Sarah Polley spends a summer on-screen in Halifax Public Gardens

Ahead of its July 8 launch, the Canadian film and TV icon recalls her memories about the four movies featured in the Summer of Sarah Polley outdoor screening series

CITYnews halifax \ Steve Gow

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For the first time since 2019, FIN Atlantic International Film Festival will be offering free screenings at the Halifax Public Gardens as part of its FIN Outdoor series.

Occurring every Friday throughout July, FIN Outdoor will present the Summer of Sarah Polley — a showcase of the Canadian actor, author and filmmaker’s finest works.

“We’ve been screening Sarah PoIley’s work at the festival for years,” says Martha Cooley, executive director of FIN in a statement. “And with the recent publication of her book of personal essays, Run Towards the Danger, and the upcoming release of her first feature film in a decade, Women Talking, we couldn’t have picked a better year to celebrate Sarah Polley.”

An acclaimed actor who rose to fame as a child, Polley has gone on to star in a range of projects that include such art house movies as Isabel Coixet’s award-winning drama My Life Without Me and Hal Hartley’s No Such Thing to 2004’s Dawn of the Dead —  a blockbuster remake of George A. Romero’s 1978 zombie classic.

However, since those accomplished works, Polley has become one of Canada’s most accomplished directors as well. With such admired films as Take This Waltz (2011), Stories We Tell (2012) and her acclaimed 2006 feature directorial debut, Away From Her, Polley’s career is certainly worthy of a summer retrospective at Halifax Public Gardens.

“I learned about it on Twitter and couldn’t believe it,” replies Polley in an email about being selected to be the subject of FIN Outdoor’s Summer of… series.  “I was stunned and very honoured. I also love Halifax so much and the idea of these being outdoor screenings is just amazing.”

Although Polley admits she did not have any involvement in selecting the quartet of films that will screen each Friday in July, she is pleased with the choices.

Beginning July 8, the Summer of Sarah Polley will kick off with the 2003 drama My Life Without Me — in which Polley stars as woman who attempts to secretly live out her last wishes after learning she has terminal cancer.

“This was one of the best experiences I had as an actor,” recalls Polley about making My Life Without Me. “It was also pivotal for me to work with Isabel Coixet and to see a female filmmaker working at the top of her game. She gave me such faith in myself and such freedom and I was able to relax into that character in a way that was unusual for me as an actor.”

Away From Her will screen on July 15. The stirring adaptation of an Alice Munro story, Polley’s film debut explores the devastating effects of memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease on a longtime married couple.

“I’ve never been so terrified in my life as when I was making that film,” admits Polley about the two-time Academy Award nominated movie. “I was astonished when it was seen by a lot of people. I really only ever imagined a one week run at the (independently-run) Carlton cinema in Toronto.”

On July 22, the Summer of Sarah Polley series will showcase Take This Waltz — Polley’s sophomore feature. Starring Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen, the film focuses on a restless writer and her temptation to consummate an extramarital affair.

“I had so much fun making this film,” insists Polley. “I loved playing with colour and design and trying to capture the intensity of unrealized obsession. Making it was almost stress-free if such a thing is possible when making a film!”

The Summer of Sarah Polley will wrap-up on July 29 with what is most likely the Canadian icon’s most personal film.

Stories We Tell is an intimate and audacious documentary in which Polley interviews family members and begins to unveil a stunning truth about her own history.

“I can be a controlling person and filmmaker, and this one required major discovery and letting go of preconceived notions,” recalls Polley. “It took around five years from beginning to end, and I never thought anyone would see it. It was a hard process and claustrophobic to make at times. The fact that it had a life was a shock and a thrill.”

The Summer of Sarah Polley film series will start at dusk with gates opening approximately one hour prior. The event is free and the public is encouraged to bring chairs or blankets, as well as check for weather updates and cancellations at the FIN Outdoor website.

As for Polley, she has just completed making her latest film, Women Talking — a feature-length adaptation of Miriam Toews’ acclaimed novel about a group of women in an isolated religious colony coming to terms with a series of sexual assaults committed by the men in their community.

Starring a talented cast that includes four-time Oscar-winner Frances McDormand and nominees Jessie Buckley and Rooney Mara, Women Talking is one of the 2022’s most anticipated movies.

“I had the time of my life making it and can’t wait to show it in the fall,” says Polley. “I never look forward to the release of films I’ve made — it’s the making of them that I love, but this one is exciting to me because I hope it contributes to a larger conversation.”

For more information on FIN Outdoor’s Summer of Sarah Polley, visit the website.