Set out on an Odyssey
Major auteurs helm this week’s feature filmsLast week on the TOPS screen, we trotted the globe with Elia’s Sueiman’s It Must Be Heaven at Christie Pits on Sunday, a first-time discovery for almost the entire audience!
Unfortunately, our Corktown Common screening of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was cancelled last week due to dangerous air quality warnings. It has been rescheduled to Saturday, August 22 at Christie Pits Park. We are optimistic that we will finally be treated to very nice weather this coming Thursday, and hope to see you there!
The summer of the Odyssey has arrived, and our “Going Places” programme showcases two poetic epics this week. On Thursday at Corktown Common, don’t miss Jafar Panahi’s tragicomic masterpiece It Was Just An Accident.
On Sunday at Christie Pits, Joel & Ethan Coen’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? adapts Homer’s tome Odyssey as a Depression-era musical-comedy set in the American deep south.SEE THE FULL SUMMER SCHEDULEThis Week at Corktown Common
It Was Just An Accident
Thursday, July 23
With short film perfectly a strangeness (Dir. Alison McAlpine)
Internationally beloved filmmaker Jafar Panahi won the 2025 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or and received a Best International Film nomination at the Oscars for his most recent film, It Was Just An Accident. In it, a band of former political prisoners take a man hostage, traveling back and forth to the desert in pursuit of a dark and painful truth.
Like all of his films since his 2010 ban by the Iranian government on filmmaking, It Was Just an Accidentwas filmed in secret without permits. Masterful in Panahi’s use of tone – would you believe that this film is often oddly quite funny? – it will stick with you long after you leave the park.In our tradition of pairing Canadian short films with features at every TOPS screening, Alison McAlpine’s 2025 Canadian Oscar-nominated short film perfectly a strangeness follows a band of donkeys travelling the Chilean desert, and their discovery of an abandoned observatory. CLICK FOR EVENT DETAILSThis Week at Christie Pits
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Sunday, July 26
With short films Paradise Falls, New Mexico (Dir. Christina Battle) and Wild Life (Dir. Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Is the Coen brothers’ 2000 adaptation of The Odyssey starring George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson as chain gang fugitives trekking across the deep south in pursuit of gold and glory.
Experimental short film Paradise Falls, New Mexicore-works the mythology of the Hollywood Western with mesmerizing visual effects. Wild Life rounds out the night’s programme, an Oscar-nominated animated short film about a dapper young Englishman with a head full of cowboy dreams, now faced with the reality of life in Alberta.This screening is presented with optional live and unscripted Audio Description (AD) by Kat Germain to Blind or partially sighted patrons, and anyone else who may benefit from the service. Staff members will guide listeners to a designated seating area near the describer or describers. As the film plays on TOPS’ movie screen and sound system, the AD team will describe the film’s visual content verbally to earpieces. This accessibility feature is optional, available to those who want it.
If possible, please register for AD at least 3 days in advance to ensure we can meet your needs, at accessibility@topictureshow.com.
The event will also feature a pre-show meetup for community members, hosted by The Disability Collective. Please visit topictureshow.com/audio for all Audio Description details and list of screenings offering this service.CLICK FOR EVENT DETAILSBuilding a film-loving community, together
With our community’s support, TOPS showcases films by local and Canadian filmmakers to full parks and enthusiastic audiences. From box office hit Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie seeing its largest ever attendance at our opening night screening, to experimental and independent short films like Sub Terra, The Burden, and The Visit which were showcased alongside Arrival on the big screen this month, TOPS is a rare exhibition opportunity for homegrown filmmakers.
Over sixteen years, our screenings have showcased the short and feature films of over 200 Canadian filmmakers. Your contribution helps local filmmakers share their artwork, build their connections, and inspire viewers.
Please consider donating to support our mandate. TOpictureshow.com/donateBECOME A SUPPORTER TODAYComing Up at Corktown Common and Christie Pits
Speed
Thursday, July 30th
At Corktown Common
With short film Le Tour de Canada
Titanic
Sunday, August 2nd
At Christie Pits
With short film MobilizeToronto Outdoor Picture Show is a charitable organization dedicated to bringing high quality, diverse, and engaging outdoor film programming to neighbourhoods across the city. Donations from the public make this possible. (Charitable # 815672589RR0001). TOPS is grateful to Lead Sponsor Meridian for support of our 2026 festival.
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