Next Wave Spotlight
It’s 2003 in drab Burlington, Ontario and 17-year-old Lawrence has just nailed his dream job working as the newest sales agent at local video store Sequels. Although he’s just a short train ride away from the cinematic mecca of Toronto, he has his sights set on NYU’s prestigious film school. Sure, he has not been technically accepted just yet, but his eagerness to extol the virtues of Kubrick and denounce the recent Shrek re-release masks a vulnerability and eagerness for connection that store manager Alana recognizes from a mile away. With his condescending and self-absorbed arrogance already having alienated his ever patient friend Matt as well as his exasperated single mother, Lawrence embodies some of the worst aspects of toxic male cinephilia. Yet despite his shortcomings, Lawrence and Alana forge a tentative friendship that will change their lives for the better beyond the humdrum aisles of VHS tapes and DVDs. I Like Movies lovingly conjures the bygone era of the mid-tier video store chain down to its inventory sourced from Canada’s last remaining Blockbuster, offering a unique take on the coming-of-age story.
Bay Area Premiere
Chandler Levack grew up in Burlington, Ontario, and lives in Toronto where she studied cinema at the University of Toronto and screenwriting at the Canadian Film Centre. She has directed numerous music videos, earning two JUNO nominations, and is a veteran journalist and critic who has earned several National Magazine Awards for publications that include The Globe & Mail, The Village Voice and Maisonneuve. Her short film We Forgot to Break Up (2017) premiered at TIFF and SXSW. I Like Movies is her feature debut.
Sponsored by The Maxine & Jack Zarrow Family Foundation