Libraries are synonymous with books and reading, but the Halifax Public Libraries will be highlighting movies this month to coincide with the Atlantic Film Festival.
It's called Cinemania, and it's the first time the libraries have worked with the film festival to bring so many related programs and events at one time.
"Cinemania is taking place at all of our library branches throughout HRM for all ages," said Heather MacKenzie, branch manager of the Keshen Goodman Library and head organizer for Cinemania.
"We were approached by the Atlantic Film Festival folks who really wanted to work with us on something like this," she said. "We met with some of the staff about a year or so ago about some different programming opportunities to work with them to promote film."
The libraries will be offering a wide array of programming for film fans, all of it for free.
There will be discussions with local filmmakers, workshops on animation and demonstrations on how blue-screen technology works.
"The film festival provided us with a menu of sorts of things they can offer and we matched those to branches to fill up our final lineup," MacKenzie said.
Every library branch in HRM will be participating in Cinemania.
Not every event is planned in tandem with the festival itself; there will be other programs going on at the libraries that are outside of the AFF's purview as well, while still being focused on film. Cinemania starts the same day as the festival, Sept. 13, but continues after the directors and dignitaries have left.
"Cinemania is for everybody, whether you like watching film or would like to try making movies, talking with writers, directors, screenwriters," MacKenzie said. "We have programs for adults, teens and young children."
In some ways, the libraries will also become film festival venues as well.
"There's going to be different film screenings that will have either a director or one of the filmmakers present to discuss the making of the film, there's lots of variety in what we'll be screening as well."
There will also be some added incentive for people to participate, there's a chance to win prizes such as movie passes, and there may be fresh popcorn popping as well.
"This is the first time that we've done such a concentrated series of events in a short timeframe," MacKenzie said. "We do some film programming throughout the year, some of our branches actually have feature film licenses, but this is the first time we've put a real push on it."
The full schedule of film-related events at the libraries is available in the September - October Library guide and online at www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca.
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