Special screenings at Confluence Cinema in Whanganui this week

Maisie Sly and Rachel Shenton in a scene from The Silent Child screening at Confluence Cinema on Friday. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui's little movie theatre with big, comfy seating is back in full swing with some cinematic treats on screen today and tomorrow .

Confluence's boutique arthouse cinema in Watt St caters for local audiences who enjoy the latest documentary, festival, art-house and foreign-language films and the owners support the community by donating proceeds back to local organisations and charities.

Thoughtful Thursdays are devoted to documentary screenings and tonight's film is the recently released Return to Gandhi Road.

Directed by Yeshe Hegan, the 90-minute film tells the powerful story of Kangyur Rinpoche, a renowned Tibetan Master who, heeding the imminent danger of the 1950s Cultural Revolution and under the instructions of the Dalai Lama, braved the dangerous journey over the Himalayan mountains to India, rescuing two tons of Buddhist texts that otherwise faced potential extinction.

The story is told through the eyes of New Zealander Kim Hegan who, more than 40 years after Rinpoche's passing and his Buddhist practice abandoned, re-traces the journey he made to Darjeeling 46 years earlier.

Confluence owners Kevin Double and Melita Farley launched Fulfilling Fridays in February this year with the intention of showing a wider range of films, including those made for children. All proceeds after licence fees are earmarked for donation to a local cause.

Covid-19 restrictions have curtailed the screenings but they are back this Friday with a special screening.

Proceeds from the Fullfilling Friday screening will be donated to a fund to help pay for Shona Beamsley's cochlear implant surgery. Photo / File

Andrew Scott's Oscar-winning film The Silent Child will screen along with three short films and all proceeds will be donated to the Help Shona Hear fund, which aims to raise money for local woman Shona Beamsley's cochlear implant surgery. The filmmakers have waived the licence fee to support the cause so all the proceeds will go to the fund.

The Silent Child tells the story of a deaf 6-year-old girl named Libby who lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her to use sign language to communicate.

The three short films on the subject of listening and communication are Homing, Conversations with Pets and Hear Me Out featuring Mojo Mathers, Aotearoa's first deaf MP.

When you book to see a film at Confluence, you can opt for a beanbag, recliner, sofa, upright wooden chair or designated wheelchair space. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from confluence.kiwi or with cash payment at the door. Phone bookings (06) 281 3474. Screenings are at 6.30pm, 15 Watt St.