Paul Quarrington is an award winning, well respected and
much loved author, filmmaker, musician and teacher. Though
a very public figure in the field of Canadian arts, and an
artist who made himself easily accessible to fans, he was
also a complex person. So much so that few in his public
or private sphere say they really knew him. With the sudden
diagnosis of terminal illness, he is compelled to address
this in the best way he knows how - he chooses to make art
– to squeeze the juice from life and pour his passion
into making this film, into re-writing his about-to-be-published
memoir to include “new thematic material,” and
into writing songs, lots of songs, all made more poignant
for the absolute deadline at hand.
Through this film, Paul gives us a rare and insightful glimpse
into the inner workings of an artist in the act of creating.
As he writes, records and performs, you see the heart and
soul of a man able to express in music deeply personal issues.
We witness the artist, and the man, reach for a resolution
to the question that we will all face when our time comes,
“what would you do?”
What unfolds is a laugh-out-loud funny, compelling, warm
and enlightening story – a journey woven around music,
bearing witness to the power of song to elevate, encapsulate
and explain the emotions that poured into this artist’s
creative endeavors. His story will inspire every viewer to
look at life a bit differently – to engage and to be
present as if life were to end tomorrow. It is a story of
friendship and community – of immersing oneself in the
redemptive powers of an audience to find solace and validation.
As a teacher, Paul would always tell students to write about
what makes them uncomfortable – to be unafraid of the
subject matter. With much of the music in this film written
and recorded post-diagnosis, the process of coming to terms
plays itself out musically. “All the Stars” -
a hauntingly beautiful ballad, tells of one left behind, while
“Are You Ready,” written expressly for the film,
pulls all that has transpired into a deceptively simple lyric
whose impact is made clear in the powerful and surprising
denouement.
On screen conversations with some of the most important people
in Quarrington’s life amplify the inspiring message,
including longtime friend and bandmate Martin Worthy, Roddy
Doyle, Dave Bidini, Wayson Choy, brothers Joel Quarrington
and Tony Quarrington, daughters Carson and Flannery and their
mother Dorothy Bennie. Comments by Nicholas Jennings and Martin
Levin provide context, and threaded throughout are live performances
by Paul, his band Porkbelly Futures, Dan Hill, Joe Hall and
many more musical guests.
Producer Judith Keenan, Director Bert Kish and Editor Caroline
Christie have done a masterful job of drawing the viewer into
the life and work of this Renaissance artist, a gift from
the man we finally get to know - the author, musician, teacher,
father and friend - Paul Quarrington.
The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) has announced its nominees
for this year’s awards ceremony, with 76 nominations
in 19 categories emerging from close to 175 submissions.
Four projects are up for the Allan King Award for Excellence
in Documentary: Bert Kish’s Paul Quarrington Life in
Music; Sturla Gunnarsson’s Force of Nature: The David
Suzuki Movie; Mike Downie’s One Ocean: The Birth of
an Ocean; and Josh Freed's Where Did I Put My Memory?
Kish states, "I grew up in a house full of NFB films
- my father Albert Kish created 31 during his career there
- so I am very attuned to the NFB`s original mandate of presenting
Canadians to Canada. When I joined Producer Judith Keenan
on the Quarrington film, it was in large part due to the fact
that I believe this particular Canadian needs to be presented
to Canada. I hope we achieved this with the film, and that
it helps Paul`s amazingly broad portfolio of creative work
- novels, memoirs, journalism, music, film and television
- to enjoy the legacy it deserves."
The DGC Awards take place in Toronto on October 29, 2011.
Director Bert Kish will be in attendance.
Paul Quarrington Life in
Music to screen at NXNE 2011
On Sunday June 19, 2011 , NXNE Film Fest will
host a Father's Day screening of PAUL QUARRINGTON LIFE IN
MUSIC. Venue and time will be posted here as soon
as we get the information, but know that all films at the
Festival will be shown either at the NFB Mediatheque at 150
John St. in Toronto, or at the Toronto Underground Cinema
at 186 Spadina Avenue.
In 2011, NXNE Film celebrates its 10th year as a unique,
boutique gem set alongside the larger NXNE Music festival.
Each year, NXNE Film programs over 40 music-themed films from
around the world. From indie docs to concert classics, from
punk to country to classical, from all over the world –
NXNE Film’s programming is never predictable and always
fascinating.
For the past decade, NXNE Film has screened World, North
American and Canadian Premieres and – just like other
film festivals – has hosted many acclaimed film folks,
including directors like Don Letts, Guy Maddin, Stewart Copeland,
Bruce MacDonald, and more. The Festival also presented Quarrington's
short dramatic film, Pavane, in 2008.
Fans can attend NXNE Film screenings one of four ways:
with an NXNE Priority Pass
with an NXNE wristband (5-day or 1-day)
with an NXNE Film Festival-only wristband
buy paying single-film admission charge at the door ($10
in nearly all cases)
Visit http://www.nxne.com
to buy passes or wristbands. The 2011 NXNE Festival
of Music and Film runs in Toronto June 13 to 19.
REMINDER: if you can't make it to the Fathers Day screening,
buy your very own DVD copy with extra special bonus features
- available here on this web page. http://www.bookshorts.com/pq_life_in_music
Out of more than 4,300 international category entries in
the 10 major Remi Award Competitions, WorldFest-Houston, the
third longest-running International Film Festival in North
America, announced its roster of Award winners this week.
PAUL QUARRINGTON LIFE IN MUSIC garnered a Gold Remi in the
category of Biography Feature. The film is a production of
BookShorts Inc., in collaboration with Bravo!, a division
of CTV with the support of Canada Media Fund. It was directed
by Bert Kish and Executive Produced/Produced by Judith Keenan,
with Executive Producer William Laurin and Bravo executive
Charlotte Engel.
WorldFest, founded as an International Film Society in August
1961, became the third competitive international film festival
in North America, following San Francisco and New York.
WorldFest evolved into a competitive International Film Festival
in April 1968 and has a long list of “discovered”
film greats such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, David
Lynch, Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, Atom Egoyan, Randall Kleiser,
Ang Lee, Robert Rodriguez, the Coen Brothers, John Lee Hancock
and many others from their beginning efforts for film submissions
early in their careers. Multi award-winning producer/director
Hunter Todd founded this film festival to honor all categories
of film and video production continuing his long dedication
of “Discovery,” spotlighting emerging Independent
filmmakers as “the Spielbergs & Ang Lees of tomorrow.”
The Remi takes its name from the famous artist Frederick Remington,
who captures the spirit of Texas and the West with his brilliant
paintings and sculptures.
PHOTO GALLERY - click image for HIGH RESOLUTION
JPG
On Set
Paul
Quarrington and PorkBelly Futures Performance at Dora Keogh,
Toronto Aug 29, 2009
Support for the making of this documentary provided
by:
Bravo!
a division of CTV Limited Inc.
Canada Media Fund
administered through Telefilm Canada
BookShorts Literacy Program
Humber School of Creative and Performing Arts
with special thanks to Joe Kertes, Dean
Humber Music Studio
with special thanks to Denny Christiansen
PorkBelly Futures, Ron Mann, Bill Imperial, Bill
Laurin, Bert Kish, Irene Duma, Tony Coleman and Margaret Meagher,
John M. Tran, Marc Lappano, Lorne Frohman, Matthew Manuge,
Natalie Kertes, the members of the extended Quarrington /
Bennie / Worthy clan, and the many talented artists,
filmmakers and technicians that contributed their time and
expertise so generously.
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