It’s not always easy to broach the topic of death.
The Chilliwack Hospice Society is launching its 2011 Film Series premiere with the Canadian cinematic masterpiece, One Week, on May 5 at the Cottonwood Theatre.
The screening will serve as a “springboard” for further community discussions on death and dying, as well as the role of the Hospice Society, said organizer Colletta Holmes.
“The whole idea is to make people feel more comfortable with discussing a topic like death,” she said.
The film series is part of Hospice’s community education efforts, and they’re trying out the local theatre on Luckakuck Way as “neutral territory” that may put folks more at ease with the subject matter that they would be otherwise, she said.
The Thursday, May 5 event is the first film to be featured and a second one will be slated for next fall.
“In choosing the first film, we wanted one that would have the broadest appeal,” Holmes said.
The road movie One Week follows the odyssey of Ben Tyler played by Vancouver born Joshua Jackson. He’s a daydreamer, a teacher, a failed writer who is days away from getting married. Then he learns he has an aggressive form of cancer and only has two years —or maybe one week — to live. So he heads west across Canada on a motorcycle.
A panel from the Hospice Palliative Care Team will be on-hand during the event to host the discussion. The film will be shown at 6:45 p.m. with discussion to follow, and the box office opens at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 each.
For more details contact Coletta Holmes 604-795-4660 or coletta@chilliwackhospice.org