Summer of Superheroes: Outdoor film festival to highlight all the favourites

Look, up on the screen! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … a lot of great movies throughout HRM!

For the last few summers here in Halifax, there’s always a bit of anticipation among the cinephiles in the city as to what actor or director is going to be the headline feature for the Atlantic Film Festival’s Outdoor Film Experience. Everyone from Bill Murray to Sandra Bullock to Steven Spielberg has had their body of work featured on the waterfront screen.

This year, though, the AFF has opted — instead of focusing on one person’s work — to feature an entire pantheon of characters and genres by making this summer the Summer of Superheroes, all to make sure the movie magic is shared between all of HRM, and not just those on the peninsula.

“It’s easy to do a person [for the Outdoor Film Experience theme] for five or six screenings, if we’re just looking at focusing on the waterfront,” says Jason Beaudry, program director for the Atlantic Film Festival. “But with community screenings at different activities in different areas, whether it be Bedford, or Dartmouth … it’s hard to expand that out and keep a real level of quality going, and a real theme going, if we want to include those other stops.”

Beaudry says that when the outdoor screenings revolved around the work of an individual, the waterfront would tend to get their career highlights, with venues in Dartmouth and Bedford, while still getting great films, left to screen flicks a little more removed from the main theme.

“We wanted to try to do something this year, where we could include everybody in the theme, whether it’s in Bedford, or Dartmouth, or right down on the waterfront,” says Beaudry. “A theme that goes beyond just an individual star or director kind of allows us to do that.”

The superhero is a great choice for a more inclusive theme, not just due to its current popularity in the world of film, but also because it has proven to be a versatile genre at that.

“There’s lots of good movies that are superhero movies that just happen to be good movies,” says Darryl Wall, the owner of Giant Robot Comics in Dartmouth. “You look at Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and it’s a spy thriller that just happens to have superheroes in it. The Dark Knight is a great mob movie, that also just happens to have Batman in it. You have some really good movies that are also superhero movies, that kind of break the genre.”

That means that, if you’re a big Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, or loved X-Men: Days of Future Past, and want to see those on the big screen, you’ll want to make a trip out to Bedford and Dartmouth respectively. Or, if you’re already there, you get to enjoy the same top-quality superhero flicks without needing to trek into the city proper.

“You’re going to see, I think, a lot of people maybe trying to get out to all 11, and that’s a really cool thing for us,” says Beaudry.

“I think whoever was in charge of choosing what movies go where, it’s a really balanced, well-chosen list of movies,” says Jay Roy, owner of Cape & Cowl Comics in Sackville. “[I’m] impressed — I saw three good ones in Bedford. There’s a few really good ones out here.”

Wall and Roy also think that business at their stores will be boosted by this year’s theme, as will the community of comic book aficionados that they cater to.

“There’s always the hope of that cross-promotion,” says Wall, who recently doubled the size of his store. “I know when Avengers came out, we saw a huge spike in the sale of toys and comics and graphic novels featuring the Avengers and Ultron.”

Ever community-minded, though, neither Wall or Roy see this potential cross-promotion as a one-way street. They’re more than willing to put the call out to their customers and raise awareness of the AFF’s screenings, if the AFF lights up the Bat-Signal and they’re called upon to do so.

“I’d be totally down for that,” says Wall. “We could promote posters, and do prize support, that sort of stuff.”

“We need to draw people out,” says Roy. “I’d certainly be down for doing something in partnership — we could have a barbecue or something like that. As a former director, I know how to get bums in seats.”

According to Beaudry, while nothing is yet set in stone, that is a call they might just make.

“I know we’ve been talking to a lot of different people about different ways of getting involved,” says Beaudry. “If there’s opportunities, I think we’re going to look at every one we possibly can.”

The Summer of Superheroes swings into action this Saturday, starting with The Lego Movie at Dewolf Park in Bedford. For a complete list of the films on offer this year and where to find them, visit atlanticfilm.com/festivals/outdoor-film-experience/summer-superheroes.

“It’s really a magical experience,” says Beaudry, who expects anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 people to attend the larger screenings. “Bring a blanket, and get ready for a good time.”