NEW WILLIAM SHATNER DOC TO HAVE CANADIAN PREMIERE AT DOCFEST STRATFORD
William Shatner, Brian Dennehy and other celebrities scheduled to attend Stratford, North America’s premiere live theatre destination, adds the silver screen to its repertoire this coming October when it presents its second annual documentary and digital media festival, taking place Wednesday, October 21st to Sunday, October 25th, 2009.
DocFest Stratford kicks off its 2009 edition with the Canadian premiere of William Shatner’s Gonzo Ballet, sponsored by A&E Television. The opening gala takes place Thursday, October 22nd at 8 p.m. (ET) at the Stratford Festival’s Avon Theatre. William Shatner is scheduled to attend to present the film.
"I first learned a thing or two about Shakespeare and my place in the world from my experiences at Stratford in the beginning of Stratford's time,” says Mr. Shatner. “Now isn't it a wonderful evolution to bring to this place a joyful documentary incorporating many of the things that I learned here all those years ago."
The film, which documents the unlikely partnership between Shatner, his musical collaborator Ben Folds and the Milwaukee Ballet, is one of more than 20 films from Canada and around the world that will be shown over the five-day festival in October.
“As a young actor, William Shatner spent three seasons on the stage at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Five decades later we’re thrilled that Stratford will host the Canadian premiere of his fascinating documentary,” says DocFest Stratford Executive Producer Craig Thompson.
The Avon Theatre will also be the venue for the closing night screening of Every Little Step, which follows the journey of real-life dancers as they struggle through the auditions for the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line. Members of the cast and creative team of A Chorus Line will be in attendance.
Stratford’s historic City Hall Auditorium will be the venue for the rest of the screening program, which includes: Waterlife (director: Kevin McMahon); Paris 1919 (director: Paul Cowan); The Cove (director: Louie Psihoyos): Anvil: The Story of Anvil (director: Sacha Gervasi); Hair India (Directors: Raffaele Brunetti and Marco Leopardi); and Experimental Eskimos (director: Barry Greenwald).
Southwestern Ontario is rapidly emerging as a hub of content creation, and DocFest will showcase several local films as part of its Local Lens program. These include: Death or Canada (director: Ruan Magan) nominated for four Gemini Awards, and produced by Stratford-based Ballinran Productions. (Brian Dennehy, who narrated the film has been invited); Hangman’s Graveyard (director: Mick Grogan), filmed in location in Stratford, will have a preview screening on Wednesday, October 21st. That’s My Time (director: Adam Lilley); Waging Peace (director: Richard Fitoussi); Same World Same Chance (director: Jon Izma)
In addition to the program of films, DocFest Stratford presents noboundaries, an intensive filmmaking workshop for high school students from across Ontario who will get a chance to produce a short film in one-day under the guidance of professional mentors and instructors from London’s Fanshawe College. The workshops take place on Thursday October 22nd and Friday October 23rd and top student films will be shown during DocFest Stratford.
On Wednesday October 21st, industry professionals in the fields of television and film production and digital media will gather for a one-day summit entitled DocFest Digital Day, which is designed to focus attention on Stratford’s future as a digital media hub.
The University of Waterloo is about to open a Stratford campus with a focus on Digital Media and the federal government has announced $10.4 million in funding to create the Stratford Institute, part of a Corridor for Advancing Canadian Digital Media (CACDM), which will have the status of a federal Centre for Excellence for Commercialization and Research.
DocFest Stratford acknowledges the support of its major funders including the Ontario Ministry of Culture, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, The Frank Cowan Foundation, Fanshawe College, The County of Perth, The Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Ballinran Productions Limited. DocFest Stratford gratefully acknowledges the support of the Toronto International Film Festival Film Circuit.
Two major funding announcements were made at the news conference on Friday, August 28th for DocFest Stratford’s educational program. John Wilkinson, MPP Perth-Wellington, announced $25,000 in funding from the Province of Ontario’s Cultural Strategic Investment Fund (CSIF) and the County of Perth presented a cheque for $10,000 from the Province’s Rural Economic Development Program (RED) whose goals are youth retention and labour force development for young people in Perth County.
For more information contact:
Michele Boniface at 519.305.2100 or
Michele@docfeststratford.ca
