Next Film Club Pick: Ladies in Lavender, March 1
It is 1936 on England’s Cornish coast, and the storm of WWII is brewing across the channel. Ladies in Lavender features Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, as sisters whose lives are upended by a dishy and mysterious young man who washes up on their beach. As the sisters, one a spinster and the other widowed, nurse the mysterious stranger back to health, his presence raises both memories, feelings and concerns. Their crusty housekeeper, played by Miriam Margolyes, provides a no-nonsense counterpoint in the household.
The 2004 film marked the directorial debut of British actor Charles Dance. As always Dench and Smith bring their remarkable talent to this sensitively-told tale. According to the New York Times, “Dench is perfectly paired with Smith, who’s peerless at impregnating meaning into the most meager of lines, here done with poignancy and warmth.”
Watch the trailer.
Please reserve your spot on Eventbrite for free by midnight on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. If you find out you can’t attend, please cancel your reservation on Eventbrite or email us at info@backlanestudios.ca.
Please arrive at the studio on March 1 between 1:30 and 1:45 pm. Enjoy the treats!
Welcome to our 2026 lineup of films and Year Three of our Back Lane Film Club. The votes have been tabulated! Here are the films that we will watch in 2026.
- Murder By Death — January
- Cloud Atlas — February
- Ladies in Lavender — March
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople
- Latcho Drom
- Orlando
- Proof
- Talk to Her
- The Adjustment Bureau
- Un Air de Famille
2026 Membership
Thanks to the generosity of the Back Lane Studios, we are keeping Back Lane Film Club memberships to $25 annual fee, either with cash or etransfer to our host Ellen Moorhouse at ellen@backlanestudios.ca. There’s still room to join! After our June screening, it is $5 per film for newcomers if space allows. The studio has a capacity of about 30 people per film.
Screening details – Cloud Atlas
- Sunday, March 1: Ladies in Lavender: Please arrive between. 1:30 and 1:45 pm to settle in before the screening.
- Back Lane Studios, 9 Neepawa Ave., Toronto – side door in the laneway
2026 BLFC nominated films
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the list of more than 65 films nominated for screening for 2026. Below in no particular order, are the films that people voted on to see – not as big a mix as last year of old and new or English and foreign language. These will be programmed through 2025 in order of availability and variety:
2026 Sunday screening dates
With the exception of the Easter weekend the BLFC meets on the first Sunday of each month. Reserve these dates:
- Jan. 4, 2026: Murder by Death
- Feb 1, 2026: Cloud Atlas
- March 1, 2026 Ladies in Lavender
- April 12 (weekend following Easter)
- May 3
- June 7
- July/August off
- Sept 6
- Oct 4
- Nov 1
- Dec 6
Interested in our monthly Film Club?
We’re now well into 2026 and the selections the film club have chosen for our monthly get-together at Back Lane Studios.
Thanks to Kirsten Gunter for coming up with the idea and organizing our club.
Members pick a film that’s been forgotten or overlooked and deserves to be seen. Whoever chooses the film gives a short introduction, we watch, and there’s a discussion after the screening.
Our screenings usually take place on the first Sunday of the month at the studio. Space is limited. We can comfortably accommodate around 30 people for a screening. We set up online seat reservations on Eventbrite for members to book their seat! If a screening appears to be sold-out on Eventbrite, there may be a few seats still available. Email us at info@backlanestudios.ca to find out.
Here are some club details:
- Annual fee: $25 (for refreshments, film rentals, etc.) Screenings will thereafter be free for members. E-transfer your membership fee to ellen@backlanestudios.ca or pay in cash or by credit card at the studio.
- Guests: Non-members can attend if space is available for a fee of $5 per film screening.
- When: Usually the first Sunday of each month with the possible exceptions of July and August.
- Where: At Back Lane Studios, 9 Neepawa Ave., Toronto, ON M6R 1V1.
- The Films: Under-appreciated gems that deserve to be seen. We will be assembling a list of overlooked films that are available for screening on DVD, through streaming or on hard drives. The selected film for each screening will be given a five-minute introduction by the film’s nominee, including background, interesting trivia, information about the actors, etc.
If you are interested in joining, please email us at info@backlanestudios.ca. It will be a great opportunity to meet fellow cinephiles and to see and discuss some interesting feature films.
Film club members are invited to gather at 1:30 pm at Back Lane Studios, 9 Neepawa Ave., ahead of the 2 pm film start time
Last Year’s Screenings:
Here’s the list of films we showed in 2025:
- Sunday Jan. 5, 2025: Camille Claudel
- Sunday, Feb. 2, 2005: Viridiana
- Sunday, March 9, 2025: The Automat
- Sunday, April 6, 2025: Travels With My Aunt
- Sunday, May 4, 2025: Diva
- Sunday, June 8, 2025 (Please note the date change!): Burning
- Sunday, Sept 7, 2025: Black Butterflies
- Sunday, Oct 5, 2025: Kolya
- Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025: The Fugitive Kind
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 2025: The Servant