By Mr. Will Wong

Sydney Sweeney has been front and center much of late as Hollywood’s new “It Girl”. Whether you know her from her powerful performance as Cassie in HBO‘s EUPHORIA or Olivia in THE WHITE LOTUS; saw her in ANYONE BUT YOU, produced by her own production company Fifty-Fifty Films; are just learning about her from her hosting Saturday Night Live recently, chances are you were smitten by her likeability.

Sweeney is at SXSW ’24 this year for both an In-Conversation, and also to promote and present new Horror IMMACULATE, out March 22, 2024, which she helped develop.

Sweeney appeared at an In-Conversation at Austin Convention Center Ballroom EF, reflecting on her path as both an Actress and a Producer.

Sweeney is filled with gratitude for having the privilege of playing some very fascinating characters.

Sweeney: “I get to play such incredible, diverse, interesting, challenging roles and that’s what I dream of doing, whenever I get the chance to play a character like Cassie or Cecilia in Immaculate, that makes me feel really good.”.

With her huge surge in popularity over the past few years, fan encounters never quite get old for her.

Sweeney: “I get so happy whenever people come up to me and they share their stories how they watched Euphoria or whatever project it was, and that’s why I do what I do. To be able to connect to so many people through my characters is such a beautiful experience.”.

She tells us about the importance of feeling challenged in her work.

Sweeney: “It’s what I said about being challenged. Making sure I find characters that challenge me in different ways, different stories to tell. I want to play anything and everything that people won’t expect me to do.”.

With the landscape changing greatly in how consumers access Film and Television, Sweeney is asked what she looks for most when producing a project.

Sweeney: “It’s honestly whether the story makes you question things, excites me and what it boils down to is whether I think this will be a conversation piece for people, or whether I think this will make people feel a certain way.”.

Sweeney equates being a Producer to like being a parent, and reflects upon the success of sleeper hit ANYONE BUT YOU. She also reveals her favourite Rom-Com of all time is MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING, which led to her casting Dermot Mulroney as her dad in ANYONE BUT YOU.

Sweeney: “To me, being a Producer is like being a parent and helping a project grow.”.

“ANYONE BUT YOU was such an incredible experience when I was working on the Script, when I hired Will Gluck and I hired Glen Powell, went to Sony. I wanted to really bring back those early 2000s Rom-Coms where people winked and people were left wanting to fall in love, they left wanting to sing and dance in the rain and have big romantic gestures. I didn’t want to look at the Rom-Com as something small. I wanted to have big set pieces and Will did such an incredible job at it, really amping-up those set pieces in the Film. By creating a set where we all wanted to have so much fun, we were able to just share in that. That love and excitement we felt while filming, the audience really felt that on-screen. I hope I can make more projects where the audience feels that love and energy.”.

The full Conversation will be available on-demand via SXSW.

(Photo credit: SXSW)

Hot Docs is excited to announce the full lineup of new documentary features that will screen in this year’s Festival’s Special Presentations program, a stellar lineup of films that promise to inspire, inform, and entertain Festival audiences. Titles in this program feature visionary filmmakers, intriguing subjects, and riveting storytelling. The 2024 Hot Docs Festival will take place April 25 to May 5, 2024 in cinemas across Toronto.

The 2024 Special Presentations program will delve into narratives of power, corruption and tragedy,
offering a critical lens on societal issues. Additionally, it will turn the camera onto celebrated artists and
filmmakers themselves, providing audiences with intimate insights into their lives and creative
processes. The program will also transport audiences on immersive journeys into the worlds of BASE
jumping, magic, psychics, and cats, enticing them to explore a captivating array of diverse and
fascinating subjects.

World premieres include Red Fever, which sees Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond travel to the four corners
of Turtle Island and across Europe to explore the world’s fascination with Native Americans; American
Cats: The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly, in which hilarious Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
correspondent Amy Hoggart explores the controversial practice of declawing cats; The Ride Ahead, an
expansion of co-director Samuel Habib’s short film My Disability Roadmap (Honourable Mention, Best
International Short Documentary, Hot Docs Festival 2022), exploring a typical 21-year-old itching to
move out, start a career and find love—all while navigating life with a disability; Lost in the Shuffle,
which follows world champion magician Shawn Farquhar as he simultaneously devises a new trick and
delves into a medieval murder cold case; and Le Mans 55: The Unauthorized Investigation, which
explores the tragic Le Mans race in 1955 where more than 80 spectators were killed.

Hot Docs 2024 will also see the International Premiere of the thrilling new National Geographic doc Fly,
in which incredible cinematography and all-access storytelling follow three couples whose passion for
BASE jumping means they’ll risk everything for the rush of feeling alive; and the North American
Premiere of Michel Gondry, Do It Yourself, an intimate look at the music video director and filmmaker’s
life, work and creative process.

2024 Special Presentations will also include the Canadian premieres of Power, examining the history,
scale and social effects policing has had on the United States and its culture; Black Box Diaries, which
sees journalist and filmmaker Shiori Ito take on one of the most powerful institutions in Japan to
prosecute her high-profile sexual assailant in a landmark legal case; Union, in which a group of Amazon
workers on New York City’s Staten Island take on one of the world’s largest and most influential
companies in the fight to unionize; Never Look Away, the directorial debut of Lucy Lawless that follows
CNN combat camerawoman Margaret Moth, whose appetite for danger is challenged following a lifechanging injury; Look Into My Eyes, acclaimed filmmaker Lana Wilson’s new film featuring an eclectic
group of New York City psychics; Born Hungry—the latest from acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Barry
Avrich—chronicles the rags-to-riches tale of Sash Simpson, a runaway child from the streets of India,
who was adopted into a Toronto family with 31 siblings before becoming a world-renowned chef; and
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger, in which Martin Scorsese shares his lifelong love
affair with the “subversive commercial movies” of filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger,
whose collaboration thrived in the adversity of WWII.

Descriptions for films in the Special Presentations program appear below. In many cases, filmmakers will
be in attendance for post-screening discussions. For more information on the program visit
http://hotdocs.ca/festivals/hot-docs-festival/announcements.

AMERICAN CATS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE CUDDLY
D: Todd Bieber | P: Grace Leeson | USA | 2024 | 88 min | World Premiere
Ontario is the only province in Canada without a ban on cat declawing. Amy Hoggart, the hilarious
correspondent from Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, cracks jokes, cuddles kittens and attacks this
controversial practice using satire to expose a heart-wrenching catspiracy.

BLACK BOX DIARIES
D: Shiori Ito | P: Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin | Japan, UK, USA | 2024 | 104 min | Canadian Premiere
Journalist Shiori Ito takes on one of the most powerful institutions in Japan to prosecute her high-profile
sexual assailant in a landmark legal case. Using personal footage and hidden cameras, Ito puts it all on
the line for justice.

BORN HUNGRY
D: Barry Avrich | P: Jay Hennick, Mark Selby, Barry Avrich | Canada | 2024 | 77 min | Canadian Premiere
The true rags to riches tale of Sash Simpson, a runaway child from the streets of India, who was adopted
into a Toronto family with 31 siblings before becoming a world-renowned chef.

FLY
D: Shaul Schwarz, Christina Clusiau | P: Christina Clusiau, Shaul Schwarz | USA | 2023 | 106 min |
International Premiere
To stand on the edge and jump into the wind, one must be willing to lose everything. That could mean the love of your life, or the life you love. Three couples in the world of BASE jumping risk everything to
feel alive.

LE MANS 55: THE UNAUTHORIZED INVESTIGATION
D: Emmanuel Reyé | P: Isabelle Dagnac | France | 2023 | 90 min | World Premiere
The Le Mans race in 1955 made history through tragedy when more than 80 spectators were killed.
Uncover the story of the crash that took the lives of so many and, to this day, looms over the world of
motorsports.

LOOK INTO MY EYES
D: Lana Wilson | P: Kyle Martin, Lana Wilson | USA | 2023 | 105 min | Canadian Premiere
In this unique journey into the human desire for connection, acclaimed filmmaker Lana Wilson follows
an eclectic group of New York City psychics whose intimate readings reveal a kaleidoscopic view of
loneliness, connection and healing with humour and intrigue.

LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
D: Jon Ornoy | P: Jon Ornoy, Ana Carrizales | Canada | 2024 | 100 min | World Premiere
Pick a card, any card! World champion magician Shawn Farquhar delves into a medieval murder cold
case among Jacks, Queens and Kings as he devises a new trick inspired by the world’s best sleight-ofhand artists.

MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER
D: David Hinton | P: Matthew Wells, Nick Varley | UK | 2024 | 131 min | Canadian Premiere
Martin Scorsese tells of his lifelong love affair with the movies of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
and their “subversive commercial movies.” Drawing on a rich array of archival material, Scorsese
explores their collaboration that thrived in the adversity of WWII.

MICHEL GONDRY, DO IT YOURSELF
D: François Nemeta | P: Olivier de Bannes, Robin Accard, Philippe Savine | France | 2023 | 80 min |
North American Premiere
French filmmaker Michel Gondry re-invented the music video and challenged Hollywood with his
distinctive handmade visual style. Intimately documented, Gondry’s career and playful creative process
receive an overdue review, from his earliest music videos to his latest feature film at Cannes.

NEVER LOOK AWAY
D: Lucy Lawless | P: | New Zealand | 2024 | 85 min | Canadian Premiere
CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth was facing down war’s inhumanity when one bullet changed
everything but her resolve. Debut filmmaker Lucy Lawless turns the camera’s gaze on this
groundbreaking woman and her legacy.

POWER
D: Yance Ford | P: Sweta Vohra, Jess Devaney, Yance Ford, Netsanet Negussie | USA | 2024 | 87 min |
Canadian Premiere
Part essay, interview and archival collage, Power traces the explosion of police power from the founding
of the U.S. to our present. Power makes the historical continuity of unchecked police power legible—
examining who’s policed, who’s protected and why.

RED FEVER
D: Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge | P: Lisa M. Roth, Rebecca Lessard | Canada | 2024 | 104 min
| World Premiere
Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond travels to the four corners of Turtle Island and across Europe to explore
the world’s fascination with Native Americans, recognizing the profound impact Indigenous people have
had in shaping modern Western culture.

THE RIDE AHEAD
D: Samuel Habib, Dan Habib | P: Dan Habib, Erica Lupinacci | USA | 2024 | 97 min | World Premiere
An expansion of his short film My Disability Roadmap, Samuel Habib is a typical 21-year-old, itching to
move out, start a career and find love. But “no one tells you how to be an adult, let alone an adult with a
disability.”

UNION
D: Brett Story, Stephen Maing | P: Samantha Curley, Mars Verrone, Martin DiCiccio | USA | 2024 | 104
min | Canadian Premiere
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU)—a group of current and former Amazon workers on New York City’s
Staten Island—takes on one of the world’s largest and most powerful companies in the fight to unionize.

More at hotdocs.ca.

Barry Avrich‘s BORN HUNGRY is poised for a Canadian debut at this year’s HOT DOCS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL April 26, 2024.

SYNOPSIS:
He went looking for his family … and found himself.

An inspiring true story brought to life, BORN HUNGRY is a gritty yet life-affirming human drama about a young Indian boy who finds himself abandoned by his family, lost on trains and thousands of miles from home. Now, Sash, a celebrity chef who once survived alone on the streets of Chennai eating from garbage bins before ultimately being adopted by a Canadian couple, returns to India armed with only blurry memories to find his lost family. BORN HUNGRY is a raw, true and important story with a huge heart that deals with identity and cultural heritage.

Written and Directed by
Barry Avrich

Executive Producers
Jay Hennick
Mark Selby
Barry Avrich

Produced by
Mark Selby
Barry Avrich, p.g.a.

Runtime
77 min

(Photo credit: Melbar Entertainment Group)

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada x Mr. Will are thrilled to give Readers a chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of  GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver!

SYNOPSIS:

The epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of “Godzilla vs. Kong” with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” delves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.

Once again at the helm is director Adam Wingard. The film stars Rebecca Hall (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” The Night House”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” “Bullet Train”), Dan Stevens (“Gaslit,” “Legion,” “Beauty and the Beast”), Kaylee Hottle (“Godzilla vs. Kong”), Alex Ferns (“The Batman,” “Wrath of Man,” “Chernobyl”) and Fala Chen (“Irma Vep,” “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”).

The screenplay is by Terry Rossio (“Godzilla vs. Kong” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series) and Simon Barrett (“You’re Next”) and Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight”), from a story by Rossio & Wingard & Barrett, based on the character “Godzilla” owned and created by TOHO Co., Ltd.. The film is produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric Mcleod, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Brian Rogers. The executive producers are Wingard, Jen Conroy, Jay Ashenfelter, Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira.

Once again, Wingard is collaborating with director of photography Ben Seresin (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” “World War Z”), production designer Tom Hammock (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” “X,” “The Guest”), editor Josh Schaeffer (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” “Molly’s Game”), costume designer Emily Seresin (“The Invisible Man,” “Top of the Lake”). The composers are Tom Holkenborg (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” “Mad Max: Fury Road”) and Antonio Di Iorio (additional music on “Godzilla vs. Kong,” the “Sonic the Hedgehog” films).

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Present a Legendary Pictures Production, A Film By Adam Wingard, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” It is slated for release nationwide only in theatres and IMAX on March 29, 2024, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures except in Japan, where the film will be distributed by Toho Co., Ltd and in mainland China, where it will be distributed by Legendary East.

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate in the comments there your City please! You can share this post from our “X” account for an extra chance or post on IG stories tagging @mrwillwong as well!

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(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)

Producer Robert Lang (Why We Dance, Museum Secrets) and director Michelle Mama (Shine True) bring Kensington Communications’ latest project Fluid: Life Beyond the Binary to CBC’s The Nature of Things launching on March 28, 2024 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem. Hosted by the award-winning non-binary comedian Mae Martin, the film explores the little-known science of gender and sexual fluidity in the natural world.

Fluid debunks dangerous pseudo-scientific myths and introduces cutting-edge research to reveal that in a very real and measurable sense, we are all gender fluid.

“There is no one better equipped to host Fluid than Mae Martin and there is no better time for audiences to have access to the revelations in the film. Blending humour with science, Mae sheds light on the most recent findings about gender and sexual fluidity in humans and many other species.” said producer Robert Lang. “They were an incredibly thoughtful collaborator on this project and we look forward to sharing our special documentary with audiences across the country.”

Guided by eminent biologists Joan Roughgarden and Justin Rhodes and famed primatologist Frans de Waal, Mae discovers a hermaphroditic ginger plant, sex-changing clownfish and kobudai, and mammals – lions, hyenas and chimpanzees – that display surprisingly non-normative sexual traits.

In the realm of human research, Mae meets with trans historian Jules Gill-Peterson to explore the misguided but unfortunately still influential gender studies of the 1960s and 70s. Then Mae delves into the current gender controversies, seeking out the best and most up-to-date answers from brilliant researchers including child psychologist Kristina Olson, prominent neuroscientists Gillian Einstein and Lise Eliot, and three young trans/non-binary scientists – Daniel Pfau, Elle Lett and Simone Sun – who take on the challenges of gender research from a gender non-conforming perspective.

Mae also meets a group of trans youth who candidly reveal their difficult life experiences and hopes for a future that is more inclusive and accepting. Along the way, Mae shares reflections through relevant and hilarious material from their live standup performances.

Fluid is produced by Kensington Communications in association with CBC, SRC Explora and Gay Agenda, with the financial participation of Canada Media Fund, Rogers Documentary Fund, Ontario and Canada tax credits. Other key creatives include Director of Photography Lulu Wei (Sex With Sue), editor Peter Topalovic (Shine True, Canada’s Drag Race), and writer Allen Booth (Why We Dance, Nature’s Cleanup Crew), with music by Ames Bessada (Black Mirror). For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual, & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentary; and Sue Dando and Lesley Birchard are Executives in Charge of Production, The Nature of Things.

Premiering tonight at SXSW ’24 we get a brand-new clip from Dev Patel‘s directorial debut, MONKEYMAN!

Synopsis:

Oscar® nominee Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless.

Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash.

After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

Packed with thrilling and spectacular fight and chase scenes, Monkey Man is directed by Dev Patel from his original story and his screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World).

The film’s international cast includes Sharlto Copley (District 9), Sobhita Dhulipala (Made in Heaven), Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm), Vipin Sharma (Hotel Mumbai), Ashwini Kalsekar (Ek Tha Hero), Adithi Kalkunte (Hotel Mumbai), Sikandar Kher (Aarya) and Makarand Deshpande (RRR).

Monkey Man is produced by Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas (Hotel Mumbai, The Man Who Knew Infinity), Oscar® winner Jordan Peele (Nope, Get Out), Win Rosenfeld (Candyman, Hunters series), Ian Cooper (Nope, Us), Basil Iwanyk (John Wick franchise, Sicario films), Erica Lee (John Wick franchise, Silent Night), Christine Haebler (Shut In, Bones of Crows) and Anjay Nagpal (executive producer of Bombshell, Greyhound).

Serving as executive producers are Jonathan Fuhrman, Natalya Pavchinskya, Aaron L. Gilbert, Andria Spring, Alison-Jane Roney and Steven Thibault.

Universal Pictures presents a Bron Studios production, a Thunder Road film, a Monkeypaw production, a Minor Realm/S’Ya Concept production, in association with WME Independent and Creative Wealth Media.

Genre: Action Thriller

Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, Makarand Deshpande

Director: Dev Patel

Story by: Dev Patel

Screenplay by: Dev Patel and Paul Angunawela and John Collee

Producers: Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Ian Cooper, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Christine Haebler, Anjay Nagpal

Executive Producers: Jonathan Fuhrman, Natalya Pavchinskya, Aaron L. Gilbert, Andria Spring, Alison-Jane Roney, Steven Thibault

Universal Pictures Canda release MONKEYMAN April 5, 2024.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

Netflix Canada x Mr. Will are thrilled to give Readers a chance to attend an advance screening of 3 BODY PROBLEM! Screening of episode one takes place  Monday, March 18 at 7PM at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto.

Synopsis:

From multiple Emmy Award-winning creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (Game of Thrones), and Emmy-nominated Alexander Woo (The Terror: Infamy, True Blood) comes 3 Body Problem, a thrilling story that redefines sci-fi drama with its layered mysteries and genre-bending high stakes. Based on the acclaimed, international bestselling book trilogy, The Three-Body Problem. A young woman’s fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time to a group of brilliant scientists in the present day. As the laws of nature unravel before their eyes five former colleagues reunite to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.

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3 BODY PROBLEM premieres on Netflix March 21st, 2024.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix Canada)

Today, Prime Video has released first-look images of the horror anthology series Them: The Scare. This second installment will consist of eight episodes and will premiere on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. All episodes will be available upon release.

THEM will once again be set in Los Angeles (the first installment, subtitled Covenant, took place in Compton circa 1952 but will move the time frame forward to 1991). The story centers on LAPD Homicide Detective Dawn Reeve, who is assigned to a new case: the gruesome murder of a foster home mother that has left even the most hardened detectives shaken. Navigating a tumultuous time in Los Angeles, with a city on the razor’s edge of chaos, Dawn is determined to stop the killer. But as she draws closer to the truth, something ominous and malevolent grips her and her family…

“With THEM: The Scare, we wanted to combine our love of horror with a look at Los Angeles’s rich history and evolution,” says creator, executive producer and showrunner Little Marvin. “This second installment is a new story set in the 90’s, one of the most iconic decades for film, music and fashion, particularly in Los Angeles. I’m also excited about our amazing cast: Deborah Ayorinde returns as a completely new character, Luke James delivers an unforgettable performance and the legendary Pam Grier, who has played so many iconic and beloved roles on screen, makes her return to horror…. We couldn’t have asked for a more fearless group to lead this second installment.”

The series cast includes Deborah Ayorinde (Riches, Harriet) as “Detective Dawn Reeve,” Pam Grier (Foxy Brown, Bones, Ghost of Mars, Jackie Brown) as “Athena,” Grammy-nominated musician and actor Luke James (The Chi, Insecure) as “Edmund Gaines.” Rounding out the cast are Joshua J. Williams (Cloak & Dagger, Mudbound), Jeremy Bobb (The Continental, God’s Country), Wayne Knight (Seinfeld, Narcos), Carlito Olivero (This Is Me… Now, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions), Charles Brice (Homeland, The Blacklist, Watchmen), and Iman Shumpert (The Chi).

Them: The Scare is a co-production of Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios. Series creator Little Marvin serves as showrunner and executive producer with Miri Yoon and Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment and Steve Prinz.

By Mr. Will Wong

Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee co-direct ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY, which explores the fascinating story of Black trans singer Jackie Shane, raised in Nashville, but planting her roots musically in Toronto in their early ’60s, where she was prominent for her soulful vocals reaching #2 on charts locally including CHUM with “Any Other Way”.

Outspoken and ahead of her time in her defiance against the machine, Shane was a trailblazer unafraid of her living life authentically. Always on the brink of huge stardom, she made a conscious choice not to tour and then very suddenly she disappeared completely, with many suspecting that she had died. The Documentary paints a very human portrait through animation and recordings, of the brilliant Artist as someone who like the rest of us, longs for love and also is coping with a complicated family life.

We meet Shane‘s surviving family today who didn’t know her, but are able and willing to give her the love and respect she never quite had growing up in Nashville, as like them, we are just getting to know Jackie Shane’s story also.

ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY is an integral part of Toronto’s history and identity, and a mural of her can be seen at Yonge x Carlton paying tribute to her. Fun fact, Elliot Page and Sam Dunn, who directed a recent Docu-Series on Geddy Lee, are among the Producers.

The Film screens at SXSW ’24 as follows:

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story  at Alamo Lamar 5
Mar 9, 2024 11:15am—12:53pm

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story  at Alamo Lamar 8
Mar 12, 2024 2:15pm—3:53pm

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story  at Alamo Lamar 7
Mar 12, 2024 2:45pm—4:23pm

Prince Edward County (PEC)’s first film festival, the County Adaptation Film Festival (CAFF) will host its first gala screening on May 4, 2024 at the historic Regent Theatre in Picton, Ontario as a preview event to its festival this coming September. 

The conversation begins on May 4 with a screening of Hugh Welchman and DK Welchman’s THE PEASANTS. Like the festival to come, this special engagement will feature an exclusive conversation with artists and an exciting activation which invites the audience to consider the art of adaptation. Alongside the screening, CAFF will also reveal the full festival branding, introduce the festival’s participating venues and programming partners and share the full festival schedule. 

THE PEASANTS is an adaptation of Władysław Reymont’s Nobel Prize-winning novel CHŁOPI. Utilizing the painted animation audiences came to know in LOVING VINCENT, THE PEASANTS was hand-painted by over 200 artists in four studios in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Serbia over five years of production. Originally shot with actors, the artists put brush to canvas to create oil paintings that would become the frames in the film. Animators then worked to supplement the paintings to create the final product. 

The preview event will feature an exhibition of original oil paintings created for the film, a virtual introduction by the filmmakers and a post-show discussion with one of the film’s creative team. Paintings will have been selected for exhibition in partnership with the event’s title sponsor Oeno Gallery. 

“Aside from being a visually stunning film, and a creative feat involving thousands of paintings and hundreds of artists, THE PEASANTS encapsulates the spirit of adaptation that our festival seeks to explore,” said Alexandra Seay, Co-founder & Artistic Director of CAFF. “Our festival invites audiences to think about the process of adaptation in all forms; in this case, from page to screen and from live action on greenscreen to oil on canvas. The film presents a jumping-off point for a multi-faceted conversation. I am utterly thrilled to be able to bring the physical paintings to Picton. Consider this a taste of things to come in September.” 

Hugh Welchman will provide a virtual introduction to the film. But the evening’s in-person guest will be Monika Folkierska-Zukowska who served on THE PEASANTS as a director’s assistant, a visual effects artist, and a script supervisor. Ms. Folkierska-Zukowska will participate in an exclusive on-stage conversation on the process of adapting the film and the many visual influences on the painting. 

CAFF is a project of Picton’s Regent Theatre.  The festival advisory committee includes Michèle Maheux, Hussain Amarshi, Tim Smythe-Bishop & Devyani Saltzman. The planning team features The Regent Theatre’s Executive Director, Alexandra Seay as Co-Founder and Artistic Director and John Galway of Corrib Entertainment as Festival Producer. 

CAFF is proudly supported by its core funder, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and founding partner The Royal Hotel. 

Venue and programming partners for the full festival will be announced on May 4. The 2024 edition of CAFF will take place from September 27-29, 2024. 

Tickets to the May gala screening of THE PEASANTS are available now and can be purchased at the Regent Theatre box office or online here. 7PM screening with discussion following. Tickets $24 including tax and fees.