Start the car and pack up the kids – and don’t forget the popcorn – a drive-in movie is coming to Broadmead Village Saturday night.
Alicia Silverston, Benicio del Toro, along with Victoria’s famed Blue Bridge, will all appear larger than life as the film Excess Baggage is set to play in Broadmead Village’s upper parking lot at 9 p.m. Saturday.
The free showing at Broadmead represents the closing film in the Victoria Film Festival’s Free B Festival. It’s the third straight year Broadmead has been included in the festival, each time showing a movie shot close to home. Excess Baggage was selected for its numerous recognizable Victoria scenes.
“It’s an opportunity to see the Blue Bridge as it once was. We chose this movie because it shows Victoria and especially the Blue Bridge really well,” says Heather Leary, event manager for Broadmead Village. “Its’s a light, fun movies which is perfect for a summer outdoor setting.”
Released in 1997, Excess Baggage follows the adventures of a rich brat (Silverstone) who fakes her own kidnapping to attract the attention of her emotionally absent father. The plot thickens when the kidnapping becomes real thanks to a car thief (del Toro).
Run by the Victoria Film Festival, the Free-B Film Festival is Victoria’s longest-running outdoor screening series. Since 2000 Free-B has been screening family-friendly films on Friday and Saturday nights throughout August. Locations include Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill Park, the Legislature Lawn and Broadmead Village.
“Free B has reached a new level with incorporating a drive-in format to the closing feature,” said festival programmer Donovan Aikman. “We are hoping this is the beginning of an annual tradition.”
Excess Baggage will be preceded by a short, Chérie, ôte des Raquettes, and a Max Fleischer Superman cartoon, The Arctic Giant.
The films will be shown in the Broadmead Village upper parking lot, between Starbucks and Canadian Tire. Ticket holders are advised to arrive between 8 and 8:30 p.m. After 8:30, any reserved drive-in spot not claimed will be offered on a first-come first-served basis to the public. The screening, beginning with the short films, will start at 9 p.m. There will be space in front of the screen for those without cars to set up chairs and enjoy the show.
Free tickets will be available in the breezeway of Broadmead Village from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursday or from the Victoria Film Festival office (1215 Blanshard St.) until tickets run out. There may still be space available Saturday night for those without tickets, but patrons are advised to bring a lawn chair or other seating arrangement if they haven’t yet received tickets.
Information about the Free-B Festival and other Victoria Film Festival events is posted at www.freebfilmfest.com.