In 2003, eight Rhode Island artists created a secret apartment inside the busy Providence Place Mall and lived there for four years, filming everything along the way. They snuck in furniture, tapped into the mall’s electricity, and even constructed a wall, smuggling in more than two tons of cinderblock.

Far more than just a wild prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for its inhabitants. It was a personal expression of defiance against local gentrification, a boundary-pushing work of public/private art, a clubhouse in which large-scale charitable art projects were planned, and, finally, a 750 square-foot "F you" to The Man.

Featuring never-before-seen footage of the space and revealing the identities of all the participants for the first time, SECRET MALL APARTMENT is more than just a bonkers true story. Director Jeremy Workman, whose LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW 2021, delivers a poignant exploration of a group of artists who discovered their purpose within the most commercial and improbable places.

"'Secret Mall Apartment' makes a compelling case that the project reverberates through the lives of the artists, and maybe even the city, to this day." (New York Times)

"This is a delightful, thought-provoking movie that’s about a lot of things at the same time. It’ll make you see the world with fresh eyes, and probably wonder why there isn’t more art in it." (RogerEbert.com)

"Like any fascinating meditation on the meaning of art and its potential as a political force, Workman’s doc asks more questions than it answers, which is a very good thing." (POV Magazine)

Tuesday, May 6
Doors 5:45 pm | Movie 6:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SECRET MALL APARTMENT (Jeremy Workman, 2025 / 104 mins / NR) In 2003, eight Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment inside a busy mall and lived there for four years, filming everything along the way. Far more than a prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all involved.

BLACK BAG is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country. With Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Regé-Jean Page, Naomie Harrie, Pierce Brosnan.

"The cast of luminaries lend the thinly sketched characters distinctive personalities, but the real star is the technology of spycraft: Soderbergh grimly delights in exposing its eerie powers and potentially devastating uses." (The New Yorker)

"Endlessly entertaining, 'Black Bag' is a masterclass in sleek, sexy, and intelligent filmmaking. With razor-sharp dialogue, visually stunning compositions, and a cast delivering powerhouse performances, Soderbergh crafts a film that demands to be seen." (HeyUGuys)

"Movie-watching at its finest, in that its wealth of espionage intrigue is bound to be as enjoyable on a plane or on that comfy couch as it is in the theater. Just make no mistake: This is the most delightful movie-going experience you can have this year." (Salon.com)

"This is a matter of complementary craft; of two great listeners and communicators bringing rapture to every gesture." (Vulture)

Tuesday, May 6
Doors 8:00 pm | Movie 8:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

BLACK BAG (Steven Soderbergh, 2025 / 90 mins / 14A) When intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband - also a legendary agent - faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country.

Parker Posey's cult-classic 1995 comedy PARTY GIRL has just been given a gore-geous restoration, and it's hitting the Rio Theatre's screen for a 30th Anniversary screening on Wednesday, May 7.

PARTY GIRL tells the story of Mary (Posey), a NYC nightclub scenester and social butterfly who rules the underground party scene. By day, however, she lacks purpose and enough funds to make rent. When her aunt gets her a job at the local library, Mary initially waffles under the constraints of the system, but then unexpectedly flourishes as a librarian (and does a lot of growing up along the way). The film features a laundry list of notable actors, including Liev Schreiber, Guillermo Diaz ("Scandal"), and John Ventimiglia ("The Sopranos"), and is brilliantly shot on location in pre-gentrification Lower Manhattan.

"What makes it delicious fun is Posey, a party girl for the ages." (Rolling Stone Magazine)

"'Party Girl' aspires to be cinematic champagne but comes out tasting more like sparkling cider." (Variety)

"'Party Girl', a rambunctious cartoon of a movie, creates a small but zesty inside portrait of a time-honored New York scene-maker: the haughty young queen of the demimonde, flitting from party to party, from dance club to dance club, gliding through the champagne night on her looks, her clothes, her kitschy downtown élan." (Entertainment Weekly)

Wednesday, May 7
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

PARTY GIRL (Daisy von Scherler Mayer, 1995 / 95 mins / 14A) A 20-something, irresponsible party girl is bailed out of jail by her librarian godmother. To repay the loan, she starts working at the library and gradually turns her life around.

From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of "Parasite," Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, Mickey 17. The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job... to die, for a living.

Adapted from the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, this stars Robert Pattinson as an "expendable" - a disposable crew member on a space mission, selected for dangerous tasks because his body can be reprinted if he dies, with his memories largely intact. With one regeneration, though, things go very wrong.

"It might not be Bong Joon Ho's best film, but strong themes, beautiful visuals and a great performance from Robert Pattinson will keep the viewer engaged throughout." (CinemaDebate)

"It’s nice to see such a singular filmmaker like Bong Joon-ho get carte blanche to do whatever he wants on Warner Bros. Discovery's dime. This is how it should be." (USA Today)

Saturday, May 7
Doors 8:15 PM | Film 8:45 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

MICKEY 17 (Bong Joon Ho | 2025 | 137 mins | 18A) A disposable employee is sent on a human expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact.

Fabled English record producer Mark Pritchard, luminary songwriter Thom Yorke (Radiohead) and groundbreaking visual artist Jonathan Zawada present TALL TALES – a debut collaborative visual and audio cinema experience a decade in the making.

Landscapes of synth-pop, prog, dub, 70s synth, Joe Meek, Ivor Cutler, Library, kraut and classic Warp™️ – TALL TALES sounds like musicians meeting in the Hinterland. Transmitted by Australian visual artist Jonathan Zawada, TALL TALES is a fairy tale for the modern world; depicting rising tides, kings & queens, amazon logistics and robotic arms under iridescent skies. We wanted computers to do our accounting – instead, they try to paint our pictures and sing our songs. Like all good fairy tales – this work edges light with the dark as Thom's echoed chants intertwine with Mark's shimmering electronics. On TALL TALES, we hear seasoned musicians continue down the path of experimentation.

A prophetic visual album, TALL TALES has been years in the making, but delivered right on time.

Thursday, May 8 One Night Only!
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Sign up for more info here:
http://tall-tales.info/

TALL TALES (Jonathan Zawada, 2025 / 65 mins, NR)

All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream.

Beautifully restored for is 50th Anniversary, PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK is a sensual and striking chronicle of a disappearance and its aftermath that put director Peter Weir on the map, and helped usher in a new era of Australian cinema.

Based on an acclaimed 1967 novel by Joan Lindsay, Weir's enigmatic adaptation is set at the turn of the twentieth century, and concerns a small group of students from an all- female college who vanish, along with a chaperone, while on a St. Valentine’s Day outing. Less a mystery than a journey into the mystic, as well as an inquiry into issues of class and sexual repression in Australian society, Weir’s gorgeous, disquieting film is a work of poetic horror whose secrets haunt viewers to this day. With Rachel Roberts, Anne Lambert, Jacki Weaver, Vivean Gray.

"Visually mesmerizing, 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' is moody, unsettling, and enigmatic -- a masterpiece of Australian cinema and a major early triumph for director Peter Weir." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"This is a film that seems somehow subtly different every time you watch it, full of tantalising possibilities." (Eye For Film UK)

"By turns fascinating and mysterious." (Empire Magazine)

"The “readings” are endless, the mood impossibly eerie and the legacy untouchable." (Times UK)

Thursday, May 8
Doors 7:50 pm | Movie 8:20 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (Peter Weir, 1975 / 14A / 115 mins) In the early 1900s, Miranda (Anne Lambert) attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers (Vivean Gray) have disappeared mysteriously.

CONCLAVE follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events -- selecting the new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes, in a Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated performance) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church. With Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, John Lithgow.

CONCLAVE was one of the most acclaimed films of 2024, and won multiple BAFTA awards (including Best Film, Best British Film, and Best Editing) and the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

"It all unfolds with such precision: an unlikely potboiler that Berger presents not only thoughtfully, but viciously and deliciously." (Empire Magazine)

"A major awards contender, this is a deftly executed and gripping tale of secrets, lies and human ambition. Fiennes is magnetic, while the supporting cast conspire to wrap this tale of faith, power and morality in sumptuous dramatic cloth." (HeyUGuys)

Friday, May 9
Doors 1:30 pm | Movie 2:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Tickets just $10 bucks. Holy smokes that a great deal!

CONCLAVE (Edward Berger, 2024 / 120 mins / PG ) When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church.

Welcome to a world where cult cinema intersects with the sultry art of burlesque. Where strange storylines unfold and your favorite characters are parodied unlike ever before! At MOVIE BUFF 2: A Cult Movie Burlesque Show, the stage will come alive with fierce performances that will make you want to watch this show on repeat!

THE BRIDE OF CHUCKY is back, and she’s ready to cut loose! Johnny from cult-classic THE ROOM will show you his heart is as big as… something else - just don’t expect it to make sense. Rebellious Wanda Woodward from CRY BABY will show off the dance moves that remind us all why she’s the ultimate bad girl with a heart of gold. That’s not all, we’ve got some iconic character duets who will blow your mind and the ultimate seductive trickster, LABYRINTH's Jareth The Goblin King, will leave you spellbound playing with his magic balls.

Come for the nostalgia, stay for the giggles, and prepare to be entertained! Grab your tickets now and let the bizarre brilliance of MOVIE BUFF 2 unveil before your eyes!

Friday, May 9
Doors 7:15 pm | Event 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird Prices! $25+ s/c (Until April 18)
Tickets $30+ s/c | $40+ s/c at the door
VIP Seating (Rows 1-3, centre section) $35+ s/c

Featuring Performances by:

Maria Madruga
Gnarleigh
Sensi Kat & Peter Packer
Hella Hysteria
Angora Phobia
Mia Storm & Miss Fanny Pack
Glory S Gamms
Lana B Luschious
Buttercup VonDingus & Clare Voyeur

Please note: This is a parody production. MOVIE BUFF 2 is not sponsored, endorsed by or affiliated with any film’s creators, affiliated companies and/or third party licensors.

*Performers and acts subject to change.

We're paying tribute to the late, great Val Kilmer by dimming the lights and firing up the projector with a Friday Late Night Movie tribute screening of one of his most memorable roles (and one of the Rio Theatre's most requested cult-classic films), in the TOP SECRET!

Popular and dashing American singer Nick Rivers travels to East Germany to perform in a music festival. When he loses his heart to the gorgeous Hillary Flammond, he finds himself caught up in an underground resistance movement. Rivers joins forces with Agent Cedric, and Flammond to attempt the rescue of her father, Dr. Paul, from the Germans, who have captured the scientist in hopes of coercing him into building a new naval mine. With Omar Sharif, Lucy Gutteridge, Michael Gough.

"This movie will cheerfully go for a laugh wherever one is even remotely likely to be found." (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times)

"Kilmer never breaks... it’s a work of near-sorcery, anchoring an actually serious movie that the filmmakers smother with jokes until it becomes a completely different thing." (Washington City Paper)

Friday, May 9
Doors 11:00 pm | Movie 11:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE

Late Night Date Night! Bring a friend, date, or bestie and get two-for-one entry HERE!

TOP SECRET! (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker, 1984 / 90 mins / 14A) An American rock and roll singer is invited to a cultural festival in East Germany in order to distract from a plot to destroy NATO submarines, but he accidentally becomes involved in a resistance plot to rescue an imprisoned scientist.

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Saturday, May 10 for the version of the blockbuster hit musical WICKED that you've been waiting for - the SING ALONG! Find all your most fun, popular pals and defy some gravity and support of the gang at the Terminal City Roller Derby. Support your local league!

WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (HARRIET, Broadway's 'The Color Purple') as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.

The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda's unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba's determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. With Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage.

Wicked was nominated for an incredible 10 Academy Awards and won the Oscars for Best Achievement in Production Design and Best Achievement in Costume Design.

"Cynthia Erivo has already established herself as a singer, a stage performer, and a screen presence extraordinaire, whether she’s a supporting-role dynamo or the best part of an otherwise so-so project. What she’s doing here with Elphaba is, quite simply, magical." (Rolling Stone Magazine)

"Indulgent and unwieldy as it is, 'Wicked' is a thrill, at times wildly funny, heart-soaring, and ultimately inspirational in spite of itself." (Mashable)

"What viewers want from 'Wicked' is not to "defy gravity," but to placate fans and entertain newcomers with a by-the-book silver screen adaptation. Because that’s exactly what 'Wicked' does so impeccably well, with style, grace and a sweeping vision." (Seattle Refined)

Saturday, May 10
Doors 12:30pm | Movie 1:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets $20 advance | $25 at the door

Partial proceeds from this screening to benefit The Terminal City Roller Derby.
This film screens with a brief intermission.

WICKED (John M. Chu, 2024 / 160 mins / PG) Misunderstood because of her green skin, a young woman named Elphaba forges an unlikely but profound friendship with Glinda, a student with an unflinching desire for popularity. Following an encounter with the Wizard of Oz, their relationship soon reaches a crossroad as their lives begin to take very different paths.

Outrageous and controversial, this is the story of legendary movie star Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway, in one of her most iconic performances) as she struggles for her career and battles the inner demons of her private life. This torment was manifested in her relationships with her adopted children, Christina and Christopher. The public Crawford was a strong-willed, glamorous object of admiration, but Mommie Dearest reveals the private Crawford, the woman desperate to be a mother, adopting her children when she was single and trying to survive in a devastating industry that swallows careers thoughtlessly.

The rage, the debilitating strain, and the terrifying descent into alcoholism and child abuse are graphically - and unforgettably - depicted in this film, based upon Christina Crawford's best-selling book. With Diana Scarwid, Xander Berkeley.

"Faye Dunaway gives a startling, ferocious performance in 'Mommie Dearest.' It’s deeper than an impersonation; she turns herself into Joan Crawford, all right, but she’s more Faye Dunaway than ever." (The New Yorker)

"'Mommie Dearest' becomes a kind of homage to the monster herself -- the emotions are so splendid, the scenes so dramatic, the experiences so incandescent." (The Spectator)

Saturday, May 10
Doors 4:15 pm | Movie 4:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

MOMMIE DEAREST (Frank Perry, 1981 / 129 mins / 14A) The abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, screen queen Joan Crawford, is depicted.

London. The 1960s. Two unemployed actors—acerbic, elegantly wasted Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and the anxiety-ridden "I" (Paul McGann)—drown their frustrations in booze, pills, and lighter fluid. When Withnail's Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) offers his cottage, they escape the squalor of their flat for a week in the country. They soon realize they’ve gone on holiday by mistake when their wits—and friendship—are sorely tested by violent downpours, less than hospitable locals, and empty cupboards. An intelligent, superbly acted, and hilarious film, Bruce Robinson’s semi-autobiographical cult favorite is presented here in its complete and uncut version.

"There is a certain kind of movie that gets praised not so much because of its virtues as because, in some strange way, we suspect that no one would ever dare make its like again. 'Withnail and I' is one of those enterprises." (Guardian UK)

"If the film belongs to anyone, it is Richard E. Grant, who takes the dissolute and mannered character of Withnail and creates a Wildean creature of tragi-comic proportions, the like of which has not been seen in a British film for some time." (London Evening Standard)

"'Withnail and I' is not the whole story of the 60's. It's a small, wise, breezy footnote." (New York Times)

"Self-destruction has never been more articulate or refreshingly amusing." (Toronto Star)

Saturday, May 10
Doors 7:15 pm | Movie 7:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

WITHNAIL AND I (Bruce Robinson, 1987 / 14A / 107 mins) Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood (Paul McGann) and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty (Richard Griffiths), they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.

Even time is no match for powerhouse, industry mammoth, Disney, when it comes to a ticking clock on intellectual property becoming public domain. Created and drawn by Walt himself, 'Steamboat Willie' AKA 'Mickey Mouse' is up for grabs and boy did director, Steven LaMorte ever take hold with SCREAMBOAT.

Screamboat is a 2025 American comedy horror film directed by appropriately surnamed, Steven LaMorte. It's a reimagining of Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks's 1928 animated short film, Steamboat Willie. The plot follows a group of New Yorkers who are terrorized by a monstrous mouse named Steamboat Willie. It stars David Howard Thornton, Allison Pittel, Amy Schumacher, Jesse Posey, Kailey Hyman, Jesse Kove, and Jarlath Conroy.

Though the Walt Disney Company retains exclusive rights to its own Mickey Mouse universe, the Steamboat Willie version of the iconic character entered the public domain on January 1, 2024. One day later, Screamboat was announced.

"Screamboat is perfect stoner escapism, a film that never takes itself too seriously and takes pleasure in poking fun at our corporate overlords." (Dread Central)

"One of many horror movies based on public-domain intellectual property, this gory comedy is a slight cut above the rest, thanks to its humor, fun visual effects, and grimy ferryboat setting." (Common Sense Media)

Saturday, May 10
Doors 10:00 PM | Film 10:30 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SCREAMBOAT (Steven LaMorte | 2025 | NR | 102 mins) A late-night boat ride turns into a desperate fight for survival in New York City when a mischievous mouse becomes a monstrous reality.

The movie ANJILA is based on the real-life story of Anjila Tumbapo Subba, the captain and number one goalkeeper of Nepal's national women's football team. The film showcases her journey from being confined within her home to becoming the team captain, highlighting her struggles and determination. Anjila herself plays the lead role, with Dayahang Rai and Srijana Subba portraying her parents. The movie emphasizes the importance of perseverance and the belief that with determination, nothing is impossible.

Presented by the Himalayan Soccer Club of Vancouver

Sunday, May 11
Doors 11:30 am | Movie 12:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

International students w. ID just $15 (all in)
General Admission $25 (all in)

ANJILA (Milan Chams, 2025 / 150 mins / NR / In Nepali with English subtitles)

In 2003, eight Rhode Island artists created a secret apartment inside the busy Providence Place Mall and lived there for four years, filming everything along the way. They snuck in furniture, tapped into the mall’s electricity, and even constructed a wall, smuggling in more than two tons of cinderblock.

Far more than just a wild prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for its inhabitants. It was a personal expression of defiance against local gentrification, a boundary-pushing work of public/private art, a clubhouse in which large-scale charitable art projects were planned, and, finally, a 750 square-foot "F you" to The Man.

Featuring never-before-seen footage of the space and revealing the identities of all the participants for the first time, SECRET MALL APARTMENT is more than just a bonkers true story. Director Jeremy Workman, whose LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW 2021, delivers a poignant exploration of a group of artists who discovered their purpose within the most commercial and improbable places.

"'Secret Mall Apartment' makes a compelling case that the project reverberates through the lives of the artists, and maybe even the city, to this day." (New York Times)

"This is a delightful, thought-provoking movie that’s about a lot of things at the same time. It’ll make you see the world with fresh eyes, and probably wonder why there isn’t more art in it." (RogerEbert.com)

"Like any fascinating meditation on the meaning of art and its potential as a political force, Workman’s doc asks more questions than it answers, which is a very good thing." (POV Magazine)

Sunday, May 11
Doors 4:00 pm | Movie 4:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SECRET MALL APARTMENT (Jeremy Workman, 2025 / 104 mins / NR) In 2003, eight Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment inside a busy mall and lived there for four years, filming everything along the way. Far more than a prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all involved.

New England...the early 1960s. A sexy and unpredictable single mother of two is a source of constant embarrassment to her confused 15-year-old daughter, who's trying to deal with her own sexual awakening and not having an easy time of it. Based on a novel by Patty Dann.

Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Flax (Winona Ryder) is tired of her wacky mom (Cher) moving their family to a different town any time she feels it is necessary. When they move to a small Massachusetts town and Mrs. Flax begins dating a shopkeeper (Bob Hoskins), Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate (Christina Ricci), hope that they can finally settle down. But when Charlotte's attraction to an older man gets in the way, the family must learn to accept each other for who they truly are.

"Having made something of a specialty of woe-is-me, adolescent angst, Ryder finds a deeper level here, a level of comedy with something genuinely painful mixed in." (Washington Post)

Sunday, May 11
Doors 6:30 pm  | Movie 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

MERMAIDS (Richard Benjamin, 1990 / 110 mins / 14A) Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Flax is tired of her wacky mom moving their family to a different town any time she feels it is necessary. When they move to a small Massachusetts town and Mrs. Flax begins dating a shopkeeper, Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate, hope that they can finally settle down. But when Charlotte's attraction to an older man gets in the way, the family must learn to accept each other for who they truly are.

All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream.

Beautifully restored for is 50th Anniversary, PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK is a sensual and striking chronicle of a disappearance and its aftermath that put director Peter Weir on the map, and helped usher in a new era of Australian cinema.

Based on an acclaimed 1967 novel by Joan Lindsay, Weir's enigmatic adaptation is set at the turn of the twentieth century, and concerns a small group of students from an all- female college who vanish, along with a chaperone, while on a St. Valentine’s Day outing. Less a mystery than a journey into the mystic, as well as an inquiry into issues of class and sexual repression in Australian society, Weir’s gorgeous, disquieting film is a work of poetic horror whose secrets haunt viewers to this day. With Rachel Roberts, Anne Lambert, Jacki Weaver, Vivean Gray.

"Visually mesmerizing, 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' is moody, unsettling, and enigmatic -- a masterpiece of Australian cinema and a major early triumph for director Peter Weir." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"This is a film that seems somehow subtly different every time you watch it, full of tantalising possibilities." (Eye For Film UK)

"By turns fascinating and mysterious." (Empire Magazine)

"The “readings” are endless, the mood impossibly eerie and the legacy untouchable." (Times UK)

Sunday, May 11
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (Peter Weir, 1975 / 14A / 115 mins) In the early 1900s, Miranda (Anne Lambert) attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers (Vivean Gray) have disappeared mysteriously.

Join Vancouver's own Kingsgate Chorus for their spring concert and an unforgettable night of music featuring songs by artists like Fleetwood Mac, Bonny Light Horseman, Sinead O'Connor and more directed and arranged by David Beckingham (Hey Ocean!).

Monday, May 12
Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

A vital and necessary documentary about the value of fighting for worker’s rights in the harrowing world of capitalism.

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Tuesday, May 13 for a screening of the documentary, UNION, which will include a live Q&A with the star of the film, activist Chris Smalls, the organizer at the forefront of unionizing Amazon.

This event has been organized by the Social Justice Committee at West Vancouver Teachers' Association.

Through intimate cinema vérité, UNION chronicles the extraordinary efforts of an unlikely group of warehouse workers as they launch a grassroots union campaign at an Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York. Led by the charismatic but underestimated Chris Smalls, the diverse band of workers start the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) and embark on a journey against one of the largest and most powerful companies in the world. The odds are stacked against them, as the group finds itself up against a tech industry giant with unlimited resources, without major support from national unions or politicians, and while navigating internal divisions within their own ranks. Filmmakers Brett Story and Stephen Maing document the struggle from day one, offering a gripping human drama about the fight for power and dignity in today's globalized economic landscape.

“A vital and urgent portrait of labor organizing and its enduring possibility at a time when the fight for workers’ rights has never seemed more one-sided." (Indiewire)

“Sober and heartfelt, 'Union' lets us see what Amazon and the world would soon discover about the power workers have when they invest in their dignity first.” (Los Angeles Times)

“The film captures both the pain and the power of people at the base of a global infrastructure.” (RogerEbert.com)

“It would be easy to build a halo-lit documentary portrait around this handsome, rabble-rousing father of three, but Brett Story and Stephen Maing’s excellent “Union” is something more finely shaded and community-minded than that.” (Variety)

Winner of the 2024 Sundance Documentary Special Jury Award for The Art of Change

Tuesday, May 13
Doors 5:30 pm | Movie 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

UNION (Stephen Maing, Brett Story / 2024 / NR) A group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City's Staten Island challenges one of the world's largest companies in a unionization battle.

London. The 1960s. Two unemployed actors—acerbic, elegantly wasted Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and the anxiety-ridden "I" (Paul McGann)—drown their frustrations in booze, pills, and lighter fluid. When Withnail's Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) offers his cottage, they escape the squalor of their flat for a week in the country. They soon realize they’ve gone on holiday by mistake when their wits—and friendship—are sorely tested by violent downpours, less than hospitable locals, and empty cupboards. An intelligent, superbly acted, and hilarious film, Bruce Robinson’s semi-autobiographical cult favorite is presented here in its complete and uncut version.

"There is a certain kind of movie that gets praised not so much because of its virtues as because, in some strange way, we suspect that no one would ever dare make its like again. 'Withnail and I' is one of those enterprises." (Guardian UK)

"Self-destruction has never been more articulate or refreshingly amusing." (Toronto Star)

Saturday, May 10
Doors 7:15 pm | Movie 7:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

WITHNAIL AND I (Bruce Robinson, 1987 / 14A / 107 mins) Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood (Paul McGann) and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty (Richard Griffiths), they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.

Join Outside Voices Choir for their spring concert and a vibey night of music featuring songs by artists like The Beatles, Radiohead, Maggies Rogers and more. Directed and arranged by David Beckingham (Hey Ocean!).

Wednesday, May 14
Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

A cultural snapshot of turn-of-the-millennium Toronto with subtle comic energy and a great cast, Sook-Yin Lee’s adaptation of Chester Brown’s autobiographical 2011 graphic novel is a movie only Lee could make… because it’s her story, too.

Chester Brown’s 2011 graphic novel told the story of his own journey into johnhood after the dissolution of his romantic life with long-time partner Sook-Yin Lee. More than a decade later, Lee, working with co-writer Joanne Sarazen, finds a cinematic analogue for Brown’s framing and compositions — a little gray, a bit flat — while bringing his characters to three-dimensional life. The result is a synthesis of Brown's confessional storytelling and Lee’s auto-fictional style.

Daniel Beirne, plays Chester, who’s liberated by the idea of sexual relationships without any emotional entanglements; if anything, he’s slightly befuddled by the way everyone asks him if he knows what he’s doing. Emily Lê is Lee’s alter ego Sonny, who follows her open heart into every new opportunity and expects Chester to give her the space to figure out each resulting reconfiguration of their relationship. (Lee doesn’t let herself off the hook for the pain she causes, either.) They’re surrounded by a cast of gifted Toronto character actors, most vividly Modern Whore author-producer Andrea Werhun as a culturally literate outcall worker whose genuine chemistry with Chester might challenge his newfound sexual liberation. (Or not.)

Lee connects the past with the present, bringing together Canadian underground artists and innovative cross-generational musicians to explore ideas around labour, sex work, queer culture, and forward-thinking freedoms. The result is a story only she could bring to the screen … because it’s her story, too.

"It doesn’t matter which prism you view Lee’s film through -- they all intersect and add up together so seamlessly and confidently that you can choose your own adventure without sacrificing the whole." (Globe and Mail)

Director Sook Yin-Lee will be joining us for a post-screening Q&A.

Thursday, May 15
Doors 6:00 pm | Film 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

PAYING FOR IT (Sook-Yin Lee, 2025 / 85 mins / NR) In the late '90s, Chester and Sonny are a long-term, committed, romantic couple. When Sonny wants to redefine their relationship, Chester, a painfully introverted cartoonist, starts sleeping with sex workers and discovers a new kind of intimacy in the process.

Elliot (Jeremy Irons), a successful gynecologist, works at the same practice as his identical twin, Beverly (also Irons). Elliot is attracted to many of his patients and has affairs with them. When he inevitably loses interest, he will give the woman over to Beverly, the meeker of the two, without the woman knowing the difference. Beverly falls hard for one of the patients, Claire (Geneviève Bujold), but when she inadvertently deceives him, he slips into a state of madness.

DEAD RINGERS swept the 1989 Genie Awards, taking home 11 trophies including Best Canadian Film, Director, and Actor.

"Cronenberg turns this based-on-fact story into a genuine creep show." (Film Frenzy)

"Irons gives a highly accomplished performance in a chilly knife-swapping psychodrama that remains among the director's leanest, meanest releases." (Film4)

Thursday, May 15
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change.  Please arrive on time.

DEAD RINGERS (David Cronenberg, 1988 / 115 mins / 18A) Elliot and Beverly are world-renowned gynaecologists and identical twins. Both are troubled by the seemingly unbreakable bond between them as they share everything from their clinic to their women - until they meet Claire. Whilst Elliot enjoys seducing her, Beverly falls in love and wishes to break away from his brother in order to become closer to her. However, as his attempt to love unravels, so does his sanity and it becomes apparent that the twins are bonded by madness as well as blood.

East Van Laugh RIOT
Presented by Charlie Demers and Friends

The Rio Theatre's comedy night featuring Vancouver’s top stand-up comedians from CBC, Netflix, Just For Laughs and more returns on Friday, May 16.

(Because we could all use a good laugh…)

Friday, May 16
Featuring Randee Neumeyer & Graham Clark
With special guests Jess Lupini & Sean Devlin

Doors 7:15 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Please arrive on time. Start time subject to change.

BONUS! Health care workers get in free with valid ID.

Charlie Demers is a Juno-nominated stand-up comedian, a regular on CBC Radio's "The Debaters," and co-star of two Emmy-winning Netflix animated series, "Beat Bugs" and "The Last Kids on Earth." He lives four blocks from the Rio Theatre.

Our #FridayLateNight film series continues with director, Guillermo Del Toro's, PACIFIC RIM. As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Pacific Rim is a 2013 American science fiction monster film directed by Guillermo del Toro. The first film in the Pacific Rim franchise, it stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, and Ron Perlman. The screenplay was written by Travis Beacham and del Toro from a story by Beacham. The film is set in the future, when Earth is at war with the Kaiju, colossal sea monsters which have emerged from an interdimensional portal on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. To combat the monsters, humanity unites to create the Jaegers, gigantic humanoid mechas, each controlled by two co-pilots whose minds are joined by a mental link. Focusing on the war's later days, the story follows Raleigh Becket, a washed-up Jaeger pilot called out of retirement and teamed with rookie pilot Mako Mori as part of a last-ditch effort to defeat the Kaiju.

"Proves that Guillermo del Toro is a master of many genres, as he accomplishes with this film things that countless other big-budget spectacles attempt to pull off. Pure delight from start to finish, channeling the best that kaiju movies have to offer." (The Wolfman Cometh)

"The plot and visuals of Pacific Rim manage to coexist, giving the film an extra level of depth, one that we don’t often see in blockbuster films." (Loud And Clear)

Friday, May 16
Doors 10:30 PM | Film 11:00 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

It's late night date night! Bring a date, a pal or your favorite mind-melded co-pilot and get 2 for 1 tickets!

PACIFIC RIM (Guillermo Del Toro | 2013 | PG13 | 131 mins) Using massive piloted robots to combat the alien threat, earth's survivors take the fight to the invading alien force lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless enemy, the forces of mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes who now stand as earth's final hope against the mounting apocalypse.

"Listen to me! If we break quarantine, we could all die."

As one of – if not the – greatest action heroines to ever hit the silver screen, Sigourney Weaver’s unstoppable Ellen Ripley kicks all the asses and takes all the names throughout one of the most iconic sci-fi action franchises films of all time.

In this modern horror classic set in deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma.... Also starring Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Harry Dean Stanton, and Veronica Cartwright.

"The first part of the movie is essentially Marx in space, and the second part of the movie is Darwin in space." (The Stranger)

"We marvel at how the filmmaker generates so much tension and sweat with a bare minimum of moving parts." (Globe and Mail)

Saturday, May 17
ALIEN (The Director's Cut)
Doors 9:30 pm | Movie 10:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

ALIEN (Ridley Scott, 1979 / DCP, 117 mins / 14A / Director's Cut) The commercial vessel Nostromo receives a distress call from an unexplored planet. After searching for survivors, the crew heads home only to realize that a deadly bioform has joined them.

Join us at the Rio Theatre for a Double Creature Feature screening of one of our all-time favourite franchises! We’re going into deep space with Ridley Scott‘s iconic 1979 ALIEN (The Director’s Cut), on Saturday, May 17, followed by James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, ALIENS, on Friday, May 30 with a special LIVE introduction from Paul Reiser!

In this modern horror classic set in deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma…. Also starring Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Harry Dean Stanton, and Veronica Cartwright.

After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). But even these battle-hardened marines with all the latest weaponry are no match for the hundreds of aliens that have invaded the colony.

Saturday, May 17
ALIEN: Director's Cut
Doors 9:30 pm | Movie 10:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Hang on to your movie ticket because you'll need it when you come back on...

Doors 9:30 pm | Movie 10:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Single film tickets available at www.riotheatretickets.ca

ALIEN (Ridley Scott, 1979 / 117 mins / 14A / Director’s Cut) The commercial vessel Nostromo receives a distress call from an unexplored planet. After searching for survivors, the crew heads home only to realize that a deadly bioform has joined them.

ALIENS (James Cameron | 1986 | 137 mins | 18A) Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.

You asked for it Rio Theatre movie goers and we're bringing it to you: Double Bill: BLADE RUNNER: The Final Cut & BLADE RUNNER 2049. It's double the blades, double the running at special Double Bill pricing happening Sunday, May 18th!

"More human than human is our motto."

In 2007, director Ridley Scott released BLADE RUNNER: The Final Cut, the “definitive” edition (the work-print feature version), which has since been remastered for theatrical release. Catch it in all its director approved, futuretastic, digital sci-fi glory on the big screen - the way nature intended.

Harrison Ford stars in this fascinating, dark vision of the near future as a policeman who tracks engineered humans--a Blade Runner. In the not-so-distant year 2019, ex-detective Rick Deckard (Ford) is called out of retirement to hunt four genetically engineered humans who have come to earth. Designed to do difficult, hazardous work, the manufactured humans are stronger, faster and smarter than non-engineered humans. They feel no pain or remorse; they are almost indistinguishable from other humans ... and they are killing people. Now Deckard must stop them before they kill again. Based on the novel, "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick. Also starring Sean Young, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah.

"A visually remarkable, achingly human sci-fi masterpiece." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"A masterpiece of dystopian science fiction on film." (Daily Telegraph)

Sunday, May 18
Doors 5:30 pm | Movie 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Why not make it a DOUBLE BILL with BLADE RUNNER 2049 for the sweet low price of just $22 to see both films!? You save $8 bucks! Here:https://riotheatretickets.ca/events/35703-double-bill-blade-runner-the-final-cut-blade-runner-2049

BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott, 1982 / 117 mins / 18A) | When ex-detective Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to track down and eliminate a team of humanoid androids that have escaped from an outer space mining colony and have taken refuge here on Earth. During his search for the fugitives, he discovers some disturbing secrets about the future plans of the androids' manufacturer, the Tyrell Corporation.

You asked for it Rio Theatre movie goers and we’re bringing it to you: Double Bill: BLADE RUNNER: The Final Cut & BLADE RUNNER 2049. It’s double the blades, double the running at special Double Bill pricing happening Sunday, May 18th!

“More human than human is our motto.”

In 2007, director Ridley Scott released BLADE RUNNER: The Final Cut, the “definitive” edition (the work-print feature version), which has since been remastered for theatrical release. Catch it in all its director approved, futuretastic, digital sci-fi glory on the big screen – the way nature intended.

In 2017, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve unleashed one of the most anticipated sequels of all time, BLADE RUNNER 2049. Set thirty years after the events of Ridley Scott's original BLADE RUNNER, the sequel follows a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), who unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), the former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. With Jared Leto, Robin Wright.

Sunday, May 18
Blade Runner: The Final Cut
Doors 5:30 PM | Film 6:00 PM *Start time is subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Brief intermission

Blade Runner 2049
Doors: 9:15 PM | Film 9:30 PM *As this is screening if part of a Double Bill, start time is approx. and subject to change. Please arrive early.

Single film tickets available.

BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott, 1982 / 117 mins / 18A) | When ex-detective Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to track down and eliminate a team of humanoid androids that have escaped from an outer space mining colony and have taken refuge here on Earth. During his search for the fugitives, he discovers some disturbing secrets about the future plans of the androids’ manufacturer, the Tyrell Corporation.

BLADE RUNNER 2049 (Denis Villeneuve, 2017 / 164 mins / 14A) |Officer K, a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former blade runner who's been missing for 30 years.

You asked for it Rio Theatre movie goers and we’re bringing it to you: Double Bill: BLADE RUNNER: The Final Cut & BLADE RUNNER 2. It’s double the blades, double the running at special Double Bill pricing happening Sunday, May 18th!

In 2017, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve unleashed one of the most anticipated sequels of all time, BLADE RUNNER 2049. Set thirty years after the events of Ridley Scott's original BLADE RUNNER, the sequel follows a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), who unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), the former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. With Jared Leto, Robin Wright.

"From the opening aerial shots, we know we are in the presence of a masterly visual tactician and a shrewd storyteller in the director, Denis Villeneuve." (The New York Times)

"Visually stunning and narratively satisfying, BLADE RUNNER 2049 deepens and expands its predecessor's story while standing as an impressive filmmaking achievement in its own right." (Rotten Tomatoes)

Sunday, May 18
Doors 9:15 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *As this is screening if part of a Double Bill, start time is approx. and subject to change. Please arrive early.

Come a little earlier and you can make it a DOUBLE BILL with BLADE RUNNER: The Final Cut for the sweet low price of just $22 to see both films!? Here:https://riotheatretickets.ca/events/35703-double-bill-blade-runner-the-final-cut-blade-runner-2049

BLADE RUNNER 2049 (Denis Villeneuve, 2017 / 164 mins / 14A) |Officer K, a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former blade runner who's been missing for 30 years.

JOE LIST: SMALL BALL is the fourth stand up comedy special from comedian Joe List. Following the smash successes of his previous specials “I Hate Myself”, “This Year’s Material” and “Enough For Everybody," SMALL BALL finds Joe shortly after the birth of his first child, musing on the life-altering experiences of childbirth, married sex and ordering at Starbucks. Shot at two different clubs on back to back nights, “Small Ball” captures Joe at his best and promises to have moviegoers spilling their popcorn and spitting out their coke.

Wednesday, May 21 One Night Only!
Doors 6:30 pm | Movie 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Joe List - Biography

Joe List is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor best known for his comedy specials “I Hate Myself”, “This Year’s Material” and “Enough For Everybody”, as well as his starring role in the feature film, FOURTH OF JULY (directed by Louis CK). During Joe’s two decade tenure as a comedian, he has released three specials, earned a spot as a finalist on NBC's “Last Comic Standing”, starred in season 2 of Netflix's “The Stand Ups” and appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman”, “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” and “Conan”. List’s albums 'So Far No Good' and 'Are You Mad at Me?' (through Comedy Central Records) can frequently be heard on Sirius Radio. Joe currently serves as the co-host of the popular weekly podcast “Tuesdays with Stories' alongside comedian Mark Normand as well as his own podcast “Mindful Metal Jacket”. Based in New York City, List can be seen regularly at The Comedy Cellar.

JOE LIST: SMALL BALL (Willie Rockefeller, 2025 / 72 mins / NR)

Cinematography: Derek Gildersleeve
Editor: Matthew Pearson
Produced by: Chris Burns

Throughout the 1980s, bands like D.O.A. helped define the decade's deafening hardcore punk sound, paving the way for the eventual explosion of punk groups through radio and MTV in the decades to come. While punk rock's upper echelon may no longer be as culturally seditious as they once were,  the genre's effect on a new generation of activists and aspiring politicians has never been more clear.

In 2018, after 40 years of fighting against oppression, homelessness and corporate greed in the U.S. and in his native Canada, D.O.A. frontman, activist and cultural politician Joey “Shithead" Keithley decided to turn art into life and run against the outspoken Mayor of Burnaby (population: 250,000), Derek Corrigan. Against all odds—and with only a $7000 campaign budget—Keithley won a city councillor seat in Burnaby, BC that year and helped to unseat the entrenched five-term Corrigan who once famously said, “I would never bend over to give a homeless person a dime because he might steal my watch."

Will Keithley's message and DIY approach to campaigning resonate with voters in the upcoming Burnaby election of 2022? Win or lose, we will document him every step of the way as he campaigns for a second term. This is a film that will explore how music and activism continue to interlink, with music often serving as an introduction to social issues that inspire people to get involved and foster dynamic change.

Joey Keithley himself will be in attendance for a live Q&A!

Saturday, May 24
Doors 2:15  | Movie 2:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SOMETHING BETTER CHANGE (Scott Crawford | 2024 | 88 mins | NR) Joey Keithley of DOA, Canada’s most iconic punk, is now an underdog, against all odds elected politician in Vancouver, Burnaby, BC. This story documents his  40+ year career as an activist and musician and his journey as he runs for a nail-biting second term re-election.

A copious cavalcade of top notch talent and captivating cabaret await at The Rio Theatre Burlesque and Variety Show on Saturday May 24th!

Local luminary April O’Peel has curated a show full of wonder sure to dazzle and delight our fun loving audience! The theme is NO THEME! That’s right! These talented performers will each be performing one act of their choosing! What act will they decide to bring to The Rio Theatre Burlesque and Variety Show!? Find out on Saturday May 24th as these stars align for one night only!

Saturday, May 24
Doors 8:00 pm | Show 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early bird tickets just $20, available online only until midnight, May 12!

General Admission $30 + s/c | $35 + s/c at the door
VIP tickets (Rows 1-3, centre section) $40+ s/c
Squad Pass (Group of Four Tickets – online only) $100+ s/c

With Featured Performances By:

Amethyst Howl | Allie Bi Love | Bitch Sassidy | Delta Daggers | Donna Boss Rogers
Honey Lustre | Lola Loops | April O'Peel | Passion & Performance Burlesque Company
Shaboobie Booberella & Johnny Bongo

Hosted by Karla Marx

Join us at the Rio Theatre for Korean-born, B.C.-raised filmmaker James Yoo's Maple Ridge-shot first feature, MONGRELS, a film that explores both grief and the immigrant experience through a visionary approach to surreal imagery. Plus, director, James Yoo will be live on stage for an audience Q&A!

In rural Canada in the 1990s, a Korean family, a widower, his teenage son, and young daughter, attempts to find footing in a new land while navigating the dark forests of grief. Sonny has been hired to eradicate the feral canines plaguing the town, while sensitive Hajoon figures out what it means to be a man. Finally, young Hana, missing her mother, dreams up ways to make her return.

"'Mongrels' [is] both an exciting first feature and one worth seeking out. " (That Shelf)

"Jerome Yoo has emerged as one of Vancouver’s most exciting new voices in film. His debut feature, 'Mongrels', premiered to a sold-out audience at the Vancouver International Film Festival last fall, drawing widespread acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling and vivid imagery. The buzz around 'Mongrels' has only grown since, with Yoo recently winning an award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia." (Georgia Straight)

Please note this film screen in Korean w. EST.

Sunday, May 25
Doors 3:30 pm | Movie 4:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

MONGRELS (Jerome Yoo, 2024 / 107 mins / NR / Korean with English subtitles) The howling of wild dogs through the windows of a summer evening… In the middle of the night, a man talks to his dead wife on a disconnected telephone… Airplanes are swallowed up in the sky.

*Film is NR. Must be 18+ for entry. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service. No outside food or drink permitted.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK for any single film only. Please redeem at the door.
*We recommend purchasing your tickets in advance at www.riotheatretickets.ca. If a screening or live event is not sold out, the remaining tickets will be available for in-person purchase at the Rio Theatre’s Box Office prior to showtime (subject to availability). Our box office is typically open 30 minutes before showtime.
*All seating is General Admission; please arrive 20-30 minutes prior to showtime to ensure great seats, and time for treats at concession.
*If you are looking to redeem either a Rio Theatre gift certificate or Groupon to any regular Rio Theatre screening: You can either email us in advance and give us a “heads up,” or do it at the box office prior to showtime.

*All Rio Theatre tickets are final sale. No refunds or exchanges.

Get your tickets now for the 2024 Director's Cut screening of Mike Flanagan's HUSH. Oh, and guess who will be joining us to intro the film and host an audience Q&A, none other than Mr. Flanagan himself. Happening only at the Rio Theatre on Sunday, May 25.

Deaf-mute horror author Maddie Young lost her abilities to hear and speak after contracting bacterial meningitis at age 13, causing hearing loss and temporary vocal cord paresis which became permanent after an unsuccessful surgery. Following the critical acclaim of her novel Midnight Mass, Maddie has left New York City for a solitary life in the woods with her cat, struggling to write her next book.

"By the end of the film's brief runtime (it runs less than 80 minutes without credits), it's done exactly what it set out to do, which is to give you a thrilling, engaging experience without wasting its time or overstaying its welcome." (The Blu Spot)

"In the realm of suspense, 'Hush' stands out as a tightly wound thriller, driven by Kate Siegel’s performance and Mike Flanagan’s direction, which never misses a beat." (Denton Record-Chronicle)

Sunday, May 25
Doors 6:00 pm | Film 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time. 

HUSH: Director's Cut (Mike Flanagan | 2016 | 82 mins | 14A ) A deaf woman is stalked by a psychotic killer in her secluded home.

Hostel 3 provides a relatable and nostalgic glimpse into college life, friendships, and the hurdles young adults face. Directed by Sashan Kandel, the film effectively captures the lively yet chaotic essence of hostel living, mixing humor and emotion in a way that resonates with its audience. The plot is engaging, highlighting themes of ambition, love, and rivalry. It's a feel-good film that evokes the highs and lows of student life, making it an enjoyable experience for fans of Nepali cinema.

Monday, May 26
Doors 5:15 pm | Film 5:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time. 

General Admission $19 (all in)

Please note this film screens in Nepalese and includes a brief intermission.

HOSTEL 3 (Sashan Kandel | 2025 | 165 mins | Nepalese | NR) Directed by Sashan Kandel, the film continues to follow the lives of teenagers living in a hostel, capturing their fun, struggles, and personal growth. The story revolves around a group of students navigating their way through school life, friendships, and challenges.

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Tuesday, May 27 for the premiere of the Vancouver B Movie Factory Production's latest movie, SHADOW RULE THE LIGHT.

The film follows the self-proclaimed “Best Filmmaker Ever” robot, T.O.S.T.Y. He reluctantly showcases his latest creation to his executive producer, sextillionaire Tracy Cake. Watch as he tries to justify his bad decisions, laugh at the campiness, call out all the continuity failures and be amazed at how bad the special effects are.

SHADOW RULE THE LIGHT really sets the bar—low. We are proud to say it could be the worst film ever made. Truly, a shining example of ambition outpacing execution. Don’t take our word for it. See it for yourself and you’ll be the judge.

Tuesday, May 27
Doors 6:00 pm | Event 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird tickets just $15 (all in) available only until May 19, midnight!

General Admission $18 (all in)

Since 2012, the Vancouver B Movie Factory has been the creative force behind over 300 short films, three TV shows, and two feature films, inspiring thousands to chase their filmmaking dreams. Our passion for storytelling has even made waves internationally, influencing B Movie Factories in China, Japan, and India. We did so well because we made films that were fun to make. We may not have had much, but we had an absolute blast making them and sometimes we got a bit carried away, as you can see in our films. Come, enjoy our happiness and see what people just like you can do when they play together to create this film.

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/TheVancouverBMovieFactory

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@TheVancouverBMovieFactory

It doesn't get more #MadeInCanada than a film shot right here in Hollywood North with a Vancouver based crew. Gambling addict Lucky (Terry Chen) tries to cover up his losses from his family after being scammed. Like him, Lucky's family also experiences personal struggles that may equally easily swing their future toward stability or collapse.

(Lucky) Star, Terry Chen along with writer & director, Gillian McKercher will be joining us for a live Q&A!

"Being the protagonist, we can’t help but root alongside him that the next game will bring the windfall that will wash away his troubles. But life is rarely that simple and karma is bound and determined not to make things easy for Lucky or his family. Bursts of intense and finely-tailored dialogue are deftly balanced with passages of quiet desperation worthy of the golden age of silent cinema." (Hollywood North Magazine)

Wednesday, May 28
Doors 6:00 PM | Film 6:30 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

LUCKY STAR (Gillian McKercher | 2024 | 85 | NR) When reformed gambler Lucky falls victim to a tax scam, he returns to playing poker to make the money back while his family struggles to make ends meet.

In the midst of darkness, we discover who we truly are.

"The film moved me with its humanity, a ray of hope in a seemingly hopeless conflict. It reaffirmed my faith in the human species.” - James Cameron

Director Stephen Apkon is an award-winning filmmaker and social entrepreneur. He is the Founder and former Executive Director of the Jacob Burns Film Center, a nonprofit film and education center in Pleasantville, NY. Stephen directed 'Disturbing the Peace' and served as an Executive Producer of 'Fantastic Fungi' and 'Planetary.' He is also the author of 'The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens,' with a foreword by Martin Scorsese.

Mr. Apkon will be joining us for a post-screening Q&A.

Thursday, May 29
Doors 6:00 pm | Event 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY (Stephen Apkon, 2025 / 67 mins / NR) A grassroots group of Palestinians and Israelis work together through non-violent means to build a social infrastructure to end conflict and occupation.

Join us at the Rio Theatre for a Double Creature Feature screening of one of our all-time favourite franchises! We’re going into deep space with Ridley Scott‘s iconic 1979 ALIEN (The Director’s Cut) followed by  James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, ALIENS.

After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). But even these battle-hardened marines with all the latest weaponry are no match for the hundreds of aliens that have invaded the colony.

"Cameron is a master of machinery and weaponry, a technical wizard who replaces Scott's refinement with his own kind of muscularity... But with either film, you leave the theater drained, physically exhausted, well-rewarded for all your suffering." (Newsday)

"Delivering generously on the promise he demonstrated in The Terminator, Cameron has given us a seamless motion picture that transforms its not-for-all-tastes subject matter into the stuff of across-the-board appeal." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

With a special LIVE film introduction from Paul Reiser!

Friday, May 30
Doors 9:30 pm | Movie 10:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Why not make it a Double Creature Feature with Ridley Scott's original 1979, ALIEN: The Director's Cut, on May 17 for one sweet price HERE?!

Saturday, May 17
ALIEN (The Director’s Cut)
Doors 9:30 pm | Movie 10:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Single film tickets available at www.riotheatretickets.ca

ALIENS (James Cameron | 1986 | 137 mins | 18A) Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.

Hard Rubber Orchestra, Canada’s 18-piece jazz powerhouse, will reprise the music of the famed Mahavishnu Orchestra. In the early 70's, this five-piece unit, lead by guitarist John McLaughlin, blew minds and drew a cult following with their ground-breaking fusion of jazz, Indian ragas and high volume rock.

Hard Rubber will perform original arrangements by John Korsrud, Fred Stride, Bill Runge and others, with guests; drummer Randall Stoll, and Chris Gestrin on keyboards, along with the 18-piece orchestra. HRO last presented this popular tribute more than a decade ago, and is excited to once again give audiences a chance to see the Mahavishnu Orchestra re-visited and re-imagined by Vancouver's one and only Hard Rubber Orchestra. Special guests: The Fits (Veda Hille and Patsy Klein).

7:30 pm: Short music films
8:15 pm: The Fits
9 pm: Hard Rubber Orchestra
Schedule subject to change

“John Korsrud likes a good challenge. Last year, he and his Vancouver-based 18-piece Hard Rubber Orchestra performed two big-band concerts of songs by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the 1970 jazz-rock quintet that favoured odd time signatures and high-octane delivery. To these ears, that second concert was the best show at last year’s jazz festival.” (Marke Andrews, Vancouver Sun)

Saturday, May 31
Doors 6:30 pm | Event 7:30pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Main Floor (Assigned Seating) - Sliding Scale $20+ s/c | $25+ s/c | $30+ s/c ('Sliding Scale' pricing = Pay what you can while supporting local, Canadian artists)
Balcony (General Admission) -  $15+ s/c

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Formed by artistic director John Korsrud in 1990, the Hard Rubber Orchestra has consistently been one of Canada's most active and unpredictable ensembles of creative music, presenting concerts of original music by some of Canada's most exciting composers, performed by Vancouver's finest musicians. The orchestra has recorded five albums, toured across Canada and to Europe. In 2005, they were the recipients of the Alcan Arts Award, the largest arts award in Canada for the creation of new work. They have produced several large theatrical works such as operas, avant ice shows, and arts raves and commissioned nearly 100 new works by composers such as Kenny Wheeler, John Hollenbeck, Darcy James Argue, Christine Jensen, Peggy Lee, Marianne Trudel, and Brad Turner. @hardrubberorchestra

Rain Coast Choir is proud to present our Summer of Love Showcase at the Rio Theatre on Sunday, June 1. Join us as we pay tribute to the music and the spirit of the 60’s. Led by Joline Baylis and backed by a full band, we’ll sing original arrangements of songs by The Mamas and the Papas, The Band, Buffalo Springfield and more!

Featuring cameos by guest artists Leo D.E. Johnson and C.R. Avery.

Sunday, June 1
Doors 7:00 pm | Show 7:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Adults $30 + s/c
Kids 12 and under $20 +s/c

By purchasing a ticket to the Summer of Love Showcase, you are supporting our vibrant choir community and helping to provide a safe space for singers of all backgrounds to explore their love of music and singing.

To contact the organizers of this event, please email info@raincoastchoir.com

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Wednesday, June 4 for Matthieu Kassovitz' gritty and groundbreaking urban French drama LA HAINE (2020 restoration).

Mathieu Kassovitz took the film world by storm with his 1996 feature LA HAINE, a bold, unsettling, and visually explosive look at the racial and cultural volatility in modern-day France, specifically the low-income banlieue districts on Paris’s outskirts. Aimlessly passing their days in the concrete environs of their dead-end suburbia, Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Hubert (Hubert Koundé), and Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui)—a Jew, an African, and an Arab—give human faces to France’s immigrant populations, their bristling resentment at their marginalization slowly simmering until it reaches a climactic boiling point.

A work of tough beauty, LA HAINE is a landmark of contemporary French cinema, and a gripping reflection of its country’s ongoing identity crisis.

"LA HAINE is an unmissable response to an unending emergency." (Guardian)

"A layered conundrum that builds to a stunning crescendo, Mathieu Kassovitz's LA HAINE is an extremely intelligent take on an idiotic reality: the mutual mistrust, contempt and hatred between the police and France's disenfranchised young citizens." (Variety)

Wednesday, June 4
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Why not make it a VINCENT CASSEL Double Bill with David Cronenberg's THE SHROUDS, for one sweet price!
https://riotheatretickets.ca/events/35687-vincent-cassel-double-bill-la-haine-30th-anniversary-the-shrouds

LA HAINE "Hate" (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1996 / 98 mins / 18A / French with English subs) When a young Arab is arrested and beaten unconscious by police, a riot erupts in the notoriously violent suburbs outside of Paris. Three of the victim's peers - a Jew, an African, and an Arab - wander aimlessly about their home turf in the aftermath of the violence as they try to come to grips with their outrage over the brutal incident. After one of the men finds a police officer's discarded weapon, their night seems poised to take a bleak turn.

Mathieu Kassovitz took the film world by storm with his 1996 feature LA HAINE, a bold, unsettling, and visually explosive look at the racial and cultural volatility in modern-day France, specifically the low-income banlieue districts on Paris’s outskirts. Aimlessly passing their days in the concrete environs of their dead-end suburbia, Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Hubert (Hubert Koundé), and Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui)—a Jew, an African, and an Arab—give human faces to France’s immigrant populations, their bristling resentment at their marginalization slowly simmering until it reaches a climactic boiling point.

THE SHROUDS revolves around a technological entrepreneur, Karsh, who is still grieving the loss of his wife, Becca. When several graves, including Becca's, are desecrated, Karsh embarks on a quest to find the perpetrator, which leads him down a nightmarish path of paranoia and grief when he engineers a technology that allows loved ones to watch their deceased family members decompose in specially designed burial shrouds. With Vincent Cassel (LA HAINE, BLACK SWAN), Diane Kruger (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS), Guy Pearce (MEMENTO, THE BRUTALIST), and Sandrine Holt.

Wednesday, June 4
Doors 6:00 PM | Film 6:30 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Brief intermission.

Doors 8:45 PM | Film 9:00 PM *As this is part of a double bill, start time is approximate only. Please arrive early.

Single film tickets also available.

LA HAINE “Hate” (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1996 / 98 mins / 18A / French with English subs) When a young Arab is arrested and beaten unconscious by police, a riot erupts in the notoriously violent suburbs outside of Paris. Three of the victim’s peers – a Jew, an African, and an Arab – wander aimlessly about their home turf in the aftermath of the violence as they try to come to grips with their outrage over the brutal incident. After one of the men finds a police officer’s discarded weapon, their night seems poised to take a bleak turn.

THE SHROUDS (David Cronenberg, 2025 / 121 mins  18A) Karsh, a creative entrepreneur who lost his spouse, develops a machine designed to communicate with deceased individuals.

THE SHROUDS revolves around a technological entrepreneur, Karsh, who is still grieving the loss of his wife, Becca. When several graves, including Becca's, are desecrated, Karsh embarks on a quest to find the perpetrator, which leads him down a nightmarish path of paranoia and grief when he engineers a technology that allows loved ones to watch their deceased family members decompose in specially designed burial shrouds. With Vincent Cassel (LA HAINE, BLACK SWAN), Diane Kruger (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS), Guy Pearce (MEMENTO, THE BRUTALIST), and Sandrine Holt.

"'The Shrouds' is the saddest movie David Cronenberg has ever made. It’s steeped in grief; the loss of the filmmaker’s wife Carolyn in 2017 is the engine that drives every scene, and his decision to style and groom star Vincent Cassel as his own doppelgänger brings the point home all the more powerfully." (TIFF.net)

"Even when purporting to tell his own story, Cronenberg cannot help but leave us with something more expansively unsettling." (The New Yorker)

Wednesday, June 4
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Why not make it a Vincent Cassel Double Bill with the 30th Anniversary screening of Mathieu Kassovitz's, LA HAINE, for one sweet price here: https://riotheatretickets.ca/events/35687-vincent-cassel-double-bill-la-haine-30th-anniversary-the-shrouds

THE SHROUDS (David Cronenberg, 2025 / 121 mins  18A) Karsh, a creative entrepreneur who lost his spouse, develops a machine designed to communicate with deceased individuals.

In 1999, our pal Kevin Smith and some friends released DOGMA to the masses, which has become a grade-A cult classic over the years. The film has been stuck in limbo due to rights issues, but last year, those rights have now reverted back to Kevin Smith and his team. This film was only available through physical media from old DVD and Blu-ray releases in the 2000s (predating streaming rights). Now with the film available once again, Kevin Smith is happy to offer the special 25th anniversary 4K remastered re-release of DOGMA: Resurrected! A 25th Anniversary Celebration for the original audience to see on the big screen - and for a new generation of fans to experience it for the first time in movie theatres.

This release will offer special bonus content, featuring Q&A highlights of Smith and friends from appearances being filmed later this month. We would love for you to join this celebration of Kevin’s favorite film in his repertoire!

DOGMA is a satirical fantasy comedy that follows two fallen angels, Bartleby and Loki, who discover a loophole that would allow them to return to Heaven, which would inadvertently undo the creation of the universe. A woman named Bethany, who is struggling with her faith, is tasked with stopping them before their plan succeeds. Along the way, she is joined by various characters, including a muse, a seraphim, and a group of unlikely allies, all as they battle against the forces of heaven and hell. A genuine cult-classic, DOGMA combines dark humor, theological questions, and absurdity to explore topics of faith, redemption, and religious mythology.

"Deliriously funny!" (Hollywood Reporter)

"Dogma is a raucous, profane but surprisingly endearing piece of work, a funny and lively film of ideas." (Los Angeles Times)

Thursday, June 5
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets on sale April 23

DOGMA (Kevin Smith, 1999 / 135 mins / 18A) Two fallen angels who were ejected from paradise find themselves banned in Wisconsin. They are now headed for New Jersey where they find a loophole that can get them back into heaven. The only catch is that it will destroy humanity. A group bands together to stop them.

"Is she insane?"
"Well, she's not normal."

And who is these days?! So why not be amongst other like minded abnormalities when coming #FridayLateNight to the Rio Theatre on June 6, we present horror icon and master suspense filmmaker, Dario Argento's PHENOMENA (AKA Creepers).

Dario Argento changed the course of horror history with movies like DEEP RED and SUSPIRIA. But his greatest achievement was deciding to pit Jennifer Connelly (LABYRINTH), Donald Pleasence (HALLOWEEN), and a cute monkey against a horde of killer insects. With a little bit of CARRIE, a touch of Nancy Drew, and a whole lot of black-gloved giallo mayhem, PHENOMENA is Argento’s finest entry in the coked-out, anything-goes sweepstakes of 1980s horror. From the shocking violence to the songs by Iron Maiden, this movie was made to be watched by a theater full of appreciative maniacs.

"As troublesome as this sentiment may sound, SUSPIRIA and DEEP RED might be Argento’s most important movies, but their formidable powers dim substantially when stacked up against to the berserk and rapturous mutant anomaly that is PHENOMENA." (Alexander On Film)

"Even folks who don't generally like movies that can broadly be categorized as "gore" or "slasher" flicks should be able to get a kick out of the works of Dario Argento, and Phenomena represents as good a starting point as any." (Film Frenzy)

Friday, June 6
Doors 10:30 pm | Film 11:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

#FridayLateNight is date night! Bring your favorite judgmental nurse,  boarding school bully or swarm of drones and get 2-for-1 tickets!

PHENOMENA aka Creepers (Dario Argento | 1985 | 110 mins | R) A young girl, with an amazing ability to communicate with insects, is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.

RSVP to the Nest Client Appreciation Day.
Eligible attendees will have received an invitation along with the required promo code to access tickets.

RAFFLE DRAW
DOOR PRIZES
PRIVATE FILM SCREENING OF A CLASSIC FAMILY FLICK
FREE SMALL POP & POPCORN
PHOTOBOOTH

Saturday, June 7
Doors 11:00 am | Film 11:45 am *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

All tickets proceeds will be donated to Covenant House Vancouver.

Iron Dog Books and Black Bond Books/Book Warehouse proudly present An Evening With V.E. Schwab at the Rio Theatre, in celebration of "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil." The evening promises a lively discussion, hosted by local author and podcaster Hannah McGregor, and an in-depth question period.

Ticket price includes a signed and specially embossed copy of "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil." Additionally, autographed copies of V.E. Schwab's previous books will be available for purchase, while quantities last.

VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades universe, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts series, Gallant, and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Translated into over two dozen languages and optioned for television and film, V.E. Schwab’s work is widely loved and critically acclaimed.

Monday, June 16 - Over 75% sold!
Doors 6:00 pm | Event 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Ticket price includes one signed copy of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, admission to event, and all taxes and fees.

Ticket purchasers will be contacted ahead of the event for the opportunity to submit questions.

Reel Green™ presents
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING

The first 100 people to arrive will receive a free medium popcorn.

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING (Avi Lewis, 2015 / 89 mins / PG) A look at seven communities around the world with the proposition that we can seize the crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better.

CJ The X: You're Not God, I Am!
The Case Study of the Century

Our taboo desire for social status, the anthropomorphization of God, and the most pivotal rap beef of our generation.

CJ The X is an independent interdisciplinary artist and an autodidactic philosopher. They have been making music since 2015, releasing videos since 2021, writing essays since 2023, and performing lectures since 2024. Their philosophy focuses on religion, art, technology, community, relationship and love.

CJ The X’s work is crowdfunded through Patreon, where they host a book club, powerpoint parties, and Q&As.

Friday, June 20
Doors: 7:00 pm | Event 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

For first access to tickets subscribe to their mailing list @ cjthex.com/subscribe
cjthex.com
youtube.com/cjthex
patreon.com/cjthex

For Pride this year the Rio Theatre is rolling out the rainbow carpet to welcome back Vancouver Pride & the return of Dandy's BIG GAY CABARET 2025! And whom better to be our honorable ambassador to the world and fellow Gaynadians than our very own Gayest of the Gays, Queerest of the Queers, Dandy!

Celebrate Vancouver at the most anticipated cabaret of the year! Runner up in Georgia Straight's BEST OF VANCOUVER 2023 and host of the year 2024, DANDY (tiktok star @dandyandfriends) curates a cabinet of charismatic, Queer, cabaret creators. Live singing, dance, death defying circus feats, drag, burlesque and some fun surprises. You might not be gay when you sit down, but research shows that attending this show will make you 69% gayer!. HUZZAH!

If you don't come to this show, you are homophobic! So get your tickets now, Darling.

Friday, August 1
Doors 7:15 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird tickets available until July 1, SAVE $5 off each ticket!

Main Floor Assigned $30 + s/c | $35 at the door
VIP - First 4 rows $40 + s/c **VIP ticket holders also get an interactive prop bag to be used during the show!**
The 'We Are Family' 4 Pack $25 a ticket + s/c (Available online only)

But wait, there's more!

The Rio Theatre lobby and bar will be open between shows and serving up Pride inspired cocktails, mocktails and your favorite gay anthems. Don't forget to pick up a Rio Theatre Pride Edition T-shirt, check out the merch booth and pose, vogue, pose at our pride photo backdrop. Don't forget to tag us in your pics @riotheatre & @dandyandfriends

LIST OF FEATURE PERFORMERS COMING SOON!

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About your Host:

Dandy (he/him) is the award-winning host made popular on TikTok for his viral videos promoting queer joy! Winner of Host of the Year 2024 for Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and awarded runner up in the Georgia Straight’s BEST OF VANCOUVER for his show Drag Attack! – you can catch him regularly on stage in his shows at the iconic Rio Theatre in Vancouver, or touring regularly this year between LA and New York City. His all new series Dandyland, which highlights businesses, organizations, and artists in the lower-mainland’s LGBT Community, premiered this Summer on Optik TV and was nominated by the Costume Designers Guild Awards for Excellence in Short Form Design 2024 thanks to already award winning, multi-talented Costume Designer, Rafaella Rabinovich

@dandyandfriends

Guess who's back to keep Vancouver laughing... The East Van Laugh RioT is pleased to welcome the summertime return of comedian Sammy Obeid - with all-new material! We just can't keep him off our stage!

Sunday, August 10
Doors 4:00 pm | Show 5:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird tickets available until May 12, midnight.

Adult Balcony (General Admission) $39 + s/c
Adult Main Floor (Assigned Seating) $48+ s/c
VIP Meet n' Greet (Rows 2-6, centre section) $65+ s/c
VVIP Meet n' Greet (Front Row, centre section) $75+ s/c
Group Ticket Pricing (Minimum 4) $43 (ea)+ s/c (online only)

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Lebanese-Palestinian American and born in Oakland California, Sammy Obeid double-majored in Business and Mathematics at UC Berkeley and then turned down a job at Google to be a comedian.

Now the host of 100 Humans on Netflix, he’s also appeared on NBC's Last Comic Standing and America's Got Talent, as well as TBS’s Conan, and is best known for his world record of performing comedy 1,001 nights in a row, a story featured in both Time Magazine and The New York Times.

Connect on Instagram @sammyobeid
Connect on Facebook
Connect on TikTok @sammyobeidthem
Connect on X @sammyobeid

KEVIN NEALON
Presented by Gotpop? Concerts

The Rio Theatre is pleased to welcome Kevin Nealon to the stage for a night of standup comedy on Sunday, March 24.

Sunday, August 24
Doors 6:00 pm | Show 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Main Floor (Assigned) $85+ s/c
Balcony (General Admission) $75+ s/c

Kevin Nealon is an Emmy and SAG-nominated actor and comedian who sets himself apart from other comedic performers with his unique sense of humor, dry wit and likable demeanor. Nealon is best known for his nine-year stint as a cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, and received critical acclaim for his role in the hit Showtime series Weeds. Kevin currently produces and hosts his digital series Hiking with Kevin, and tours his stand-up globally. In 2022 he released his, I Exaggerate: My Brushes with Fame. Part art book, part memoir -- the book is full of original full-color caricatures Kevin has created along with funny, endearing personal essays about his famous friends.

Nealon’s extensive television credits include the CBS sitcom, Man With a Plan, in which he starred alongside Matt LeBlanc; Showtime’s Weeds, which ran for eight seasons. Additional television roles include two critically acclaimed stand-up
specials for Showtime and a number of appearances on Hot In Cleveland, Franklin & Bash, Monk, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Still Standing.

Kevin has also has found great comedic success in his extensive film career. In Anger Management, he played opposite Jack Nicholson and fellow SNL comedian, Adam Sandler. He and Sandler also teamed up in Eight Crazy Nights, The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore, Just Go With It, Blended, and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, the latter of which grossed over $200 million worldwide. In Joe Dirt, Nealon joined another SNL alumnus David Spade. Additional film credits include Daddy Day Care with Eddie Murphy, Good Boy with Molly Shannon, Bucky Larsen: Born to be a Star with Nick Swardson, Roxanne with Steve Martin and the cult hit Grandma’s Boy, also with Nick Swardson and Jonah Hill.

As one of the longest running cast members on NBC’s Saturday Night Live (1986-1995), Nealon created some of the show’s most memorable characters, including ‘The Subliminal Man’ and ‘Hans and Franz.’ Nealon’s recurring role as an anchor on ‘Weekend Update’ helped make the sketch a show staple. In 1988, he earned an Emmy nomination as part of the SNL writing team. In 2008, Nealon released his first book, Yes, You’re Pregnant, But What About Me? - a comical look at the male perspective of pregnancy.

Currently, Kevin resides in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

Ashwyn Singh comes to the Rio Theatre's stage with his latest show on Thursday, September 18.

Thursday, September 18
Doors 6:00 pm | Show 6:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

VVIP (Front Row) $45 + s/c
VIP (Rows B-F) $35+ s/c
Main Floor $30+ s/c
Group Pass (4 Tickets) $108+ s/c

Ashwyn Singh is a standup comedian, musician, and writer whose work blends incisive humor with heartfelt social commentary. An Indian immigrant turned Canadian resident, Ashwyn draws on his unique perspective to explore themes of cultural identity, immigration, and family with wit and relatability.

His viral Desi Translations series, which has over 40 million views, celebrates the artistry of Hindi and Urdu lyrics by reinterpreting everyday English phrases. Beyond social media, Ashwyn’s standup comedy tackles social issues like immigration, religion, politics, mental health, and global conflicts, highlighting the hypocrisy in human behavior with sharp humor.

Featured on Canada’s Got Talent, CBC’s The Debaters, and major comedy festivals like Winnipeg and Halifax, Ashwyn has opened for acclaimed acts such as Mark Normand, Sammy Obeid, and Zarna Garg, establishing himself as a standout talent in comedy.

LADIES OF VANCOUVER ARE YOU READY?!

The Magic Men Australia "LARGER THAN LIFE" WORLD TOUR is hitting town, and this is your chance to witness the ultimate, high-energy, jaw-dropping, pulse-racing male revue show LIVE!

Featuring TIKTOK SENSATION WILL PARFITT! With millions of fans worldwide, this Channing Tatum lookalike is ready to bring the heat, charm, and signature moves that have made him a global sensation! Expect an all-star lineup of chiseled hunks, heart-racing performances, and electrifying stage presence that will leave you breathless and begging for more!

Round up your squad for the ULTIMATE Girls’ Night Out! Get ready for a night packed with jaw-dropping entertainment, cheeky surprises, and non-stop fun. TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST – DON’T MISS OUT! Secure yours NOW and experience the Magic Men Australia WORLD TOUR LIVE!

Saturday, September 27
Doors 7:00 PM | Event 8:00 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Ticket levels

Premium - Main Floor (first 5 rows): $85 + s/c
•   Exclusive Early Entry: Doors open 30 minutes earlier than regular door opening time.
•   Prime Seating: Seated closest to the action for the best viewing experience.
•   Stage Participation Opportunity: Approximately 40 audience members will have the chance to get on stage.
•   Meet & Greet & Photos: Early access to the meet-and-greet team for photo opportunities.
•   Early Merchandise Sales: Priority access to merchandise sales before general entry, ensuring a quicker, smoother experience.

Deluxe - Main Floor: $65 + s/c
•   Second-Tier Seating: The second closest seating category to the stage, offering a great view of the show.
•   Meet & Greet & Photos: Enjoy the opportunity to meet the team and take photos.
•   Stage Participation Opportunity: A  smaller chance to be invited on stage during the show over Premium.

General Admission - Balcony: $40 + s/c
•   Non-Reserved Seating
Entry to the show.
Full stage performance experience.

This Rio Theatre gift certificate is good for entry to any single regular screening and includes one medium popcorn, one medium fountain beverage, and one small candy. If you prefer a physical card, this gift certificate is also available for purchase from our conession stand during open business hours.