In the GTA, every season brings another film festival. Oakville's is the beginning of summer and Toronto's, of course, comes in the early fall. But outside of Oakville, there's only one more that's local - in Milton.
And like many past Januarys, the time has come for Halton's silver screens to take the spotlight.
This year marks the eighth Milton Film Fest and like last summer's OFFA Online Film Festival, this year's event is all-digital, meaning it can be enjoyed from the comforts of your home.
There are 13 feature films being screened over the next five days (the festival runs from today, January 27, to this Sunday, January 31, 2021) each paired with one or more short films. Single tickets for each event are available, as are four and eight pick-your-own passes and an all-access 13-film pass.
- Single tickets are $11 plus tax each
- Build-your-own 4 film packages are $40 plus tax
- Build-your-own 8 film packages are $75 plus tax
- All access tickets, with unlimited viewing of all events is $95 plus tax
The prices above are also per household watching together - one ticket is valid for as many people who live at your home and are watching the movies together.
One of the features that makes this year's festival notably accessible is once an event start time begins, the films become available on-demand for the next four days - this means you can purchase a film even if its "start time" in the festival has come and gone. Once you start watching a movie you've bought, however, you have 24 hours to finish it.
If this is your first time viewing a digital festival or using Eventive (the same movie platform that the Oakville Film Festival used in June 2020), Milton is offering an FAQ to help users new to the system.
So what are the movies playing at the Milton Film Fest this year? Here are the headliners:
NADIA, BUTTERFLY
Begins streaming Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 8:00 p.m.
This Canadian sports drama is the second film from Quebec's Pascal Plante. The character study is one of the most popular Canadian films of last year, following Olympic swimmer Nadia (Katerine Savard) who decides to leave the sport. But how will she define her life outside the world of elite athletics?
Good, Canadian features can be hard to find, especially without brick-and-mortar cinemas open. This film was an official at the Cannes Film Festival in France last year (one of the most elite film festivals in the world) and is a masterful work of acting.
BLACK BEAR
Begins streaming Friday, Jan. 29 at 8:00 p.m.
Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation, The To-Do List, Criminal Minds) stars as one half of a couple entertaining an out-of-town guest at their lake house in the Adirondack mountains.
This dark comedy became immensely popular at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, but never came to Canada after its cancelled theatrical release due to COVID-19. Black Bear finally comes to the GTA via this weekend's festival.
HONEYLAND
Begins streaming Sunday, Jan. 31 at 12:00 p.m.
Filmed over the course of three years, Honeyland follows the life of Hatidze, a woman who utilizes ancient beekeeping traditions to cultivate honey in the mountains of North Macedonia.
This buzz-worthy title (get it?) has won over 80 awards since its 2019 premiere, and was nominated for Best Documentary and Best International Feature at last year's Academy Awards. This is the first time the movie is available in Halton Region.
ANOTHER ROUND (DRUK)
Begins streaming Saturday, Jan. 30 at 8:00 p.m.
Danish director Thomas Vinterberg directs this comedy about four schoolteachers who embark on a secret experiment: can their day-to-day lives be made better by maintaining a 0.05% blood alcohol level 24 hours a day?
This film also played at Cannes in 2020 and was one of the breakout hits from the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. It stars Vinterberg's friend Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal, Doctor Strange and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and is now the frontrunner for this year's Oscar for International Film. I saw this last September at TIFF and it's lots of fun.
THE CLIMB
Begins streaming Sunday, Jan. 31 at 5:00 p.m.
Kyle and Mike are best friends who share a close bond - until Mike sleeps with Kyle's fiancée. Now comedy and arguments ensue as they enjoy a cycling trip together in the feature film inspired by a short. The fun part of The Climb is that it was written by and starring real-life best friends Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin.
Since its premiere in 2019, it's played dozens of film festivals around the world including Cannes, Venice and Toronto. It's scheduled as this year's closing night film for Milton 2021.
The Full Schedule
Finally, here is a list of all 13 features being shown at the 2021 festival this week. Each title is paired with one or more short films and many have live, virtual Q&As with the filmmakers following the screening.
Wednesday, January 27
- No Roses on a Sailor's Grave, 5:00 p.m. - the opening film about Royal Navy veteran Patrick Thomas and revisiting his history
- Nadia, Butterfly, 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 28
- No Ordinary Man, 5:00 p.m. - the documentary about transgender musician Billy Tipton from TIFF 2020
- Undine, 8:00 p.m. - an award-winning German love story from Cannes 2020
Friday, January 29
- GIRL, 3:00 p.m. - a Canadian thriller starring Bella Thorne and Mickey Rourke
- Meeting the Beatles in India, 5:00 p.m. - a music documentary
- Black Bear, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 30
- Jasmine Road, 1:00 p.m. - a Western Canadian drama coming from its premiere at the Edmonton film festival
- Citizens of Moria, 4:00 p.m. - a documentary from Milton's own Jawad Mir
- Another Round (Druk), 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 31
- Honeyland, 12:00 p.m.
- No Visible Trauma, 2:30 p.m. a documentary about accountability and racism in the Calgary police department
- The Climb, 5:00 p.m.
Tickets are still available for all events of this week's festival and are available via Milton Film Fest, as is the full schedule of this week's events.
Correction: an earlier version of this story said that "Honeyland" was to be screened on Saturday, January 30, 2021. Its actual premiere begins at 12:00 p.m. on January 31.