As summer winds down, the Cochrane Public Library is offering a number of activities.
On Saturday, Aug. 31, from 10 am to 4 pm the library will host the Wild West Carnival, which promises to be an action-packed day featuring a variety of fun games and activities.
The Carnival will feature something for everyone : a "Wanted" photo booth, face painting and fun games like Tin Can Alley.
As the new school year approaches, it's the perfect time to find a moment of calm and focus. The library’s meditation kits are here to help. Each kit includes a soothing meditation book, a calming sound bowl, and a comfortable meditation cushion—ideal for both kids and adults to relax and prepare for the busy season ahead.
Create a peaceful routine at home and help your family transition smoothly into the school year. Visit us today to check out our meditation kit and other wellness items.
To celebrate Pride Week in Cochrane, the Cochrane Public Library is showing a selection of films from the National Film Board of Canada.
Featuring a wide range of stories about identity, family, community and everyday life, this selection of films explores the multitude of 2SLGBTQI+ realities and experiences in Canada and abroad.
The series runs from Aug. 19 to 24 inclusive. All the films are free.
The films running during the Pride series include the following.
Someone Like Me runs Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 10:30 am to noon in the Spray Lakes Boardroom.
In this feature documentary by Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams’, Drake, a young gay man from Uganda, leaves behind everything he knows to attain the universal freedoms everyone deserves: to be who he is and love whomever he chooses without fear of discrimination, persecution, or violence.
A group of queer strangers unite to resettle Drake in Vancouver, but they are tasked with a year-long commitment to someone they’ve never met, and struggle with the challenging conditions of this support. Together, Drake and his sponsors embark on an emotional journey in search of personal freedom, revealing how in a world where one must constantly fight for the right to exist, survival itself becomes a victory.
Someone Like Me was the winner of: a Rogers Audience Award for Canadian Feature Documentary at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Toronto, Canada (2021); the Grand Prize Alternative Spirit Award - Documentary at Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival, U.S.A. (2021), and, Award for Best Documentary Feature at Las Cruces International Film Festival, New Mexico (2022).
Standing on the Line (2018) Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, 6 pm. Library’s synopsis:
“In both amateur and professional sports, being gay remains taboo. Few dare to come out of the closet for fear of being stigmatized, and for many, the pressure to perform is compounded by a further strain: whether or not to affirm their sexual orientation. Breaking the code of silence that prevails on the field, on the ice and in the locker room, this film takes a fresh and often moving look at some of our gay and lesbian athletes, who share their experiences with the camera. They’ve set out to overcome prejudice in the hopes of changing things for the athletes of tomorrow.
Trigger Warning: This film contains the following subject matter: Suicide and self harm.”
Love, Scott, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2:30 pm. Library’s synopsis:
“While walking on the street one night in a small town in Canada, Scott Jones, a gay musician, is attacked and paralyzed from the waist down; what follows is a brave and fragile journey of healing and the transformation of a young man’s life. From the first raw moments in the hospital to a disquieting trip back to the place he was attacked, Scott is constantly faced with the choice of losing himself in waves of grief or embracing love over fear. Filmed over three years by Scott’s close friend, Love, Scott is an intimate and visually evocative window into queer experience, set against a stunning score by Sigur Rós.”
Last Chance, Friday, Aug. 23, 3 pm. Library’s synopsis:
“This feature documentary tells the stories of 5 asylum seekers who flee their native countries to escape homophobic violence. They face hurdles integrating into Canada, fear deportation and anxiously await a decision that will change their lives forever.
This work deals with mature subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised.”
Into Light and Second Stories, Saturday, Aug. 24, 4:30 pm. Library synopsis:
“This selection of films about Pride from the National Film Board of Canada explores the multitude of 2SLGBTQI+ realities and experiences in Canada and abroad.”
For more information on the film series and other upcoming activities at the library go to cochranepubliclibrary.ca.
