Next Monday's feature at Monday Night at the Movies, The Italian, will have three screenings, at 4:30, 7:00 and 9:20 p.m.

Imbued with overtones reminiscent of Charles Dickens, The Italian - presented at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival - is a humane and sympathetic study of a young boy in the grim world of a Russian orphanage.

The orphanage is run by the wily Madam (Maria Kuznetsova), who is only interested in making money by selling the children to wealthy Westerners. Each adoption is treated as a financial transaction. The vulnerable but toughskinned Vanya is given the nick-name The Italian when he is chosen for adoption by an Italian couple. It seems Vanya will be one of the lucky ones; at least he will escape.

The other children his age find themselves at the mercy of older kids involved in everything from theft to pimping.

However, Vanya's life changes when he meets the birth mother of another boy who had left for the West in the hands of foreigners. This encounter has a huge impact, and convinces Vanya that he needs to find his own birth mother. Confronting one obstacle after another, Vanya is tireless in his attempt to find his mother. During his voyage, he encounters kindness and sympathy, treachery and duplicity, but remains unwaveringly focused on his goal.

The Italian is blessed with the stunning lead performance of Kolya Spiridonov, who is full of spunk, yet also deeply sensitive. Like the works of Dickens, the film is neither black nor white, depressing nor uplifting, but rather a wonderful combination of differing emotions. Vanya s roller-coaster ride through post-Glasnost Russia is an edifying and inspirational tale.

For more information visit www.sonyclassics. com/theitalian

The short film to be screened with The Italian is the 2007 Oscar Winner for Best Short Animation, The Danish Poet (15 min.) The narrator of The Danish Poet follows Kasper, a poet whose creative well has run dry, on a holiday to Norway to meet the famous writer, Sigrid Undset. As Kasper's quest for inspiration unfolds, it appears that a spell of bad weather, an angry dog, slippery barn planks, a careless postman, hungry goats and other seemingly unrelated factors might play important roles in the big scheme of things.

The Italian is rated PG and runs 99 minutes. Individual tickets are available ($8, cash only) at BookLore and Galaxy Cinemas, Orangeville.

Coming May 7: Away From Her (Canada) Rated PG, 110 minutes.

Sarah Polley has been acting since she was six years old. A passionate advocate for Canadian cinema, she moved into the director's chair with the 2001 Genie Award-winning short film, I Shout Love, and has dedicated the last two years to her tremendously moving debut feature, Away From Her, which was a gala presentation at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, where it met with critical and popular acclaim.

Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) have been married for 50 years and have what many consider the perfect life together, full of laughter and love.

But as Fiona begins to suffer memory loss, her inadvertent references to her past create difficult complications. The agonizing decision is made to move Fiona into a nursing home, and Grant is advised not to see her for a month so she can adjust - even though they've never spent this much time apart.

When he finally visits her, she's forgotten him and has fallen in love with Aubrey (Michael Murphy), a man she has met in the home.

Next Monday, April 23, new and returning members will be able to pick up subscription forms for the upcoming season. The cost of a season's pass has not changed in 10 years. However, expenses have been steadily rising and the cost of a pass for all 11 films in the 2007-2008 season will be $75. Headwaters plans 'Walk-of-Life'

On Sunday April 29, Headwaters Health Care Centre's Cardiac Wellness Program will host a "Walkof Life" at Island Lake Conservation Area in Orangeville.

Mike Walker, the exercise physiologist who has overseen the program since its inception, invites the community to join current and former patients on a 5 km walk along the scenic lakeside Vicki Barron Trail.

This family event will help promote the benefits of physical activity and raise awareness of heart disease. The goal is to raise funds to support the purchase of exercise equipment for Headwaters Cardiac Wellness Program.

To date, the program has benefited over 300 people in Dufferin and Caledon. Participants learn to manage their heart condition and create permanent positive lifestyle changes to maintain good health. The program is designed to help patients recover faster and prevent further progression of their heart disease through supervised exercise classes and educational sessions.

Exercise classes consist of treadmill walking and stationary cycling, along with stretching and muscle conditioning. The exercise program is tailored to the individual based on the results of their exercise stress test. Information about cardiac risk factors, cardiac medications, heart healthy nutrition, exercise guidelines, and stress management complement the program.

The program runs for 16 weeks. A fee is charged to offset the cost, as the hospital does not receive government funding for it. A physician referral is required to participate in the outpatient Cardiac Wellness program.

Registration opens at 11 a.m. at Island Lake Conservation Area. The walk will start at 1 p.m. and the trail will close at 3.

Registration is $15 per person, with the fee including parking and park admission for the day, as well as a T-shirt. Participants are encouraged to raise money by collecting pledges.

For a copy of the registration form, or for more information, please contact Mike Walker at 519-941-2702 ext. 220 or mwalker@headwatershealth. ca