#FIRSTLOOK: “BOYHOOD” RETURNS TO CANADIAN THEATRES

Filmed over the course of 12 years between 2002 and 2013, Richard Linklater’s groundbreaking coming-of-age drama Boyhood returns to Canadian theatres on July 31, 2026 to celebrate the film’s 12th anniversary. Written and directed by Linklater, the Academy Award-winning film stars Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke and Lorelei Linklater.

Set primarily in Houston, Texas, Boyhood chronicles the real-life growth of its cast while telling the story of Mason Evans Jr. (Coltrane) as he journeys from childhood to adulthood. Alongside Mason, his older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) and their divorced parents (Hawke and Arquette) also navigate the challenges and milestones of growing up. The film was shot for a few days each year using the same actors, whose characters mature before our eyes, capturing the passage of time in a way never before attempted in narrative cinema.

Upon its release in 2014, Boyhood became a cultural phenomenon, earning widespread critical acclaim and six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Film Editing. Patricia Arquette won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. The film also received three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director for Linklater and Best Supporting Actress for Arquette.

To mark the anniversary, the Austin Film Society will host a special reunion on July 18, 2026, featuring members of the cast and filmmakers. Canadian audiences will have the opportunity to watch a recorded version of the conversation, presented exclusively at participating theatres during the film’s re-release.