Film Guide
For students who are cinematically inclined, Kingston offers a wide variety of outlets to keep even the most discriminating filmgoer entertained. Whether you’re looking to get involved in movie production or just renting a hard-to-find film, Kingston is an open community for avid film buffs and casual viewers alike.
Regardless of your chosen major, getting involved in the film community at Queen’s is easy. The city boasts two major film festivals every year: Reelout Film Festival and the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. Both festivals have their run during second semester, and invite students to volunteer to help arrange and plan the screenings or submit their own productions.
The Reelout Film Festival, Kingston’s queer film and video event, showcases national and international cinema dealing with queer issues. The seventh annual event will take place this winter with screenings on and around campus.
The Kingston Canadian Film Festival will take place in March. It is the largest exclusively Canadian film festival in the world, and is run mainly by students and volunteers.
For those who are eager to get involved, keep your eyes peeled for bulletins around campus. It’s a great way to be pro-active if you’re a lover of cinema, or to just get involved in the Kingston community.
The Focus Film Festival is a bit of an anomaly because it is run entirely by students and for students. The object of the event is to pool together creativity and produce a five-minute film in one weekend.
Participants are put into groups of students, given a theme for their film, and the rest is up to them. The screening of the finished products, as well as the festival itself, is open to anyone regardless of year or program.
As for year-round film viewing, there are several useful and eclectic outlets on and around campus. Perhaps the most well-known spot is Kingston’s independent movie theatre, The Screening Room, at 120 Princess Street. The Screening Room offers an alternative to big-name Hollywood movies, by providing a space to see films normally found on the festival circuit.
The owners are friendly, the concessions are inexpensive, and the movies rotate weekly. Tuesday night is cheap night, so grab some friends from residence, and enjoy a hot cup of tea while you watch a film that will most likely not be shown anywhere else in Kingston.
Of course, if you’re planning on majoring in film you will find access to the film studies department’s library of classic, foreign and experimental film.
But if not, there’s always Classic Video. Located at 40 Clarence Street, this is an essential spot for anyone hoping to find their favourite Fellini, Trufaut, or Kurosawa.
You don’t need to be a film scholar or an indie film buff to enter this place, though; the people working the counter are as friendly as they come.
However, because their categories of selection include classic, documentary, and foreign, you’re more than likely to find film students perusing the store.
Both the Queen’s and Kingston communities offer enough film-related fare to keep students satiated throughout the course of the school year. So grab some popcorn and let the screening begin.
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