This past weekend hubby and I, along with nearly 200 of our closest friends, gathered together at the Vancity Theater for what is easily one of the, if not the, event of the year: "Star Wars" on the big screen. And I don't mean from DVD at some ham-fisted thrown together event. We're talking pristine 35mm prints of the three films that defined a generation of sci-fi fans.

Vancouver SIGGRAPH's SPARK Festival is wrapping up tonight but the group scored a huge coup when Lucasfilm agreed to release a set of the re-release 1997 prints of the original trilogy. For whatever reason, Lucasfilm openened the vault and Vancouver became only the second place the films have screened since their release in '97 (my understanding is that the other screening was at ILM in conjuction with some event they were running). How cool is THAT????

It was a marathon unlike any I've ever attended and I'll be the first to admit "Star Wars" isn't my favourite entry into the sci-fi genre but it was awesome to be able to share the event with hubby who was indoctronated into Lucas' world when he was a pup of 6. I must also admit that seeing the films on the big screen with the volume turned up to 11 was one of the greatest experiences of the past few years and I now have a new appreciation for the films.

It was a pretty awesome experience and an opportunity that will likely not come up again any time soon.

SPARK wraps up tonight with screenings of "The City of Lost Children" and "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers". If you're interested, tickets can be purchased online at their website or at the door.