Academy Award winners headline Thunder Bay film festival

A quartet of Academy Award-winning movies will light up the silver screen at Thunder Bay's annual Northwest Film Fest, presented by the North of Superior Film Association.

Birdman, Still Alice, Selma, and Citizenfour are among the 21 films that will be screened at SilverCity on Saturday April 12, and Saturday April 19.

Festival organizers decided to add the four Oscar winners when it became clear they would not be showing in Thunder Bay, said association president Marty Mascarin.

"And from dialogue with SilverCity staff that there was some keen patron interest in these films, we thought we would give them a whirl," he said.

Mascarin said filmmakers from across northwestern Ontario will also get a chance to see their work on the big screen.

"We are featuring some shorts from local and regional filmmakers. It's a new component we have been implementing over the last few years," he said.

Local films:

• Sleeping Giant (Andrew Cividino)
• Beyond the Edge and The Maker (Alek Blanger, from New Liskeard)
• jumpjump (Sarah Constible)
• Impersians (Thunder Bay resident Betty Carpick.)

Other Canadian films:

• Tu dors Nicole
• An Eye for Beauty (from acclaimed Canadian director Denys Arcand)

American films:

• Birdman (Best Picture,BestDirector, BestCinematography, andBestOriginal Screenplay.)
• Selma(Best Original Song)
• Still Alice(Best Actress, Julianne Moore)
• Citizenfour(Best Documentary Feature)
• The Humbling (with Al Pacino)
• Locke (with Tom Hardy)
• Obvious Child
• RedArmy

International films:

• Wild Tales - Argentina
• Les Combattants (Cannes award winner) - France
• Leviathan (Oscar nominee Best Foreign Language Film) - Russia
• Timbuktu (Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film) - Mauritania
• Living is Easy with Eyes Shut - Spain
• The Wind Rises (animated feature) - Japan
• '71- United Kingdom
• Frank - United Kingdom
• Sunshine on Leith - United Kingdom

Thefestival kicks off Thursday April 9 with a special screening of Boychoir with Dustin Hoffman, and Phoenix, a World War II thriller from Germany.

Festival information can be found on the North of Superior Film Association website.