DUNEDIN FILM SOCIETY
WELCOME TO OUR NEXT SCREENING
Matt Johnson's
BLACKBERRY
(Canada, 2023, 120 mins, M offensive language)
Wednesday 19 March, 7.30PM, University of Otago’s Castle 1 Lecture Theatre**
This whip-smart Canadian comedy channels the zippy snark of The Social Network to tell the extraordinarily dramatic rise and equally spectacular fall of the world’s first smartphone. |
|
| "The genius and hubris of the tech industry collide in this wildly entertaining account of the dramatic rise and fall of the world’s first smartphone. It was the product that would revolutionise the way we lived... Canadian innovator Mike Lazaridis (played by comic mainstay Jay Baruchel) teamed up with cutthroat entrepreneur Jim Balsillie (a ferocious Glenn Howerton, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) to bring the world a mobile phone that would also allow users to — you’ll never believe this — send and receive emails. Like a blend of The Social Network and The Office, BlackBerry reimagines the meetings, schemes, pipe dreams and pizza boxes that gave rise to the titular tech sensation” (Melbourne International Film Festival 2023).
FURTHER REVIEW
"Based on the 2015 book Losing the Signal... the film, directed by Matt Johnson (The Dirties), is a boisterous account of the boom-and-bust, crash-and-burn trajectory of one of the world’s first smartphones and the chaotic collection of Canadian nerds that created it... The discord between them is initially productive – it’s the engine that powers BlackBerry to success, after all. But, the film suggests, the personality clash was also a distraction, weakening the company at a crucial moment – the launch of Apple’s iPhone. We have the benefit of hindsight, of course, but even so, it’s hard to watch the final 30 minutes of the film without screaming at the screen and wondering how the smartest guys in Waterloo, Ontario, could have been so incredibly dumb" (Wendy Ide, The Guardian).
Finally, watch a conversation with two people who know the real story well: former Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie and Jacquie McNish, who wrote Losing the Signal, the behind-the-scenes look at the Canadian company.
––––––––––––––––
Please Note:
The NZ Federation of Film Societies has cancelled the screenings of How Far Is Heaven (ours was 23 July) because one of the subjects of the film now objects to it being shown. The Society's Committee is now in negotiation with the Federation to secure a suitable replacement title – we will advise members of this soon as possible.
––––––––––––––––
ABOUT THE DUNEDIN FILM SOCIETY
ADMISSION
Free to members.
TO JOIN
To purchase a Full Season membership:- complete a membership form from our website and pay by online bank transfer (06-0942-0696013-00);
- or join at the door before any screening (cash only).
- you can also join at the OUSA office reception at the University of Otago (cash only).
Alternatively, you can purchase a Three-Film sampler ($25), which can be also be shared to bring two friends to one screening. The sampler does not expire and can be used over multiple years.
Membership includes generous discounts at Rialto Cinemas (from Monday to Friday) and the 2025 Dunedin Whānau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival; and FREE entry to the 2025 screenings of all other affiliated New Zealand Film Societies. Each member is entitled to ONE FREE GUEST ADMISSION to a single screening.
**To get to the Castle 1 Theatre: walk up between the University of Otago’s Arts building (Burns) and Information Services building (Central Library), on Albany Street.
WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK!... on this screening, or any other Dunedin Film Society showing, on dunedinfi...@gmail.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– |
|
| Our mailing address is:
Dunedin Film SocietyPO BOX 6139 Dunedin North Dunedin, Otago 9059New Zealand |
|
|
|
