Eight evenings For people who love politics & CINEMA
NEXT SHOWING: February 5th - Election
A new film series dedicated to the good, the hilarious, the bad and the ugly of political life.
REEL Politics is a film series designed to bring people together at the intersection of politics, culture, and storytelling.
Designed to spark conversation and inspire curiosity, the eight films selected offer a mix of fun, earnest, and borderline surreal perspectives on political life. Each evening will feature special guest observations on the themes or production of the film.
Profits from this series will be used to support the Jaimie Anderson Parliamentary Internship and Scholarships at the Carleton University Graduate Program in Political Management. Our goal is to support young Canadians who are eager to get involved in public life, equipping them with the tools, experience, and networks they need to make a meaningful impact.
Whether you're a politico, wonk, or just love a good story, REEL Politics invites you to join us for eight nights that will entertain, inform, and (hopefully) inspire. Come for the movie (and the free popcorn!), and help encourage young people and stimulating conversations.
REEL Politics is organized by local volunteers including Mollie Anderson, Jennifer Robson, Robert Fontaine, Kathleen Davis, Isobel Haddow, Samantha Wilkie, Erica Martin, Chris Schlesak, Bruce Anderson, Sarah Donnelly and Micaal Ahmed. We are grateful for support from a diverse group of generous sponsors, and help in promotion from National Newswatch, Politico, Hill Times, spark* and iPolitics.
NEXT SHOWING
Election
February 5th, 2026
(Doors Open: 5:30pm ~ Show Starts: 6:00pm)
Directed by Alexander PayneCurrent Lineup
Explore our current film lineup. New titles are added regularly, so check back often.
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
October 9th, 2025
(Doors Open: 5:30pm ~ Show Starts: 6:00pm)
Directed by Alan J. PakulaTwo green reporters and rivals working for the Washington Post, Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), research the botched 1972 burglary of the Democratic Party Headquarters at the Watergate apartment complex. With the help of a mysterious source, code-named Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook), the two reporters make a connection between the burglars and a White House staffer. Despite dire warnings about their safety, the duo follows the money all the way to the top.
LES ORDRES
December 4th, 2025
(Doors Open: 5:30pm ~ Show Starts: 6:00pm)
Directed by Michel BraultDrawing on the testimonies of some 50 civilians who were detained after the War Measures Act was invoked in Quebec in October 1970, Les ordres (Orders) blurs the line between documentary and drama to tell the story of five fictional characters (three men and two women) from their arrest through to their release. The film won the award for Best Director at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival.
A face in the crowd
January 8th, 2026
(Doors Open: 5:30pm ~ Show Starts: 6:00pm)
Directed by Elia KazanAmbitious young radio producer Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal) finds a charming rogue named Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes (Andy Griffith) in an Arkansas drunk tank and puts him on the air. Soon, Rhodes' local popularity gets him an appearance on television in Memphis, which he parlays into national network stardom that he uses to endorse a presidential candidate for personal gain. But the increasingly petulant star's ego, arrogance and womanizing threaten his rise to the top.
bEANS
TBD
Directed by Tracey DeerTwelve-year-old Beans is on the edge: torn between innocent childhood and reckless adolescence; forced to grow up fast and become the tough Mohawk warrior she needs to be during the Oka Crisis, the turbulent Indigenous uprising that tore Quebec and Canada apart for 78 tense days in the summer of 1990.
tHE death of stalin
November 13th, 2025
(Doors Open: 5:30pm ~ Show Starts: 6:00pm)
Directed by Armando Lanucci When tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin dies in 1953, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to become the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweebish Georgy Malenkov, the wily Nikita Khrushchev and Lavrenti Beria -- the sadistic secret police chief. As they bumble, brawl and back-stab their way to the top, the question remains -- just who is running the government?
tHE Battle of Algiers
April 2nd, 2026
(Doors Open: 5:30pm ~ Show Starts: 6:00pm)
Directed by Gillo PontecorvoParatrooper commander Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin), a former French Resistance fighter during World War II, is sent to 1950s Algeria to reinforce efforts to squelch the uprisings of the Algerian War. There he faces Ali la Pointe (Brahim Haggiag), a former petty criminal who, as the leader of the Algerian Front de Liberation Nationale, directs terror strategies against the colonial French government occupation. As each side resorts to ever-increasing brutality, no violent act is too unthinkable.
When an unhinged U.S. Air Force general launches a unilateral nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, political and military leaders scramble in the Pentagon’s War Room to prevent global annihilation. As the president consults with generals, diplomats, and the wheelchair-bound ex-Nazi scientist Dr. Strangelove, efforts to recall the bombers are undermined by rigid military protocols, Cold War paranoia, and human folly. Blending satire and farce, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb exposes the absurd logic of nuclear brinkmanship and the fragile line between deterrence and disaster.
Election is a biting political satire set inside a high school student-body race. Hyper-ambitious overachiever Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) appears destined to win until her civics teacher, Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), quietly intervenes, driven by resentment and a misplaced sense of moral duty. What unfolds is a darkly comic portrait of power, manipulation, and rule-bending, revealing how ego and ambition can distort democratic ideals - even in the smallest and most familiar arenas.
Prime Minister
March 5th, 2026
(Doors Open: 5:30pm ~ Show Starts: 6:00pm)
Directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay UtzDr. Strangelove
May 7th, 2026
(Doors Open: 5:30pm ~ Show Starts: 6:00pm)
Directed by Stanley KubrickPrime Minister (2025) is a documentary co-directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz, chronicling the five-year tenure of New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern The film explores Ardern’s rise to leadership in 2017, her handling of pivotal crises such as the Christchurch terrorist attack, Whakaari/White Island eruption, COVID‑19 pandemic, and her decision to become only the second world leader to give birth while in office. It blends public and deeply personal moments—home life, emotional reflections, journal audio diaries—and aims to humanize political leadership and emphasize empathy, resilience, and authenticity
All the President's Men
Watch the exclusive interview with Peter Mansbridge and Bob Woodford.
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