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2023 Festival.
October 20, 21, 22, 2023
News
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A highly successful 2021 Vintage Film Festival was presented on the weekend of September 24th, 25th & 26th! And this, after having had to cancel the planned 2020 Festival, and in spite of continued pandemic-driven restrictions on indoor activities.
Film fans came from all over Northumberland County, Durham Region and the GTA, and from as far afield as Kingston, Ottawa, Waterloo and London. More than seventy of them enjoyed the luxury of seeing as many movies as they wanted on a weekend pass, while nearly two hundred single tickets were sold (or given free to guests 25 and under).
All of these movie lovers were able to enjoy VFF 2021 thanks to:
- months of planning by the Vintage Film Festival committee
- tremendous support from the Capitol Theatre staff
- a generous grant from the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund
- a carefully prepared and executed COVID-19 Safety Plan, which protected the health of all patrons and volunteers
- many hours of time donated over the weekend by the Capitol's volunteers and by members of the VFF committee, the Marie Dressler Foundation board, and the community
- the cooperation and patience shown by all of our guests as they worked with us to conduct our Festival safely
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The Marie Dressler Foundation is delighted to confirm that the Vintage Film Festival will take place as planned on September 24, 25 & 26, 2021 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope, Ontario!
Yes, the Vintage Film Festival is back for 2021, for three amazing days, with twelve terrific films all "based on a true story":
Friday, Sept. 24th
- Doris Day in Calamity Jane (1953)
- Robert Altman's M*A*S*H (1970)
- Henry Fonda in Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1957)
Saturday, Sept. 25th
- Spencer Tracy & Fredric March in Inherit the Wind (1960)
- Douglas Fairbanks in The Iron Mask (1929)
- Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier in That Hamilton Woman (1941)
- Kirk Douglas in Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957)
- The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night (1964)
- Boris Karloff & Bela Lugosi in The Body Snatcher (1945)
Sunday, Sept. 26th
- Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky (1938)
- Buster Keaton's The General (1926)
- Peter O'Toole in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
As usual, our two silent film offerings, The Iron Mask and The General, will be presented with live musical accompaniment by Jordan Klapman.
And the Festival experience is more than just a compelling programme of great cinema! As usual, you'll have the opportunity to hear an interesting speaker at our Brown Bag Lunch on Sunday, buy cool Festival-themed merchandise, bid on exciting gift packages in our Silent Auction, chat with like-minded movie-lovers, and the Art Deco ambience of a 1930s atmospheric theatre as you enjoy these vintage films on the big screen!
New for 2021: free admission to any and all films for everyone 25 years or younger! (No need to book ahead: just show up at the door.) Parents and grandparents: why not enjoy a family movie outing and introduce your kids or grandkids to the magic of vintage film? Also, we will be offering free popcorn all weekend!
The small print: Any health-and-safety-related restrictions in place at the time of the Festival, whether mandated provincially or by the Capitol Theatre, will be carefully adhered to. Some aspects of the Festival, and the manner in which they are presented, may be subject to change. Specifically, the traditional "finger food" at the Friday evening reception will not be offered this year; but, as usual, drinks and snacks will be available that evening, and all weekend, at the Capitol's bar.
For 2021, single tickets to individual films are still just $10. And a weekend pass for the full Festival experience of 12 movies—a $120 value—is only $75! Tickets and passes are available now: click here to buy them!
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Due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic, the Marie Dressler Foundation has decided that the 2020 Vintage Film Festival must be cancelled. It is thought that it is unlikely that theatres will be allowed to open by September 2020 and similarly the opening gala would not be possible nor the associated fund-raising activities. Because the Festival is a major fundraiser for the Foundation, there will be no bursaries awarded in 2020.
The program will be deferred to Sept 24 to 26, 2021 when it is hoped that a normal Festival can take place.
John Draper
For Marie Dressler Foundation and
Vintage Film Festival Committee