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| On location under the Bank Street Bridge in Ottawa " Canadian Pig Girl in Wonderland " ( Luka Lawford, John Lawford, Sabine Modder (ANGEL OF HOPE) Director Peter Evanchuck, Matt Lawford ) |
This story also appears in the NEW BRUNSWICK Filmmakers Co-operative
NBFC Weekly Friday E-News
well since i last wrote anything lots have happened but what's on my mind lately is how we elders who have never given up , survive and what's the benefit of endurance.
well recently two items have made me 'keep the faith' of creativity in my life.
KEN LOACH's recent feature 'I DANIEL BLAKE' is right at the top of his dramatic skills - putting on screen 'real' people living 'real' lives. Reminds me of the early days in Quebec Cinema and in English Canadian Cinema with features like 'MON ONCLE ANTOINE', 'BAR SALON', 'THE BEST DAMN FIDDLER', 'GOING DOWN THE ROAD' and many others from that era. This is where our documentary tradition overwhelmed our sense of pretending drama into 'real' drama, real tragic events lived by real people - at least in those days that skill was almost normal for so many exceptional directors/filmakers. These features were 'lived' not invented with fake twists and turns catering to an pretend audience.
On that list of 'real' movies with the Canadian documentary 'feel' is Gordon Pinsent's 'THE ROWDYMAN' shot in Newfoundland, Pinsent's home province, near and around his home area of Grand Falls/CornerBrooke. Gordon lived that movie and told the real story not inventing fake news stories as silly some would 'trump' up.
Recently a documentary on Gordon's LIfe by Brigitte Berman 'THE RIVER OF MY DREAMS was screened at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and opened at a few theatres across Canada. It catalogues a actor/writer/director's life and sums up how 'never giving up' has made both Pinsent and Loach ikons of the silver screen.
These two octogenarians not only are surviving old age they are thriving in it creatively despite their health setbacks.
I DANIEl BLAKE is without doubt one of LOACH's best movies with harsh stories about contemporary British persons facing difficult times in a changing world they they can't manouver well. It's about older age told in such an honest and real manner that the viewer can 'feel' the hardships faced by a recently laid of worker stuggling to find meaning in his 'new' life.
Berman's homage to Pinsent gives us Gordon despite recent hear death experiences the fullness of this man's creative desire never to give up but reaching into his 90's with future hopes and dreams like a river that always flow forever streaming into the ocean of a full life.
All that being said, i have to admit that i've departed from my docs to create a new almost feature length ( formerly short movie ) movie called 'CANADIAN PIG GIRL - in wonderland'. Which i'm shooting digitally like a documentary i.e. real untouched locations, one camera recording a scene no script, no meetings, just going along developing it as we creatively 'feel' what should be added organically. And that's one secret of docMaking putting it together organically - i.e. 'keeping it real'.
