VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Attention movie buffs: Mark your calendar!

This September 23rd marks the launch of the first ever retro cinema festival to hit the city.

Vancouver Retro Cinema Fest is an eight-day film festival that will feature 15 cult classics from The Godfather, Back to the Future and The Labyrinth, to Ghostbusters and the legendary Big Lebowski. It is also the last hurrah for Vancouver’s venerable Denman Cinema.

“I can’t think of a better way to take it ‘out with bang’ than with something like this,” says film aficionado and festival organizer Ronald Tucker.

The former movie usher feels he has a great responsibility to make sure he does the films justice and pay homage to the West End neighbourhood theatre, which is closing after more than 50 years. What better way to do it than celebrating some pop culture classics by bringing them to life with costume nights, line-spewing fans, and trivia contests?

“We’re putting on our favourite movies, perhaps from your childhood or the epic films that stand out and have influenced us the most, but we do it in a way that’s a lot of fun. What’s better than watching your favourite movie and quoting it line-for-line in a party-like atmosphere?” asks Tucker.

Sunday is an Opening Night you can’t Refuse with Godfather I and II, followed by other theme nights from I Heart the 80s to Lebowski Bash to the grand finale on September 30th: all three Back to the Future movies back-to-back before The Denman closes its doors.

“People really get into it, there’s so much creativity. With Lebowski Bash, we’ve had people dressed up as bowling pins, a giant pair of scissors… We had one guy show up as a bag of dirty laundry and his partner as a chopped off toe. We’ve had others dressed like Kahlua and milk,” laughs Tucker.

If you are feeling a little old with movies from the 80s and 90s considered retro, Tucker says you’re not alone. “That being said, I think when we’re there, it makes us all feel like kids again.”

“That’s the whole point, that’s what Vancouver Retro Cinema is. We even do intermissions with the old cartoon trailers like ‘Let’s All Go to the Lobby.’ It celebrates the golden age of cinema and drive-ins and some of the best movies we saw with our parents and friends.”

With the closure of the Denman, Tucker and his crew are working on a new venue for next year.

“Vancouver Retro Cinema is going to be around for a long time, we’re making it an annual event, we’re looking at monthly shows. People come out and they have a great time so we’ll make sure that this thing lives on,” he adds.

Tickets to the event are $20 to $25 and available in advance or at the door; they’re good for an entire evening of film. You can also buy the Movie Buff’s Pass for access to all shows.

Festival Lineup:
(show times vary from 6:00pm to 8:00pm)
Sunday, September 23 – An Opening You Can’t Refuse – Godfather I, II
Monday, September 24 – Tarantino Night – Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds
Tuesday, September 25 – I Heart 80’s – Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal
Wednesday, September 26 – Spooktacular – Ghostbusters I, II
Thursday, September 27 – Trekkie Khaaan-athon – Star Trek II, VIII
Friday, September 28 – Fabulous Friday – Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Saturday, September 29 – Lebowski Bash Vancouver – The Big Lebowski
Sunday, September 30 – Back to the Awesome Night – Back to the Future I, II, III