The curtain will soon fall on the 2022-23 season of programming from the Brock University Film Society (BUFS), but not before an event celebrating the Canadian indie hit, You Can Live Forever.

Following the film’s screening on Thursday, April 6, the audience will be treated to a live virtual Q&A session with directors Sarah Watts and Mark Slutsky.

Set in eastern Quebec, the queer teen romance tells the story of Jaime, who comes to stay in a tight-knit Jehovah’s Witnesses community with a promise to follow the rules, and Marike, a devoted community member who falls in love with her.

The Brock University Film Society rounds out the 2022-23 season with the Niagara regional premiere of You Can Live Forever followed by a live, virtual Q&A with the filmmakers on Thursday, April 6 at 7 p.m. at the Film House.

Associate Professor Anthony Kinik is excited to bring the film to Niagara after its successful run on the festival circuit and its Canadian theatrical debut in late March, and is looking forward to giving the BUFS audience a chance to chat with the directors.

The film was leaked soon after its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and bootleg copies quickly appeared internationally.

“Within weeks this Canadian indie film had become a viral sensation with an astounding string of You Can Live Forever-inspired memes, TikTok videos, YouTube edits, fan fiction and other examples of contemporary convergence culture — most of them produced by teenage girls,” says Kinik. “The film has resonated particularly strongly with young queer kids growing up in religious communities of all sorts, kids who are trying to navigate their way between their faith and their sexual identities.”

Everyone is welcome to attend BUFS screenings. BUFS is housed in Brock’s Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film (CPCF) and aims to bring the best in independent and art house cinema to Niagara.

The final screening of the season takes place Thursday, April 6 at the Film House at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines. A new lineup of films will follow in the fall.

Tickets for all screenings are available at the Film House. General admission is $9.50 or $7.50 for Film House members, plus tax. Free BUFS memberships are also available on screening nights.

For more details, visit BUFS on the web.