TORONTO, October 24, 2003 -- Legendary documentary filmmaker Allan King will be the featured guest on Oct. 30 in The Independents, a monthly series of screenings and discussions on indie Canadian cinema presented by the Department of Film & Video at York University.
King will present his latest production, the ‘actuality drama’ Dying at Grace (2003), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month to widespread public and critical acclaim.
A riveting, intensely moving portrait of the end of life, the film records the experience of five patients dying in the palliative care unit of the Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre. They, their families and caregivers agreed to share this ultimate experience in the hope it would be useful to the living.
Recognized internationally for his pioneering work in cinema verité, King’s groundbreaking productions include the documentaries Warrendale (1967), A Married Couple (1969), Who's In Charge (1983) and The Dragon's Egg (1999) as well as feature films such as the beloved Canadian classic Who Has Seen the Wind.
Seth Feldman, director of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies and professor in the Film & Video Department at York University, will host the presentation of Dying at Grace and moderate a discussion with King and the audience following the screening. A film historian, cultural critic and documentarian, Feldman is an authority on the works of Allan King. He curated nine programs of King’s films for the Toronto International Film Festival’s Canadian Retrospective in 2002, and is the author of Allan King: Filmmaker, a book about Allan King’s life and work.
When: Thursday, October 30 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Lecture Hall C, Computer Science and Engineering Building, York University, 4700 Keele St.
Admission: Free
Information: 416-736-5149 ext. 22172
« « « « "Allan King’s documentary on death in a palliative care unit is a testament to the almost forgotten faith in the camera as a truth telling machine" (Liam Lacey - The Globe and Mail)
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Media contact:
Brigitte Kleer
Public Relations, Faculty of Fine Arts, York University
416-736-2100 ext. 77143
bkleer@yorku.ca
YU/116/03
