By Elizabeth Beddall
Summer in the city for many Ottawa residents means taking in a twilight film, courtesy of the Centretown Movies Outdoor Film Festival.
Avid moviegoer Hannah McGechie recalls one such evening when she curled up with her best friend in a blanket and watched Napoleon Dynamite under the stars.
“Despite the late hour, the proximity to downtown and the number of children and dogs in attendance, everyone was captivated by the film,” she says.
“I have never felt a stronger sense of community.”
But local residents like McGechie may soon find that the curtains have closed on this popular summer pastime.
The future of the local festival is uncertain because of the recent resignation of the entire Centretown Movies committee. The group has been screening popular films outdoors since 2001.
“We’ve been the same people organizing for about eight years as a volunteer commitment,” says event founder Pam Foster.
“Those of us who have been on the committee have enjoyed the experience, but lots of people are ready to move on.”
The decision comes after the most recent festival saw a decline in attendance from a previous average of 500 people per screening to roughly 200 people per show last summer.
The introduction of a number of other film festivals to the city may have caused Centretown Movies’ core audience to scatter in various directions, says board member Daphne Guerrero.
She adds that the retiring committee is optimistic that a new team of volunteers could draw audiences back with fresh ideas and enthusiasm.
“The festival is sorely lacking new blood,” says Guerrero. “I think if a new committee can get it up and running for next year it will be really exciting.”
Messages posted on Centretown Movies’ website and Facebook page are inviting willing volunteers to get in contact with organizers.
Long-time festival attendee Annie Landry says she will be happy to be part of a new board if it means sustaining an event that has always been dear to her.
“I love the idea that this is a family-oriented event in the community that doesn’t discriminate by income” says Landry.
“I feel that it is something that I want to support hands-on,” she adds.
Landry’s introduction to Centretown Movies came the same year the festival saw its debut. The very first showing of Superman attracted no more than 150 people, but in the years that followed coordinators often saw upwards of 500 people at each event.
The family-friendly film screenings generally occurred Friday and Saturday nights in the summer.
They were most recently hosted in Dundonald Park on Somerset Street.
Over the years, the community gatherings have also become a means for local filmmakers and musicians to showcase their work.
Organizers have been able to ask a pay-what-you-can fee for each event thanks to financial support from such groups as the Trillium Foundation.
“We’re blessed in that there are many festivals to choose from in Ottawa, but very few of them are free,” says Daphne Guerrero. “There’s definitely a need for more affordable entertainment in this city.”
Guerrero adds that public interest in the coordination of future events will be the deciding factor in whether the Centretown Movies Outdoor Film Festival will return to Ottawa next summer.
When exactly that decision might be made, she says, will
be up to a new committee to decide.
“It’s too early to say for sure,” says Guerrero of the festival’s survival.
“But we are hopeful.”