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Marquee lineup for Reel Mondays

Long-running fundraiser for the St. Albert Public Library

Everybody’s favourite film series is coming back for the fall and its new lineup once again looks to offer some great cinematic treats.

“We do have, I think, a very good lineup,” said Valerie Spink, the president of the Friends of the St. Albert Public Library, referring to the upcoming season of Reel Mondays.

On the marquee are All is True, The Best of Enemies, and Late Night to run on Sept. 30, Oct. 21 and Nov. 4 respectively.

All is True (see the June 8th Gazette for a review) sees Kenneth Branagh playing William Shakespeare during the Bard’s last months, while The Best of Enemies finds Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell depicting the real life rivalry between a civil rights activist and the leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

The Best of Enemies is going to be a little different. From the trailers and a couple of the reviews, I think it's just going to be different to what we've had before, but certainly a movie that will show that times have not really changed that much in the United States these days with the various issues on race. This deals with a different component of race, but still race nonetheless,” Spink said.

Rounding out the schedule is Late Night, a movie about a late night talk show host (Emma Thompson) who adds a female comedy writer (Mindy Kaling) to her staff for the first time.

Spink said that Reel Mondays only plays the best films although some are more obscure and independent than others.

“Always after the movie, people will say to me, ‘Great movie, Valerie. Good choice… didn't know it was out there.’ I'm hopeful. I hear people say that we've never had a bad movie. We’ve had the odd blockbuster that's been in the theatres but that's not what we're looking for. It's the St. Albert film festival that that we're going for.”

Reel Mondays is the long-running fundraiser that serves to benefit the St. Albert Public Library by helping to fund the St. Albert Readers’ Festival, better known as STARFest. The fall festival of authors is set to announce its full slate of featured guests next week.

Since 1988, the Friends have raised more than $200,000 for the city's pre-eminent community institution. These funds are much needed for the library to continue to offer its multitudinous programming and diverse services, not to mention expand its catalogue of books, magazines, movies and CDs. As times dictate a decrease in other supports for valuable institutions like libraries, the Friends are always there to back them up.

“Libraries to me are more than just going in to get a book and leave; they’re community hubs,” Spink said.

Tickets for the Fall 2019 season are now available at the library’s customer service desk and by visiting friendsofsapl.eventbrite.com. Each ticket is $15 or $40 for the season pass.


Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

About the Author: Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Ecology and Environment Reporter at the Fitzhugh Newspaper since July 2022 under Local Journalism Initiative funding provided by News Media Canada.
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