Calgary Cinematheque invites you to join us as we launch our 2016-17 Season and our 10th Anniversary season-long celebration!

Pre-reception is open to INVITED GUESTS ONLY. We apologize for the restriction, however, the space is limited.

At 7:00PM, as the last attendees take their seats, the main event will begin! Calgary Cinematheque is pleased to present River of Grass (1994), written and directed by Kelly Reichardt, as part of the 2016-17 FOCUS Series: AMERICAN INDEPENDENT CINEMA OF THE NINETIES.

The 1990’s was a high point for American independent film and many of the directors who entered with a bang, like Kelly Reichardt and Todd Haynes, continue today to create works that stand out at Sundance and Tribeca. This series spotlights the breakout films that pushed against mainstream norms and first brought attention to these unique voices.

With a tagline of "A girl, a gun, and nowhere to go", this smart, beautifully shot, debut film from Reichardt captures her first foray into "what would be become her specialty: the transformation of cheerless wastelands into backdrops for journeys of the parched soul" (Ella Taylor, NPR). It was nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 1994 and three Independent Spirits awards later in 1996 including "Best First Feature" and the "Someone to Watch" award.

Steven Holden of the NY Times wrote: "River of Grass, a no-budget film about a deadbeat couple who are too enervated to go on a Bonnie and Clyde-like crime spree, is a pointed antidote to the hyperbolic romance of violence evoked by such movies as Natural Born Killers and True Romance."