TORONTO, November 24, 2003 -- First-time documentary filmmaker Mike Johnston will be the featured guest on November 27 in The Independents, a monthly series of screenings and discussions on indie Canadian cinema presented by the Department of Film & Video at York University.
Johnston will present his wildly popular, Michael Moore-style 2002 documentary, My Student Loan, a sardonic look at the current state of post-secondary education in Canada.
After graduating from Trent University, Mike Johnston found himself unemployed, crushed by debt and plagued by collection agencies. In order to pay off his student loan, he decided to make a film about it.
Begging and borrowing cameras, Johnston launched on a hilarious and horrifying ride through debt-ridden student life. With dogged determination and acidic deadpan irony, he followed the money, taking politicians to task to expose the dangerous lunacy of the ‘new economics of education.’
Critically acclaimed as "a terrifically original, funny and biting documentary", (John Doyle, The Globe and Mail), My Student Loan has a folksy, lower-than-low-budget feel ($16,000) that in the end makes audiences grin at the irony that only real life can offer.
Documentary filmmaker and Hot Docs Festival programmer Lynne Fernie will host the presentation of My Student Loan, introducing Johnston and moderating the discussion after the screening.
When: Thursday, November 27 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Lecture Hall C, Computer Science & Engineering Building
York University, 4700 Keele St.
Admission: Free
This event is presented by York University’s Department of Film & Video in cooperation with the Hot Docs Film Festival and the York Film & Video Student Association. For more information, call 416-736-5149, ext. 22174
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Media Contact:
Mary-Lou Schagena
Communications, Faculty of Fine Arts
York University
416-736-2100 ext. 20421
schagena@yorku.ca
