Acton Memorial Library is sponsoring a new activity for movie lovers. Acton Movie Nights are free evening movie discussions, initially on Zoom but later in person (we hope!) at the Library.

The selected movies will be adventurous, engaging, challenging, unconventional—and fun to talk about. This series is coordinated and discussions will be led by Randall Warniers. Randall is an editor and book designer who left a career in the sciences to pursue longstanding deep interests in literature, cinema, and the arts. He has studied cinema at both UCLA and UC Berkeley, and he is particularly fond of silent cinema, film noir, John Ford movies, and anything French.

The theme for our December-January series of five movies is Family around the World.

PLEASE REGISTER FOR THIS PROGRAM BELOW. 

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR EACH DISCUSSION YOU WISH TO ATTEND (find the dates on our calendar)

Please watch—on your own time schedule—the selected movies on Kanopy, a free video streaming service available to Library card holders of subscribing libraries. We will then gather on Zoom on scheduled evenings for a lively movie discussion.

Join us for as many of the discussions as you would like!

New to Kanopy? Here's information on how to create an account on Kanopy. 

Questions? Reach out to us at actadultservices@minlib.net

Films in the Families Around the World series (Each title is linked to the film in Kanopy, for your convenience)

The Florida Project (2017). Set on a stretch of highway in a budget motel managed by Bobby (Willem Dafoe), just outside the imagined utopia of Disney World, the movie follows six-year-old Moonee and her rebellious mother over the course of a single summer. Discussion date on Zoom: Wednesday December 1 at 7 p.m.

The Holly and the Ivy(1954). Christmas Eve in the little town of Wyndenham. Inside the rectory Jenny, the vicar’s daughter, puts up the decorations. But before Christmas is over, her family will face some difficulties before they can claim to have goodwill in their hearts. Discussion date on Zoom: Wednesday December 15 at 7 p.m.

Force Majeure (2014). This mordant psychodrama tells the story of businessman Tomas and his model Swedish family on a skiing holiday in the French Alps. During lunch at a restaurant, a major avalanche occurs, and Tomas makes a decision that will shake his marriage to its core. Discussion date on Zoom: Wednesday December 29 at 7 p.m.

The Tree(2010). A mystical drama of loss and rebirth in the Australian countryside. Dawn (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her four young children struggle to make sense of life after her husband’s death. Official Closing Night Selection at the Cannes Film Festival. Discussion date on Zoom: Wednesday January 12 at 7 p.m.

Last Train Home (2009). Every spring, 130 million migrant workers in China journey to their home villages for the New Year’s holiday. This epic spectacle of mass travel—the world’s largest human migration—reveals a country caught between its rural past and industrial future. Discussion date on Zoom: Wednesday January 26 at 7 p.m

This program is sponsored by The Acton Memorial Library Foundation.