Filmmaker Rueben Martell is shown. His projects include Don’t Say Its Name (2021) and A Life Less Empty (2025). Martell has taken over the only cinema in Meadow Lake under new ownership. (Image Credit: Rueben Martell)

By Kenneth Cheung

Morningstar cinema

‘It was very serendipitous’: Meadow Lake filmmaker revives local movie theatre

Apr 2, 2026 | 1:24 PM

For a time, the movie screens in Meadow Lake went dark.

No trailers flickering to life. No hum of conversation in the lobby, or the smell of buttered popcorn lingering in the air.

Now, the projector is warming up again thanks to Rueben Martell, a local filmmaker and now owner-operator of Morningstar Cinema.

Martell, who is from Waterhen Lake First Nation, is reopening the city’s only theatre in the same space once occupied by Aurora Cinemas, but with a different approach, shaped as much by the community as by the films themselves.

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The path back to the big screen wasn’t planned. Martell had just returned from directing a film in southern Saskatchewan when the messages began to arrive, emails, forwarded posts, suggestions from people who thought he should step in.

“They all thought that I would be the perfect fit,” he said. “At a certain point… I felt like I was peer pressured into it.”

Behind the humour was something more endearing.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to run a theatre.” 

Taking over the lease and starting from scratch, he said, felt less like a gamble and more like a moment that simply aligned.

“It was very serendipitous… it just worked out.” 

The Morningstar Cinema logo is shown at left, alongside the Meadow Lake theatre building at right when it was operating as Aurora Cinemas. (Image Credit: Morningstar Cinema)

Aurora Cinemas closed after struggling to stay viable last August.

Martell doesn’t dismiss those challenges, but he sees an opportunity to do things differently.

“I think it was… the film programming,” he said, reflecting on the previous challenges.

Where larger chains rely on wide releases and fixed schedules, Martell is building something more flexible – a theatre that listens before it decides what to show.

“I want to bring in films that people are excited about,” he said. 

That could mean blockbuster titles, but also one-night screenings that speak to smaller audiences: anime, independent films, or stories tied to specific cultures and communities.

“We can bring in a film that people like, whether it’s 100 people, 20 people, 30 people, that they will truly enjoy.” 

For Martell, those numbers aren’t small; they are enough to build a night around. The approach extends beyond programming.

He plans to work closely with First Nations communities and youth in the region, building relationships that bring people into the space, not just as customers, but as participants.

“I’ve got more of a dialogue with the nine Nations and within the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC), bringing in people, bringing in groups,” he said. 

“I think it’s more like a grassroots approach that I’ll be taking, and kind of like bringing in films that people will enjoy, because my goal is to have a fun, enjoyable, relaxing experience coming to the theatre.”

Morningstar Woman, a matriarch of Waterhen Lake First Nation, is shown in a portrait painted by Rueben Martell’s grandfather, Joe Openeyes. The cinema was named in her honour. (Image Credit: Morningstar Cinema)

The theatre’s name reflects that connection. He said the name comes from a Cree matriarch tied to his family history.

“Morningstar is one of our matriarchs of Waterhen Lake,” he noted.  “I’m basically a descendant of Morningstar Woman.”

“It was just fitting, Morningstar Cinema, because like a lot of times, it’s like we’re up north and I didn’t want to call it the North Star Cinema. So I was like, well, I can name it after the matriarch, and it sounded great, like Morningstar Cinema just rolls off your tongue.” 

After more than three decades working in film, Martell is used to telling stories behind the camera. Running a theatre brings that work full circle.

“If you’re making them, you want to show them as well, right?” he said. 

But beyond the industry, he returns to something simpler – the reason theatres matter in the first place.

“It’s to escape for those two hours and have a relaxing, enjoyable time,” he said. “The goal is to bring those two hours of imagination into people’s lives.”

Morningstar Cinema is set to open April 3, with evening and weekend screenings planned.

The early response has been immediate with hundreds of people following online, messages coming in daily, and a sense that the community is ready.

“It’s not an April Fool’s joke,” he said.  

“People were really excited.” 

Those looking to learn more about the cinema, see what films are playing, or share ideas can visit Morningstar Cinema Meadow Lake on Facebook.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com