The Cinematheque

“Director Alfonso Cuarón finally decants the essence of J.K. Rowling’s work and brings us one of the greatest fantasy films of all time.”

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon

Of the now ten(!) movies in the ever-expanding Potter-verse, Prisoner of Azkaban is wands down our favourite! Hats should be tipped to visionary Mexican auteur Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), who settled into the director’s chair vacated by family-film ace Chris Columbus (Home Alone) and guided the series into more sophisticated, more emotionally resonant, more rapturously visual—more, well, Cuarónian territory! Harry’s third year at Hogwarts gets off to a bumpy start when he learns that his uncle Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), a convicted associate of He Who Must Not Be Named, has escaped from Azkaban prison. Add to that hordes of ghastly Dementors, a whack of animal (er, Animagi) shapeshifting, and some nifty time looping, and you’ve got a doozy of an entrée into teendom for the 13-year-old wizard! Cuarón was offered the reins after impressing Warner Bros. with his brilliant book-to-screen adaptation of A Little Princess, screening in Film Club in March.