Montreal Film (Discussion) Club

If you'd like to attend, please indicate it, but only if you're pretty certain of going. The events are unique and convivial and we always meet afterwards for discussion at nearby Hurley's pub (1225 rue Crescent)

THE KILLING (1956, USA, 84 min., 35mm) Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick's third feature film, The Killing is a masterful Noir telling the story of a daring race-track heist. Just after being released from prison, Jonny Clay masterminds his last big robbery before settling down with his future wife Fay. The ambitious heist involves a five man team hired to rob 2 million dollars on race day, but the plan starts to unravel when a love affair betrays the true loyalties of the men involved.
A precursor to Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs”, Kubrick’s non-linear narrative builds to a thrilling climax that set the template for the modern heist film. The director's mastery of the genre is crowned by a cast of Noir regulars, including Sterling Hayden, Elisha Cook, Vince Edwards and Marie Windsor. This is a rare occasion to see Kubrick's early work, already showcasing a mature and commanding style. On glorious 35mm!

Guest speaker: To be announced

Box Office opens at 6pm. All forms of payment are accepted but it's always best to bring cash. Service is faster and you aren't stuck if the payment processing system is down. You can also buy your tickets online at www.cineclubfilmsociety.com <-INFO & TIX.

If you'd like to attend, please indicate it, but only if you're pretty certain of going. The events are unique and convivial and we always meet afterwards at Hurley's Irish pub for discussion.

THE KILLING (1956, USA, 84 min., 35mm) Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick's third feature film, The Killing is a masterful Noir telling the story of a daring race-track heist. Just after being released from prison, Jonny Clay masterminds his last big robbery before settling down with his future wife Fay. The ambitious heist involves a five man team hired to rob 2 million dollars on race day, but the plan starts to unravel when a love affair betrays the true loyalties of the men involved.
A precursor to Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs”, Kubrick’s non-linear narrative builds to a thrilling climax that set the template for the modern heist film. The director's mastery of the genre is crowned by a cast of Noir regulars, including Sterling Hayden, Elisha Cook, Vince Edwards and Marie Windsor. This is a rare occasion to see Kubrick's early work, already showcasing a mature and commanding style. On glorious 35mm!

Guest speaker: To be announced

Box Office opens at 6pm. All forms of payment are accepted but it's always best to bring cash. Service is faster and you aren't stuck if the payment processing system is down. You can also buy your tickets online at www.cineclubfilmsociety.com

If you'd like to attend, please indicate it, but only if you're pretty certain of going. The events are unique and convivial and we always meet afterwards at Hurley's Irish pub for discussion.

WOMAN IN THE DUNES (Suna No Onna)
(1964, Japan, 123 min., 16mm, English Subs.) Hiroshi Teshigahara
In an isolated barren countryside, an entomologist becomes the prisoner of a strange widow living at the base of a large and inescapable sand pit. Like many early films of the Japanese New Wave, SUNA NO ONNA combines eroticism and philosophical reflection. Director Teshigahara plunges us into a sensual world of heat, sand, sweat and sex, as the absurd nightmarish battle against the ever-threatening sand becomes a potent metaphor for the human condition.
Rendered with an invasively modern visual language fitting of Japan's post-war social transformations, the film questions liberty, free will, conscience and individuality. Equally as vehement and troubling is the battle of the sexes, fueled by contrasting ways of life and feelings that are irredeemably opposed.
At one time a painter, potter and master of floral arrangement (ikebana), Teshigahara was a meticulous writer and composer of images. His direction is carried along by the minimalist music of Toru Takemitsu (RAN by Kurosawa) while actors Eiji Okida (HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR by Renais) and Kyôko Kishida (who has worked with greats such as Ozu and Ichikawa) put in deeply passionate performances. This near-perfect film is without a doubt one of the great masterpieces of Japanese cinema.
Guest speaker: Anne Kmetyko is a filmmaker whose work explores themes of identity, memory, and the human condition. Her latest self-produced short film, If…Then…Now… (Si seulement… peut-être), has been selected for 15 international festivals to date, including the San Francisco Short Film Festival and the 56th WorldFest Houston, where it won a Bronze Remi Award, 3rd place in the People Choice Award at The Ealing Film Fest.

An emerging talent, Anne was selected for the Talent Lab at the Reykjavik International Film Festival in Iceland (2023) and for respected development programs, including the Nantucket Screenwriters Sessions (2025), Stowe Story Labs (2024), and the Stowe Features Campus (2024–25). She is also part of the 2024 cohort of the Canadian Academy’s Screenwriters Pitch program.
She is currently developing her first feature film, The Space Between (Entre Deux), along with the web series Murray Hill and the short Iris.

Box Office opens at 6pm. All forms of payment are accepted but it's always best to bring cash. Service is faster and you aren't stuck if the payment processing system is down. You can also buy your tickets online at www.cineclubfilmsociety.com

If you'd like to attend, please indicate it, but only if you're pretty certain of going. The events are unique and convivial and we always meet afterwards at Hurley's Irish pub for discussion.

JULIET OF THE SPIRITS (Giulietta degli spiriti)
(1965, Italy/France, 145 min., 16mm, English subs.) Federico Fellini

As middle-aged housewife, Juliet, realizes her husband is cheating on her, she becomes drawn to a vivacious and decadent new neighbor. Soon, Juliet’s anxieties manifests in waking dreams that show distorted visions of her past, blurring the line between fantasy and reality.

Presented in a vintage Technicolor print, the color remains as vibrant as the day it was made using a photochemical process that cannot be duplicated digitally. Being Fellini’s first color feature and follow-up to 8 ½, the movie-watching experience in this format is like no other.

For the film, Fellini partnered with his wife and frequent collaborator Giulietta Masina to craft this surreal plunge into the subconscious of a woman in crisis. Memories filled with religious imagery and ghosts of the past flood the screen, all while asking the question: what is freedom? In this unforgettable visual spectacle, Fellini explores lifelong concerns about domesticity, sex, reality, and death through the lens of his own marriage. Echoing Bergman, it is one of the director’s most introspective works.

Gianni di Venanzo gorgeously captures Piero Gherardi’s baroque production design, building a world of infinite possibility while Nino Rota delivers a score as elusive and enchanting as the film itself. If there was ever another time and place, this film will take you to it.
Guest Speaker: Arto Paragamian is known as a writer/director with a singular perspective and style. His sense of balance between outrageous humor and outright misery is the strength of his work. An eye for unique subject matter and unexpected twists, make for compelling films that are refreshing and surprising to audiences. His goal is always to make films that are intelligent and entertaining.
Arto's filmography includes Cosmos, a project with five other filmmakers which took the award at Cannes' Quinzaine and the Best Picture nomination at the Genies. Two Thousand and None with John Turturro, received a FIPRESCI special mention at Taormina, along with many other accolades. We will be viewing an early short of his entitled Fish Story.

Box Office opens at 6pm. All forms of payment are accepted but it's always best to bring cash. Service is faster and you aren't stuck if the payment processing system is down. You can also buy your tickets online at www.cineclubfilmsociety.com