The Movie Man

This is a documentary about Keith Stata, a man who built his own multiplex theatre in the bush of Northern Ontario, one theatre at a time. He currently has five screens and something like forty plus cats he houses and looks after. Keith Stata is a man who loves movies, so it wasn't hard for me to relate to him, understand his passion and feel a deep sense of melancholy as he has time-travelled from 1975 to now. The documentary focuses on Keith's movie palace, The Highlands Cinema, located in Kinmount, Ontario. There is not a lot left in Kinmount - even the gas station has dried up. When movie theatres have been closing their doors for the last few decades, Highlands has kept going. Then the pandemic hit. "The Movie Man" largely focuses on its two year closer and its triumphant resurgence. Keith Stata is a workaholic and he is The Highlands Cinema. At 75 years of age, time is catching up to Keith. Maintaining a five theatre multiplex, 45 cats, a dog, a museum, staff, etc. - it's almost incomprehensible how he manages it all. And at 75! I plan on making a pilgrimage next month to see The Highlands Cinema in person. Catch this fascinating documentary in theatres now.