Thursday night has a special place in the routines of the downtown work week. A colleague once described it as a time of “guilt-free socializing” because it was the one night his wife was at book club, and a friend immersed in the online dating world recently noted that Thursday is the ultimate PDN (I later found out this is online jargon for “prime date night”). As universal as its appeal may be, however, by late summer, Thursday night socializing often takes on some reliably recurrent themes: the sticky downtown patio, the sugary drinks and talk of coworkers’ cottage plans.
If your Thursday evenings have taken a turn for the humdrum, make the short trek to the Amsterdam Brewery near the foot of Bathurst Street. Every Thursday this summer, the Brewery has been hosting the stellar Open Roof Festival (ORF) — a thrilling combination of independent films, live bands and outdoor merriment. A Thursday at the ORF has typically featured a live band at 8pm, a screening of a film at 9pm, followed by an after-party — all held in the Brewery’s skyline-lit parking lot.
Based on a New York City project of a similar nature, the ORF is run by a not-for-profit organization that aims to support independent artists, and uses all profits to support Toronto’s independent film community. The ORF has already showcased some of the best contemporary Canadiana — like the hauntingly beautiful National Parks Project, which features scenes from some of Canada’s most stunning natural landscapes, and was created by 52 of Canada’s most inspiring musicians and filmmakers.
The Festival continues until September 1, and two more film and band nights are on schedule. Next Thursday, August 25, the Festival will feature the local six-piece YUKA, a band known for their excellent instrumental funk and wacky stage presence. The set will be followed by an open-air screening of the 2010 comedy-drama Submarine, a film about a precocious fifteen-year-old strategizing to rescue his parents’ marriage while navigating his own awkward teenage universe.
On Thursday, September 1, the Festival will be hosting the excellent Toronto-based band The Junction, which will be showcasing their newest jazz-indie-pop fusion record. The trio will be followed by a screening of the award-winning Eco-Pirate, a feature-length documentary which chronicles the life and work of notorious environmental activist Paul Watson. The film looks at Watson’s role during Greenpeace’s inception, his controversial crusade against whaling and his repeated flouting of the law in an effort to highlight the systemic inadequacies of international environmental policies and practices.
What: Open Roof Festival
Where: The Amsterdam Brewery: 21 Bathurst Street, Toronto
When: Doors open every Thursday night at 7:30pm. The band goes on at 8pm, and the film starts at 9pm.
How much: Tickets are $15 each and are available at boxoffice@openrooffestival.com, at 647.857.0748, or at the door.
Maria is a Toronto articling student. Her column, Leisure Aid, appears every other Friday here at lawandstyle.ca.