Presented by The Confederation Centre of the Arts and City Cinema. Author Miriam Toews will be presenting the 2025 Symons Lecture at Confederation Centre of the Arts on Friday October 3rd. Dir: Michael McGowan, Canada, 2021. Alison Pill, Sarah Gadon, Mare Winningham. Awards include Best Canadian Film (Vancouver Film Critics) and Best Feature (Writers Guild of Canada). "All My Puny Sorrows is a mature and beautiful story, the union of a celebrated author with a filmmaker in his creative prime. It’s ultimately about the way grief sneaks up on us, the way death sneaks up on us and the way, sometimes, life and light sneak up on us." - Chris Knight, The National Post. "I love this movie like a person. It pierced my heart the way certain paintings or pieces of music do… The story, briefly: Lottie and her daughters Elfrieda, known as Elf, a world-renowned concert pianist, and Yoli, a recently divorced mother and burgeoning novelist, are living with the after-effects of the suicide of their husband and father 12 years ago. Now, as Elf’s own depression closes in, Yoli has to fight to give her reasons to live. That sounds bleak, but mysteriously, it’s the opposite. What the screenwriter and director Michael McGowan pulls off here is a miracle of tone – the same tone that Miriam Toews established in her source novel, whose title comes from a Coleridge poem: 'I too a Sister had… To her I pour’d forth all my puny sorrows.' It’s that juxtaposition of puny and sorrow, that heightened awareness of the bitter-sweetness of being human, that slays me. Our individual sorrows, when we are suffering them, are everything. But in the collective scheme of things, they are nothing. We go on. Life is funny because it is so sad, beautiful because it is ephemeral. Getting that tone right is how a story about grief turns into one of the most life-affirming things you’ll ever see." - Johanna Schneller, the Globe and Mail

Dir: Allan Moyle, Canada, 2000, Comedy/Drama. Liane Balaban, Tara Spencer-Nairn, Andrew McCarthy, Mary Walsh, Cathy Moriarty. "A gem... Set on Cape Breton in the 1970s, the film centres on 15-year-old Mooney Pottie, a sharp-witted, sharp-tongued misfit who laments her limited prospects within the small, conservative coal-mining town. She wants out, but in her cramped Catholic community, there's only one reason that young women leave - and it isn't to pursue higher education, if you catch my drift. Mooney's teacher sees her potential as an artist and helps her secure an arts scholarship at a Manhattan high school. Alas, Mom and Dad fancy this idea about as much as a Saturday night without the hockey game on the tube. Mooney is stuck. Her restlessness grows with the arrival in town of 16-year-old Lou and her mother, Midge, who have their (unusual) reasons for selecting New Waterford as a suitably low-key alternative to their former place of residence, the Bronx... New Waterford Girl is funny and wry and winningly simple, the sort of picture that so amazes with its authenticity - both in terms of the specific geographic region and of adolescence in general - and its excess of colourful, memorable characters." - Scott Feschuk National Post. "A smart, incisive and enormously enjoyable film. Entertaining, polished and professional... With glee, it turns Canadian family cliches topsy-turvy... The film also captures the spirit and embodies the soul of Maritime Canada... This film is a treasure." - Bruce Kirkland, The Toronto Sun.

Presented by the PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre Director: Drew Hancock, US, 2025, Thriller/Dark Comedy/Sci-Fi. Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Rupert Friend "A weekend getaway with friends at a remote cabin turns into chaos after it's revealed that one of the guests is not what they seem. Blending sci-fi and thriller elements, Companion is a shocking and at times funny exploration of the revenge film that encourages its audience to consider their relationship with technology and tech-facilitated sexual violence." There will be a discussion after the show facilitated by a member of PEIRSAC’s clinical team.

Dir: Louise Lalonde, Canada, 2022. Playing with: Best Summer Camp Ever: Island Rock Camp (14 min) & Culinary Institute of Canada (12 min). Filmmaker Louise Lalonde will introduce and take questions afterwards. Bring your knitting, crochet, embroidery, cross stitch, or other handicrafts, plus your crafty friends for a cozy afternoon at the movies. Lights will be set so you can see the screen and your skeins! Threading the Needle's five episodes bring into focus a few of the many talented knitters, quilters, felters and hookers in PEI. Prepare yourself to fight the urge to head to a craft store and begin a journey into the world of needle arts as you discover these colourful, dedicated artists who live and breathe their craft. They are Troy Martin and Linda Stewart (For the Love of Knitting); Martha Deacon (Miniature Rugs and Eighteen Chairs); Janice Brydges and Sue Ann Jay (Brading and Felting Never Felt so Right); Penelope Player (Crazy Quilting is not for Wimps) ; and Susan Lee Manning, Bettee Young and Shirley Hogan (A Hooker's Work is Never Done). Non-crafters welcome too!. Two of Louise's other shorts give a glimpse into two cool P.E.I. Summer Camps!

Dir: Scarlett Johansson, US, 2025, Comedy/Drama. June Squibb, Erin Kellyman. Chiwetel Ejiofor Cannes Festival nominee Un Certain Regard Award and Camera d’Or. “Raucous cheers and quite a few tears greeted the world premiere of Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut at Cannes… The crowd warmly embraced the dramedy, which stars June Squibb as Eleanor Morgenstern, a fiercely independent Florida retiree who, after the sudden death of her lifelong best friend, relocates to New York to live with her daughter. A series of events leads her to a young woman suffering from the loss of her mother. The two bond over their shared grief and a desire to reconnect with their Jewish identity. But Eleanor has a secret that threatens to destroy the friendship they have built.” - Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter. “The jackpot combination of being tear-inducing and laugh-out-loud funny” – The Times, UK. “Powerful and touching” - Deadline

Dir: Michael Angelo Covino, US, 2025, Comedy/Drama. Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Kyle Marvin, Michael Angelo Covino. “Splitsville follows two couples… When Ashley asks for a divorce, the good-natured Carey runs to his friends, Julie and Paul, for support. Their secret to happiness is an open marriage; that is, until Carey crosses the line and throws all of their relationships into chaos… The romantic rollercoaster doesn’t end there, as one couple’s strife quickly exposes the cracks in the other’s marriage. As the foursome try to work out their situation, some of the bigger laughs come from instances of full-frontal male nudity and lots of unexpected confrontations between couplings - including an epic and violently comedic showdown between Paul and Carey. But much like the concept of an open marriage, the movie proves to be less about who you’re having sex with (or not) and more about the importance of communication.” - Ellise Shafer, Angelique Jackson, Variety. “A madcap romantic comedy… Not only is this a dark, delightful, and devious joy of an experience from start to finish… It also manages to poke fun at relationships while being oddly romantic and charming, making it a winner with layers.” – Chase Hutchinson, The Playlist. “Fast and furiously funny… this comedy of manners about two couples in open relationships is far and away the funniest film of the year so far. It’s also one of the year’s best.” – Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture. “Truly hilarious.” – Deadline.

Director: Various, US, 2025, Documentary. A big-screen celebration of the indomitable human spirit that defines the sport of mountain biking with unforgettable film-going experiences. Highlighting incredible athletes, creative filmmakers, and engaging storylines the Ritual Mountain Bike Film Tour showcases stunning cinematography and riding films - from 20-minute stories to three-minute action clips.

Presented by The Confederation Centre of the Arts and City Cinema. Author Miriam Toews will be presenting the 2025 Symons Lecture at Confederation Centre of the Arts on Friday October 3rd. Dir: Sarah Polley, US, 2023. Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw, Frances McDormand, Sheila McCarthy. Academy Award Winner, Best Adapted Screenplay. “This is the kind of cinema that endures... For the past few years, the women in this isolated religious community have been drugged and assaulted in their sleep... It actually happened — Miriam Toews wrote a novel about it in 2018, on which this film is based... The women meet in a hayloft to talk about what to do: nothing, stay and fight, or leave... The subject matter is explosive. But Polley’s film is more like a hymn or a prayer, a gentle meditation on forgiveness, survival and how to make a better world... The trauma shows on the women’s bodies in different ways... And in the same way that the physical impact differs, so do each of these women in their responses... Salome has tried to kill one of the men. Ona is left with profound questions (if the women stay and fight, what are they fighting for?), while Mariche, whose husband is an abuser, doesn’t want to make a fuss. Lest it all sound too grim, Women Talking is actually very warm, with moments of humour and tenderness beaming through it... The women laugh, sing together and sometimes disagree... The journey to their trepidatious decision is propulsive and gripping... For those who want to listen—and those who need to hear it – this is a film full of hope.” —Jessie Thompson, The Independent