Cineplex theatres in Saskatoon, Regina to screen controversial anti-abortion film Unplanned

Article content

A pair of Saskatchewan movie theatres are among 14 in Canada’s largest cinema chain to schedule screenings of a controversial film that critics say presents a biased anti-abortion viewpoint.

Unplanned is set to be shown on Cineplex screens in Saskatoon (Scotiabank Theatre) and Regina (Normanview Cinemas) from July 12-18. After being released in the United States in March, the film is now being shown in select theatres across Canada.

The movie is also set to screen at 10 Landmark Cinemas across the country, as well as more than two dozen independent or regional theatres. Neither of Saskatchewan’s Landmark locations — Saskatoon and Yorkton — have showings scheduled.

The American film is based on the life experience of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director in Texas who became strongly anti-abortion. Described on the film’s website as “an eye-opening look inside the abortion industry from a woman who was once its most passionate advocate” and “an inspiring true story,” the film has drawn criticism from pro-choice groups.

Ellis Jacob, president and CEO of Cineplex, said in an open letter that the company has heard from people “on both sides of the conversation” and that “the decision to move forward with screenings of this particular film was a complicated one and it was not made easily or lightly.

“I understand and can appreciate the concerns about the film, but it is up to each of us to decide whether or not we want to see it,” Jacob said. “In Canada, we have that option and I think it is an important thing to remember.”

Jacob, who immigrated to Canada in 1969, said one of the things he has always loved about living in the country is that “we don’t shy away from our differences, we embrace them. Canada is a country that believes in and rallies behind freedom of expressions but that isn’t always an easy thing to do and it certainly doesn’t always make you popular.

“In this instance many of us will have to set aside our own personal beliefs and remember that living in a country that censors content, opinions and points of view because they are different from our own is not a country that any of us would want to live in.”

The film was directed, produced and written by Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon. Made on a budget of $6 million, according to movie tracking website BoxOfficeMojo, the film to date has earned more than $18 million at the domestic box office.

Top critics on film review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes have given the movie generally negative reviews. Audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, on the other hand, have been overwhelmingly positive.

“A dramatic approach to a hot-button topic whose agenda is immediately clear, Unplanned will only reinforce the feelings of viewers on either side of the issue,” reads the critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes.

Frederique Chabot, director of health promotion at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, believes that showing the film has consequences and therefore theatres have responsibilities.

“We are not very pleased that it’s being distributed in Canada,” she said. “This movie was created by a Christian-based production company. It’s a film with political aims when it comes to creating a base of support for anti-abortion policies. So it’s not a benign thing to see this showcased in our country.”

Chabot said Action Canada plans to hold fundraisers in every Canadian city where the movie is shown to raise money for the organization’s abortion travel fund, providing transportation to clinics for women who live outside urban centres.

Unplanned’s Canadian distributor, Pastor B.J. McKelvie of Cinedicom, said that he picked up the film because no one else would.

“We’re not typically distributors,” said McKelvie. “We’re typically film bookers; we work for theatres. But I decided to take a chance and pick this one up.

“It certainly lines up with my values of faith, so I didn’t have an issue taking on the film.”

— With files from T’Cha Dunlevy, Postmedia Network