The Oakville Festivals of Film & Art (OFFA) are celebrating National Canadian Film Day tomorrow, April 17, with a return of their annual free screening of Canadian movies at Film.Ca Cinemas.
This year's feature movie is the 2010 comedy Barney's Version, directed by Stephen J. Lewis and starring Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman and Rosamund Pike. Giamatti won a Golden Globe for Best Actor - Comedy for his performance as Barney in 2011.
Free tickets are available for anyone who wants to attend, provided by OFFA and sponsored by both Sheridan College Alumni and Film.Ca Cinemas.
Based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel, Barney's Version is described in OFFA's programming notes as, "the warm, wise, and witty story of Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti), a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life."
"Barney’s candid confessional spans four decades and two continents, and includes three wives (Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, and Rachelle Lefevre), one outrageous father (Dustin Hoffman), and a charmingly dissolute best friend (Scott Speedman). Barney's Version takes us through the many highs -- and a few too many lows -- of a long and colourful life with an unlikely hero at its centre - the unforgettable Barney Panofsky."
The one-night only special screening will feature prerecorded opening remarks from Daniel Richler, broadcaster and son of source novel author Barney's Version Mordecai Richler. Following the screening OFFA will host a virtual Q&A with the film's producer Robert Lantos.
Free tickets for the event are first-come first-serve and available online here. Anyone can claim seats but they must be reserved in advance.
Originally produced by Robert Lantos (whose quest to bring Richler's sprawling narrative to the screen took more than a decade), Barney's Version was directed by Richard J. Lewis from a screenplay by Michael Konyves. Co-produced by Lyse Lafontaine, Domenico Procacci, and Ari Lantos, the film is a Serendipity Point Films production made in association with Rome’s Fandango and Montreal-based Lyla Films.
National Canadian Film Day is an annual, nationwide event showcasing Canadian-produced movies by offering free screenings across the country.