The Recording of Willie Thrasher 

Vancouver filmmaker Adam O. Thomas produced this short film for SFU about Inuk singer-songwriter and residential-school survivor Willie Thrasher after the reissue last year of his 1981 album, Spirit Child. The man himself is joined on-camera by singing partner Linda Saddleback and musicologist Kevin Howes—whose astonishing 2014 compilation Native North America Vol. 1 gave Thrasher’s music a major second wind. Catch the premiere, complete with live performance, at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts on Friday (November 18). 

The Projector: What to see and where to see it 

Landfill Harmonic  Described by Ken Eisner as “marvellous” when it screened at VIFF in 2015, this documentary about a garbage picker in Paraguay who manages to fashion an orchestra out of trash begins an extended run at the Vancity Theatre on Friday (November 18).

Koneline: Our Land Beautiful  The struggle between mining interests and the indigenous population in B.C.’s Far North is the subject of Vancouver documentarian Nettie Wild’s latest and highly praised offering, getting an encore screening at the Rio Theatre on Sunday (November 20).

Vancouver—A Progressive City  The construction of the Lions Gate Bridge is among the sights in this collection of films from the City of Vancouver archives, double-billed with another program called Exponential Change at the Vancity Theatre on Sunday (November 20).

DGC Master Class Series  

Michael Lehmann’s roller-coaster career began on a major high in 1988 with Heathers. That kind of success proved hard to follow, but Lehmann has been busy directing most of your favourite TV shows—like True Blood and Californication—ever since. The man should have a story or two as the fourth and final guest at the DGC Master Class series at the Vancity Theatre on Saturday (November 19).