to a wider audience. Since then, we have realised the need to conduct these screenings monthly, displaying the works of international auteurs, from eras ranging so far from the 1930s to the 21st century.

Last year, our members discovered mysterious manifestations of love in our four screenings: from the sporadic romances found in Chungking Express, to the longing for compassion in The Elephant Man, passing by the heavy price of love displayed in Port of Shadows to finally, the limits of humanism as shown in Werckmeister Harmonies, we are catapulted in universes that although seemingly distinct, are united by similar messages.

Next Projection is proud to announce its 2009 lineup of masterworks, to be presented at Hart House (7 Hart House Circle, Toronto ON) every month, from January until April. Investigating the themes of hope, purpose and atonement, these international picks have been chosen based on their display of expertly crafted filmmaking. We start off with Jean-Pierre Melville’s Army of Shadows (1969), the harrowing French Resistance tale that is nothing short of a masterpiece, followed by Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas (1984) and its dazzling visuals. We continue with Edward Yang’s last film, Yi Yi (2000), and end with a glimpse into Akira Kurosawa’s world and its samurai lone hero story, Yojimbo (1964). Complete synopses can be found in our 2009 Screening Schedule, available here.

Exact screening locations and dates will be posted on our front page as we receive them. You are welcome to attend our first screening of 2009 on January 30th at Hart House.

I hope to see you there and thank you for reading,

Julien Gagnier
Next Projection, Editor-in-Chief