The stars were out for a recent film screening in St. Boniface — but not the Hollywood variety.

The Provencher Blvd. BIZ staged its first-ever outdoor movie night at Provencher Park under starlit skies on the evening of Aug. 23.

"It was fantastic," says Oai Truong, chair of the business association. "That same night and throughout the next day, I was getting emails and Facebook quotes from people saying how wonderful it was and great to see their neighbours out and about."

The event, billed Movie Night Under the Stars, featured the family film The Pirates! Band of Misfits.

Truong says that despite a tiny promotions budget, about 100 people turned up to watch the show on a 12-metre high screen. About half of them were kids.

"I think a lot of people were surprised by how big the screen was," says Truong of Bounce Design, a graphic design studio on Provencher.

"People brought blankets and lawn chairs. We supplied free popcorn but people brought their own snacks and popcorn and drinks. It became almost like a big picnic."

Marie Miller-Dalayoan says she and her family really enjoyed the movie, as well as "seeing something put together that helps to build our St. Boniface community. I think that the turnout was good for the first try and hope that things like this continue in the future."

The turnout and enthusiastic response has prompted talk of a series of movie nights to be held next summer. Truong says that if a corporate sponsor is found to help with expenses, the event could be expanded to consecutive weeks in August.

He says the Provencher BIZ was approached by a new company called Clear Skies Cinema with an offer to put on a movie night at no charge the first year.

Such shows typically cost $2,500 to stage but "being for free, we couldn’t pass that up," says Truong. The association spent about $500 on the rights to show the movie and printing up promotional posters.

Truong says movie night was good for building community spirit — but also allowed the BIZ to show its appreciation to local folks who help pay the bills.

"For us at BIZ, a lot of times we’re focused on the business community," he says. "But we realize it’s the residents who really contribute to the success of our businesses, especially the restaurants and retailers who depend on a lot of foot traffic."