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Some in-branch programs require registration with your library card. Please log in with your library account or follow this link to apply for a card online. You can also apply for a card in person at any of our 33 locations.

  • poster for El Sur

    Tuesday May 14, 2024 at 6:00pm
    150 minutes

    Join us for a free screening of El Sur as part of our Fathers and Daughters theme in May. The film was directed by Victor Erice and was released in 1983. The screening will take place in our auditorium, starts at 6:00PM and is free to attend.

    Note: The film is intended for a mature audience. 95 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles.

  • Wednesday May 15, 2024 at 1:00pm
    75 minutes

    During Canadian Mental Health Week (May 13-19), join us for a screening of The Geographies of DAR, a captivating film that explores the life and literary works of renowned Canadian author David Adams Richards.

    Through stunning visuals, insightful interviews and excerpts from his writings, the film uncovers the profound connection between Richards’ personal experiences and Eastern Canada’s Miramichi, the region that shaped his storytelling.

    Richards opens up about his childhood, his struggles and demons, and his unwavering belief in God, providing candid and perceptive insights into cruelty, love, faith and the human experience. This poignant film is an elegy to the joys, suffering, mercies and beauty of life, celebrating the indomitable spirit and courage of this extraordinary Canadian writer.

    2023,  1 h 13 min, English – brought to you by the NFB

  • Friday May 17, 2024 at 3:00pm
    135 minutes

    Elle–Máijá Tailfeathers’ film witnesses radical and profound change in her community. Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy is an intimate portrait of survival, love and the collective work of healing in the Kainai First Nation in Southern Alberta, a Blackfoot community facing the impacts of substance use and a drug-poisoning epidemic.

    Community members active in addiction and recovery, first responders and medical professionals implement harm reduction to save lives. This work is contextualized within the historical and contemporary impacts of settler colonialism; Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy draws a connecting line between the effects of colonial violence on Blackfoot land and people and the ongoing substance-use crisis.

    Held in love and hope for the future, Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy asks the audience to be a part of this remarkable change with the community.

    2021, 125 min, English and Blackfoot with English subtitles. Provided by the National Film Board.

  • Green lightsaber on black background

    Saturday May 18, 2024 at 1:30pm
    120 minutes

    In this Mathieu Fournier documentary on the first viral phenomenon of the digital age, Ghyslain Raza ("the Star Wars Kid") breaks his silence and reflects on his story for the first time. In doing so, he also explores our collective experience living in an online world in which we have to make peace with our digital shadows.

    2022. 1 h 19 min. In French with English subtitles. Courtesy of the National Film Board.

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    Dans ce documentaire de Mathieu Fournier, Ghyslain Raza, le « Star Wars Kid », sort du silence afin de réfléchir à notre soif de contenu et au droit à l’oubli à l’ère numérique.

    2022. 1 h 19 min. En français avec sous-titres anglais. Gracieuseté de l'Office national du film.

  • poster for Somewhere

    Tuesday May 21, 2024 at 6:00pm
    150 minutes

    Join us for a free screening of Somewhere as part of our Fathers and Daughters theme in May. The film was directed by Sofia Coppola and was released in 2010. The screening will take place in our auditorium, starts at 6:00PM and is free to attend.

    Note: The film is intended for a mature audience. 98 minutes. In English with subtitles.

  • Asian Heritage Month | Mois de patrimoine asiatique

    Thursday May 23, 2024 at 6:00pm
    120 minutes

    Academy Award nominee, tiff feature film, “To Kill a Tiger” (2022), will play at the Alta Vista Library on Thursday, May 23rd at 6:00 p.m. “A man. His daughter. The trial of their lives.” Hindi with English subtitles.

    “Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.”

    No registration required. 

  • Monday May 27, 2024 at 1:30pm
    135 minutes

    In a small Indian village, Ranjit wakes up to find that his 13-year-old daughter has not returned from a family wedding. A few hours later, she’s found stumbling home. After being abducted into the woods, she was sexually assaulted by three men. Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit’s relief is short-lived, as the villagers and their leaders launch a sustained campaign to force the family to drop the charges.

    A cinematic documentary, To Kill a Tiger follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his child. In India, where a rape is reported every 20 minutes and conviction rates are less than 30 percent, Ranjit’s decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of. With tremendous access, we witness the emotional journey of an ordinary man facing extraordinary circumstances. A father whose love for his daughter forces a social reckoning that will reverberate for years to come.

    2022. 127 min. Hindi and Nagpuri with English subtitles Provided by the National Film Board.

  • poster for Aftersun

    Tuesday May 28, 2024 at 6:00pm
    150 minutes

    Join us for a free screening of Aftersun as part of our Fathers and Daughters theme in May. The film was directed by Charlotte Wells and was released in 2022. The screening will take place in our auditorium, starts at 6:00PM and is free to attend.

    Note: The film is intended for a mature audience. 101 minutes. In English with subtitles.

  • Asian Heritage Month | Mois de patrimoine asiatique

    Thursday May 30, 2024 at 6:30pm
    135 minutes

    *Nominated for the Oscar for best documentary at the Academy Awards.

    In a small Indian village, Ranjit wakes up to find that his 13-year-old daughter has not returned from a family wedding. A few hours later, she’s found stumbling home. After being abducted into the woods, she was sexually assaulted by three men. Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit’s relief is short-lived, as the villagers and their leaders launch a sustained campaign to force the family to drop the charges. A cinematic documentary, To Kill a Tiger follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his child. In India, where a rape is reported every 20 minutes and conviction rates are less than 30 percent, Ranjit’s decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of. With tremendous access, we witness the emotional journey of an ordinary man facing extraordinary circumstances. A father whose love for his daughter forces a social reckoning that will reverberate for years to come.

    2022 | 135 minutes | Original Version in Hindi and Nagpurii with English subtitles 

  • poster for Mac and Me

    Wednesday Jun 05, 2024 at 6:30pm
    150 minutes

    Ottawa Bad Movie Nights and Ottawa Public Library present a screening of Mac and Me (1988).

    Please join us from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, at the OPL's Main Branch Auditorium. The event will also feature other bad movie items like trailers and serials.

    The event is free to attend. In English.

    Note: This film is intended for a mature audience. Viewer discretion is advised.