Features

 

 

 
 

   

CINEMA
POLITICA

 

wy
a

theatrical experience

By Siavesh Rokni

Tiea of paying over $12 for a movie
that insults your intelligence? Or sitting
through a cinematic experience that’s
cornier than your popcorn? Or leaving
the theatre feeling emptier than your
wallet, despite the Nibs, chocolate, and
16-ounce soft drink in your belly? Tired
of it all? Well, Cinema Politica offers
films and documentaries with insightful,
fresh looks at important current issues,
political and otherwise. It’s a great way to
awaken your mind to new perspectives—
and it’s absolutely free!

Cinema Politica is an organization
which first began at Montreal’s
Concordia University as a forum where
people could gather together and watch
culturally diverse, non-mainstream, and
potentially controversial movies for free,
and then engage in spirited discussion.
Whenever possible, key speakers and
other contributors would be brought in
as well to further enhance the viewing/
participatory experience.

Cinema Politica has since expanded

16

outside of Montreal, and today Douglas
College is one of several schools across
Canada willing to offer the best in
thought-provoking, rarely circulated
films free of charge. Rather than leaving
you void of substance, the evening’s

   

Cinema Politica offers an invigorating

West campus, and the event is open to
everyone: students, teachers, members
of the community, friends and family
from out of town, and anyone else who’d
like to join in. Screenings are usually a
bi-weekly event, but with so many great

goal is to fill you with films and so little
different perspectives, time, extra screenings
new knowledge, a inema P. olitica may be added.

or at least a little For more up-
something to think offi ers films and to-date information

about. Although the
feeling is not as bad

documentaries with

on Cinema Politica,
including how to

as emptiness, you 3 . get involved, visit
may still leave with a insightful 5 fresh the Cinema Politica
terrible hunger...for i website (www.
more! looks at important  cinemapolitica.org),

CP screenings 5 and click onto the
have been occurring current issues.”’ Douglas College link.
at Douglas since 2006. Also keep an eye open
The first film of the for posters distributed

new semester, No End in Sight, was shown
on February 19". There will be five more
films in total shown before final exams
roll around in the spring. Screenings take
place on Tuesdays at 4:45 pm at the New

on billboards around the school that
display the names of upcoming films. A
Facebook CP group is currently in the
works between the Douglas CP and the
CP branches of UBC and the Vancouver

Public Library to help facilitate those
looking for more variety and easier
access to CP screenings, times, and
locations.

So for those of you who want to
feel invigorated after coming out of the
movie theatre, welcome Cinema Politica
into your lives! For all the documentary
lovers and truth seekers, Cinema Politica
beckons you! And for all you people I
see hanging around the concourse and
cafeteria looking bored and trying to
waste time between classes or until rush
hour dies down, why not go check out a
movie? It’s free.

With the recent news of Fidel
Castro’s resignation, March’s spotlight
for Douglas College’s Cinema Politica
will be on Cuba, beginning with The
Power of Community, How Cuba
Survived Peak Oil, on March 4, at
4:45pm. See you there, and bring your
opinions!