By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
When Those Other Movies (TOM) first started in Haliburton 20 years ago, organizers announced a 10-film season despite only having locked in a single flick. But that didn’t matter because County film lovers bought up all 250 available passes before knowing what else was going to be screened.
“I think there was a big appetite for movies because this is a really engaging, interesting, and smart community,” TOM co-founder Tammy Rea said. “And very art-based. There was an appetite for movies here that we didn’t appreciate because we didn’t have a movie theatre, just Highlands Cinema in the summer.”
This month, the volunteer-run organization is kicking off its 20th anniversary season, continuing to bring independent Canadian and international cinema to Haliburton County. TOM partnered with the Toronto International Film Festival’s Film Circuit, a national network encompassing over 170 locations, to gain access to titles that would otherwise skip small town movie screens.
Bringing films to Haliburton for 20 years was no easy feat, with technical hiccups, changing venues and a shift in media platforms. Screenings were first held at the former Molou theatre before temporary stops at the Beaver theatre in Minden and Kinmount’s Highlands Cinema for specialized projection formats. Now the films are shown at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion, where the organization has upgraded the venue’s projector, screen, and sound equipment.
Streaming services and post-pandemic habits have changed the way we consume movies but organizers said that nothing beats sharing a room with others.
“The feeling that you get from watching a movie in community is way different than watching it on your couch,” Myra Stephen, TOM committee member, said. “It’s a whole different experience to watch it in community.”
Rea said that visiting directors would often comment on the audience engagement following a screening.
“They would always say, ‘Wow, your audience asks really insightful questions,’” she said.
Behind the scenes, curating each season is a year-long process. Stephen explained that committee members would travel to area film festivals like Cinéfest in Sudbury and log reviews on a spreadsheet and debate titles to balance heavy themes with lighter material.
To help keep TOM accessible to the community, organizers run afternoon showings at the Gardens of Haliburton retirement home, host post-documentary picnic lunches, and co-ordinate with community organizations tied to specific film themes.
With support from local sponsors, ticket prices have remained at $10 per screening, with taxes being absorbed by TOM, or $70 for an eight-film season pass.
“We’re essentially operating at break-even, but we want to keep this accessible,” Rea explained. “We’d rather have a full house at $10 than fewer people paying $12.”
The season opens Sept. 10 at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion with the screening of I Swear, a BAFTA-winning feature about Tourette’s activist John Davidson. Screenings are scheduled for 4:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
The fall lineup continues on Oct. 8 with the showing of TOM’s longest movie title ever, You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community that Changed the World (in a Canadian Kind of Way), a documentary examining how a 1970s Toronto production of Godspell launched the careers of Canadian comedy icons including Martin Short and Eugene Levy.
For the full lineup, visit thoseothermovies.com.
