Downtown BIA, WIFF team up for 'summer of cinema

The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association has teamed up with the Windsor International Film Festival to provide 17 film screenings at the Capitol Theatre this summer.

The films will be screened on Thursdays beginningJune 13.

"We launched WIFF 365 when we realized our community's love for film couldn't be confined to the festival season and we're thrilled to discover even monthly screenings can't meet the demand," said Vincent Georgie, WIFF Executive Director and Chief Programmer.

"Our audience told us they wanted a little more cinema in their summer and these weekly screenings will provide them an escape from the heat and one more reason to visit downtown Windsor," he said.

The BIA is providing the film festival with $15,000 to make the mini-festival possible.

"The impact WIFF 365 will have on downtown Windsor's cultural landscape and creative economy is significant," says Brian Yeomans, DWBIA Chair. "It will contribute to downtown's vitality, prosperity and creativity, engage captive audiences, and afford us the opportunity to work together to make visiting downtown an exciting experience."

There will be additional Saturday screenings on June 29thand August 10thto celebrate Canada Day and Pride Weekend. The stellar lineup includes a documentary about Aretha Franklin, with never-before-seen footage of a church performance and a diverse array of titles with actors including Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Ethan Hawke and Kenneth Branagh.

Tickets are available on the WIFF 365 website or at the box office at the Capitol Theatre.