Dancing on the Elephant
Tuesday October 27, 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday October 27, 2:00 p.m.
87 min
Season Sponsor: Rastins PharmacyFilm Date
Film Sponsor Date: Dundas Valley Sunrise Rotary Club
Proceeds to Hamilton Out of the Cold
Tickets: https://www.memorialarts.ca/event-calendar
Faced with a future of chair-xercise and spoon-fed pudding, nursing home friends Nora and Edna attempt to break out of the "fox farm" and find a life worth sticking around for. Starring Sheila McCarthy (I Heard the Mermaids Singing, Women Talking, The Lotus Eaters, Die Hard 2, Anything For Jackson), Mary Walsh (This Hour has 22 Minutes, The Grand Seduction, CODCO), Amanda Brugel(Nika and Madison, The Handmaid's Tale, Kim's Convenience, Workin' Moms).
Awards:
Atlantic Film Festival: won Best Performance by an Actress (Mary Waslh) and Best Editing
Oakville Festival of Films: Honourable Mention 2nd Place: Sheila McCarthy, Won Best Canadian Feature
WorldFest--Houston Film Festival: Won Jury Remi Prize Best Feature, Nominated Best Supporting Actress Amanda Brugel
5 other nominations
Reviews:
Dancing on the Elephant hits all the right beats thanks to its talented leads, its memorable characters, and a heartfelt screenplay. It’s a cinematic slice of Canadian life worth seeking out. Emma Badame/That Shelf
One of the most endearing kinds of film doesn’t immediately announce its emotional power so much as it gradually and subtly reveals it. The new drama, ‘Dancing on the Elephant,’ does just that by exploring aging with a tenderness and honesty that feels increasingly rare. Film Factual
“... it’s always lovely to see more filmmakers creating this kind of earnest, kind cinema …” Film Carnage
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10229640/
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dancing_on_the_elephant
Once Upon A Time in Cinema
Tuesday October 27, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday October 5, 7:15 p.m.
87 min
Season Sponsor: Rastins PharmacyFilm Date
Film Sponsor Date: Dundas Valley Sunrise Rotary Club
Proceeds to Hamilton Out of the Cold
Tickets: https://www.memorialarts.ca/event-calendar
Follows beleaguered small-town cinema owner Earl Clancy (Colin Morgan) during one chaotic Friday night screening from hell. Over the course of the evening, Earl faces a cascading series of disasters that threaten to sink his theater. Written and directed by David Gleeson, the film is a personal love letter to the Irish cinema experience, inspired by his family's generational history in the business.
Reviews:
Anyone nostalgic for a time before sleek multiplexes, recliner seats and the smell of nachos in the evening should warm to David Gleeson’s Once Upon A Time In A Cinema. Allan Hunter/Screen International
A heart-warming nostalgic recreation of a time gone by, Once Upon A Time In A Cinema is a story to be dived into. Embrace the popcorn - and the moment - and sit back and enjoy. Peter Bodie/Film Ireland
Once Upon a Time in a Cinema is a well-crafted, beautifully shot ode to film, cinema, and the idea that sometimes, the value of a building is much more than the sum of its parts. Mikal CG/Film Threat
Other Items of Interest
AFF Library of Some of Our Past Films
About 170 titles of past Ancaster Film Fest selections are available for loan at Rastin's Pharmacy.
AFF Season 21 - 2026
Screenings will be at 2:00 and 7:15 p.m.
Dates
January 26 Sentimental Value, 2:00 p.m.
January 26 It Was Just An Accident, 7:15 p.m.
February 23: DJ Ahmet, 2:00 p.m.
February 23: Marty Supreme, 7:15 p.m.
March 30: The Choral, 2:00 p.m.
March 30: The Secret Agent 7:15 p.m.
April 20: The President's Cake, 2:00 p.m.
April 20: H Is For Hawk, 7:15 p.m.
May 11: All That's Left of You, 2:00 p.m.
May 11: Palestine 36, 7:15 p.m,
May 25: Holy Days, 2:00 p.m.
May 25: Tow, 7:15 p.m.
June 8: A Poet, 2:00 p.m.
June 8: The Christophers, 7:15 p.m.
September 14: Peter Asher: Everywhere Man 2:00 p.m.
September 14: Tuner, 7:15 p.m.
October 5: TBA, 2:00 p.m.
October 5: Nika and Madison, 7:15 p.m.
October 26: Dancing on the Elephant, 2:00 p.m.
October 6: Once Upon a Time in Cinema, 7:15 p.m.
November 16: TBA
December 14: TBA
Guests on our email list will also be informed via email. To contact us email ancasterfilmfest@cogeco.ca.
AFF Library of Some of Our Past Films
About 170 titles are available at Rastin's Pharmacy. Check out our Archive.
AFF Season 20 - 2025
Screenings were at 2:00 and 7:15 p.m. 12 Screening Dates, 22 Films. Approximately 5000 paid attendan
Dates
January 20: Lee, 2:00 p.m.
January 20: Goodrich, 7:15 p.m.
February 24: I'm Still Here, 2:00 p.m.
February 24: Emilia Pérez, 7:15 p.m.
March 17: Small Things Like These, 2:00 p.m.
March 17: No Other Land, 7:15 p.m.
April 7; Bob Trevino Likes It, 2:00 p.m.
April 7: There's Still Tomorrow, 7:15 p.m.
April 28, The Penguin Letters, 2:00 p.m.
April 28: Shepherds, 7:15 p.m.
May 12: Maria Montessori: Une Nouvelle Femme, 2:00 p.m.
May 12: Bad Shabbos, 7:15 p.m.
May 26: So Surreal: Behind the Masks, 2:00 p.m.
May 26: Santosh, 7:15 p.m.
June 9:Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, 2:00 p.m.
June 9: White Bird, 7:15 p.m.
September 22: The Life of Chuck, 2:00 p.m., 7:15 p.m.
October 6: The Marching Band, 2:00 p.m.
October 6: Exhibiting Forgiveness, 7:15 p.m.
November 3: Eleanor the Great, 2:00 p.m.
December 8: Blue Moon, 2:00 p.m.
December 8: The Baltimorons, 7:15 p.m.
Guests on our email list will also be informed via email. To contact us email ancasterfilmfest@cogeco.ca.
AFF Library of Some of Our Past Films
About 170 titles are available at Rastin's Pharmacy. Check out our Archive.