What’s Next
National Canadian Film Day
Wednesday, April 16
7:00 pm
ByTowne Cinema
Presented by Reel Canada in partnership with the ByTowne Cinema and the Canadian Film Institute.
My American Cousin
Sandy Wilson | Canada | 1985 | 88 minutes
A charming coming-of-age story set in BC’s Okanagan Valley in the 1950s and based on writer-director Sandy Wilson’s own experiences, My American Cousin revolves around 12-year-old Sandy Wilcox (Margaret Langrick), who longs for adventure and a meaningful acknowledgment of her impending adulthood. When her older cousin Butch (John Wildman) suddenly arrives in town, she finds both. His unexpected visit from faraway glamorous America sweeps her off her small Canadian feet as he introduces her to rock music, ideas of freedom and liberty, and his alluring devil-may-care rebelliousness. Although her intense crush on her cousin wavers when she learns that he's actually stolen his mother's car and run away from home, their encounter nonetheless proves unforgettable for both of them. A sly commentary on the cultural differences between Canadians and Americans – an especially timely theme these days – My American Cousin is a Canadian cinematic gem celebrating its 40th birthday this year.
Special guest: the producer of My American Cousin, Peter O’Brian
Screening hosted by Canadian Film Institute Executive Director, Tom McSorley.
Café Ex: Mike Hoolboom
Thursday, April 17
7:00 pm
Club SAW
As the final show of its 26th season of celebrating Canada’s experimental moving image artists, Café Ex is proud to showcase the recent work of internationally acclaimed, Governor General’s Award for Media and Visual Arts winner, Mike Hoolboom. Hoolboom’s astonishingly prolific career as a filmmaker, visual artist, writer, and critic has for decades made him one of Canada’s most important and consistently daring artists.
This special evening will feature a personal video message from Hoolboom, screenings of four recent works, and the launch of a new Canadian Film Institute co-publication on Hoolboom’s work, Mike Hoolboom: Work (Canadian Film Institute, ConverSalon Collective; Ottawa-Toronto 2025), edited by Clint Enns. A former Café Ex guest artist, Enns will attend the screening to discuss the book and host a series of readings by contributors to this remarkable look at Hoolboom’s extraordinary output to date.
