Cinema for a Cure: Two great films for a Saturday night and a worthwhile cause

If you haven’t firmed up any plans for your Saturday evening, think about spending an entertaining and informing couple of hours watching two fine films and contributing to a very worthwhile cause at the same time.

The Canucks are out of the playoffs, and who cares about those other teams anyhow?

Tonight at Denman Cinema in Vancouver’s West End, Cinema for a Cure presents two films, one a sneak preview of a upcoming feature film and the other an award-winning inspirational documentary.

Both films kick off Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month in Vancouver, part of a nationwide effort to raise money for much-needed and sorely underfunded research into a cure for cystic fibrosis, the most common fatal inherited disease in Canada affecting children and young adults. CF affects a multitude of bodily organs, but primarily the lungs and the digestive system.

The awareness month is a prelude to May 27th’s Great Strides fundraising walk, the national annual event for Cystic Fibrosis Canada (locally, it takes place at New Westminster’s Queen’s Park; call toll-free 1-800-378-2233 to register; text “breathe” to 45678 to make a $5 donation; or sponsor a local team of walkers).

The first of tonight’s films, The Power of Two (6:30 p.m.) is a documentary about the bond between twin sisters with cystic fibrosis who battle the disease and must, ultimately, prepare for double-lung transplants. The film’s director, Academy Award-nominated Marc Smolowitz, will be in attendance and will participate in a Q&A afterwards.

The second half (and sneak preview) of the double bill, Foreverland (9 p.m.), features local actor Max Thieriot and Academy Award nominees Juliette Lewis and Demian Bichir in a story of a young man with CF who loses a friend to the disease and embarks on a road trip to honour his last wish. Writer-director Max McGuire will also be in attendance and will host a Q&A. Admission is $15 for one film, $25 for both.