It's not every day Oakville gets an advance movie screening of the latest Hollywood hit; let alone be it one of the year's frontrunners for the annual circuit of film awards.
That's what's happening tonight with Women Talking, the new drama written and directed by Sarah Polley from Universal Pictures. The film opens in most cinemas at Christmas, but Oakville will host a special one-night only premiere showing tonight, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022, at Film.Ca Cinemas.
Co-sponsoring the event is Oakville Festivals of Film and Art (OFFA), Sheridan College Alumni and Film.Ca itself. Women Talking concludes the three-part Fall Film Series which began in October.
Tonight's event will be hosted by Oakville News' own arts reporter Tyler Collins, who called it his "favourite film of 2022."
The event also includes a Q&A with following the movie with Toronto actor Michelle McLeod, who plays Mejal, and four Sheridan College alumni who worked on the film. (The movie was shot in greater Toronto area, and the story is based on a Canadian novel by Miriam Toews.)
Set in 2010, Women Talking is about eight women from an isolated Mennonite colony grapple with reconciling their reality with their faith after it is revealed that men from their community have been drugging and raping the community's women at night for years - and now they must decide what to do.
The film's ensemble cast includes Rooney Mara, Claire Foy (best known as Elizabeth in season 1-2 of The Crown), Jessie Buckley (Oscar nominee last year), Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw and three-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand, who also produces.
Women Talking had a gala event at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival back in September, and will open again in Toronto at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on Dec. 23.
Limited tickets for tonight's event are available online here. More information about the event can be found on the OFFA website.