Phare Ouest cinema nights return to Café Downtown

Phare Ouest cinema nights return to Café Downtown

With the easing of public health restrictions, the cinema nights in Fort Coulonge organized by the cultural organization Phare Ouest are starting back up. The next screening will be Tuesday, February 15 featuring the film Bootlegger. As organizer Louis Harvey explained, spaces will be limited to 30 and it is advised to book with Café Downtown in advance.

“We’ve relaunched the program with an interesting film which is difficult, but which is interesting. It’s Bootlegger. This film affects, among others, a First Nations community,” Harvey said (tr.). “Reserve your seats, occupancy is limited to thirty participants. I imagine that people will be able to eat before. Rémi has relaunched his kitchen operations. The movie is scheduled for 7 p.m., so get there early, come celebrate the reopening of the cinema. Yes, we are still at an extraordinary cost of $3 per entrance. So, it is very, very expensive to come and see a film with us. So it’s $3, then like I say, call, book and it’s at the café. You make your reservation at Café Downtown.”

The film

Bootlegger (2021) was shot just a stone’s throw from the Pontiac, in Kitigan Zibi Algonquin Reserve and has earned some critical acclaim. The plot focuses on Mani, played by Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, who returns to her northern Quebec community to advocate for a ban on alcohol sales, putting her in the crosshairs of a local smuggler, played by Pascale Bussières. Harvey said that the film grapples with difficult subjects, but touches on the reality of small, rural communities.

The full (French-language) interview with Harvey is available here.