Cinema

With the passing of the beloved filmmaker David Lynch last week, Mayfair Theatre’s Lee Demarbre shares his thoughts on how Lynch’s legacy lives on.

The Brutalist is currently in limited release, meaning it is playing exclusively at film centres in major cities like Toronto and New York. The only cities that can count on seeing this film as it was meant to be seen are those lucky enough to have repertory theatres like Ottawa’s ByTowne Cinema, which has already announced an extensive run beginning Jan. 24.

We’re well into awards season. We’ve just had the Golden Globes ceremony. The Academy Awards will be on March 2 and bets are being placed. Which films and people will be nominated? Which will take home one or more Oscars? Let’s start with the contenders playing at the ByTowne and the Mayfair in the latter half of January.

Fans of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings and Howard Shore’s epic film score won’t want to miss an incredible evening with 250 musicians from the FILMharmonique Orchestra and Choir performing The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring In Concert.

Welcome to January 2025! In this, my first article of the year, I’m going to imitate Janus because my two favourite films of 2024 – Flow and Anora – are still screening at the Mayfair and there are a bunch of not-to-be-missed films from the past at the ByTowne and the Mayfair.

There’s an eclectic, pleasing selection of films at the ByTowne and the Mayfair at the tail end of 2024. Find out what the two cinemas are offering in this edition of Magic in the Dark.

Christmas seems to be coming early—the first half of December sees the ByTowne and the Mayfair gifting us with lots of great films, including a very special Christmas treat at the ByTowne on Dec.12.

I’m almost overwhelmed by the number of promising new and terrific old films we can see at the ByTowne and the Mayfair in the second part of November. Let’s see what’s in store!

The days are shorter and colder, but that’s a good reason to get comfy at the ByTowne and the Mayfair. And since we’re heading into awards season and folks who have an awards contender (or think they have) are releasing their films to attract lots of buzz and influence the awards jurors, there are many new films to choose from.

The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival is back at the Bytowne Cinema from Nov. 7th-9th for its eighth annual festival. This year’s festival will feature 16 films by Canadian filmmakers, including three from Ottawa.

As Halloween approaches, there are lots of scary goings-on at the ByTowne and the Mayfair. But I’ll start with some other films that won’t have you hiding under your seat or gripping your companion’s hand until it turns blue.

It’s October, so there are plenty of films at Ottawa’s independent cinemas to gear everyone up for Halloween.

We’ve passed the halfway point of the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) 2024. I’ve gone to a dozen screenings so far and have recommendations for what you can see the last two days (Saturday Sept. 28 and Sunday Sept. 29) of the festival, as many of them are playing on one of these two days.

The suggestions in this list may be low in quantity, but definitely not in quality! Here are the films you can expect at the ByTowne and Mayfair Theatre.

My favourite Ottawa festival, the Canadian Film Institute’s Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), begins Sept. 25 and runs to Sept. 29. Never been to the OIAF and wondering if you should go? After all, animation is just for kids—right? Wrong!