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COLUMN: Time to get involved

Civic Theatre manager Jason Asbell on upcoming films about Jumbo and Naomi Klein.
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On Oct. 13

The Civic Theatre screen has been a vessel to communicate many stories, commentary and ideas, and with the election around the corner, The Civic will be hosting some amazing films that reflect the environment and the power of people’s involvement.

On Oct. 13, Patagonia presents the Sweetgrass-produced documentary Jumbo Wild that charts the true story of the decades-long battle over the future of British Columbia’s iconic Jumbo Valley and highlights the tension between the protection of wilderness and the backcountry experience and ever-increasing development interests in wild places.

With development currently ceased due to the expiration of their environmental certificate, this screening will be a celebration of all the dedicated involved people whose voices were never silenced.

And with that affirmation of people power, The Civic follows-up with two nights of the documentary based off of Naomi Klein’s latest book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Environment. Klein frames the question “What if confronting the climate crisis is the best chance we’ll ever get to build a better world?”

Filmed over 211 shoot days in nine countries and five continents over four years, This Changes Everything is an epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change. Whether serving as guide or cement to your convictions, this powerful documentary is timely with the election only days later.

While we’re on the topic of involvement, did you know that you can initiate and support crowd-sourced programming? If a title gets 75 pre-sold tickets, we can program niche titles that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise.

We have two October titles that still need your involvement. Navigate to the “On Screen” button from the “What’s On” drop down menu on The Civic homepage to purchase tickets to Saturday’s screening of Milk: Born Into the World, and/or the Oct. 5 screening of The Mask You Live In.

And remember, it is never too late to become involved in ensuring the continuation and growth of an independent venue where the community can come together and share ideas for years to come. Aside from actively supporting the vision of a community-minded media centre, becoming a member of

The Nelson Civic Theatre Society entitles you to discounts on movies and subscriptions, a vote at the AGM, and a free monthly screening of essential cinema. Visit us at civictheatre.ca or the theatre to purchase or renew your membership.

Of course, we do also go to the movies to leave behind our daily turmoil, or in the case of The Martian opening Friday, our planet, for a couple of hours.

Check the website for confirmations on the best of cinema entertainment throughout October. Black Mass, The Intern, Hotel Transylvania 2 and the 40th anniversary of Rocky Horror Picture Show are all coming-soon.

Jason Asbell is the programmer, theatre manager and campaign coffee gopher for the Civic Theatre.