Reel Event

7:00pm

Nick Davis’ high-spirited documentary reveals how a humble Toronto run of the hippie musical Godspell became an historic incubator for modern comedy. Based solely on the bright futures of so many of the talents who formed the cast during the 14-month run — Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Jayne Eastwood plus musical director Paul Shaffer — Godspell’s impact and influence cannot be overstated. The improvisational element of the musical itself helped foster a unique sensibility that comedy fans would soon recognize in Saturday Night Live, SCTV, and countless other TV shows and movies. With its deft mix of engaging interviews and animated recreations, You Had to Be There brings this special time back into the present with an irrepressible sense of joy.

7:00pm

Steven Soderbergh’s witty chamber comedy The Christophers explores art, commerce, and simmering resentments. Lori, a struggling art restorer (Michaela Coel), is recruited by the estranged heirs of famed painter Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) to recover and secretly complete his unfinished works for profit after his death. Posing as Sklar’s assistant, Lori becomes entangled in a scheme marked by deception and shifting loyalties. McKellen delivers a sharp, acerbic performance as the fading artist, while Coel’s cool, conflicted forger anchors the film. Together, they drive a clever, character-focused story about ambition, authenticity, and the murky ethics of artistic legacy.

7:00pm

Having acutely sensitive hearing is both a blessing and a curse for Niki White (Leo Woodall) in Daniel Roher’s first narrative feature, Tuner. Though his auditory condition ended a promising musical career, it’s been a boon for his job as a piano tuner. Together with his genial mentor Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman), he spends his days travelling back and forth across New York, tending to instruments that require his special skills. These duties also compel the typically taciturn Niki to come out of his protective shell and interact with such people as Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), a music composition student with whom he feels a spark. But when shady individuals discover that Niki’s talents could be just as useful on locked safes as they are on old Steinways, events take a dangerous turn, one that adds the thrills of watching a heist flick to a film that’s already remarkably fleet-footed as a drama and a romance.