music

MUSIC IS THE MEDICINE is a one-hour documentary that follows the journey of blues-rock virtuoso Derek Miller, one of Indigenous Canada’s most recognizable artists, as he sets out to release his next album, with high hopes of achieving mainstream success. Over the past 20 years Derek’s built a highly devoted fan base, received numerous awards – including two Junos - and played with a long list of world class musicians, all the while struggling with addiction and personal loss. Now a new and reinvigorated Derek emerges and is pushing harder than ever to ascend to the next level of his career. MUSIC IS THE MEDICINE is an intimate portrait of a critically acclaimed but struggling artist whose been on the verge of breakthrough for over a decade...and the experiences that have shaped his music all along the way.

A FILM ABOUT DIY CULTURE, LOUD MUSIC, ILLEGAL VENUES AND THE WAR ON FUN. Featuring DOA, Subhumans, Skinny Puppy, 3 Inches of Blood, Japandroids + more. Is live music being silenced? Cities around the world are experiencing the death of the independent live music venue. With the proliferation of condo developments in low-income artist communities, ensuing noise complaints, the commercialization of large music venues, and the rise in stringent city zoning and liquor regulations, small local music venues around the world are struggling to stay open. Set in Vancouver, Canada which has long been known as No Fun City, this documentary is a passionate tale about a tight-knit music scene and its ongoing battle for a place to call home. Witnessing the ups and downs of life behind the scenes, the camera follows as venues are shut down, parties are raided, and musicians resort to playing in illegal venues, DIY warehouses, and even parking lots, mostly located in the downtown eastside Canada's poorest zip code. These brave supporters of punk and metal face irate neighbours, police raids, evictions, deportation, million dollar lawsuits, and even city hall in order to keep their underground music scene alive.

A one-hour documentary about the crusade to save CKUA, Canada’s oldest non-profit broadcaster. Over the past 76 years CKUA has launched the careers of many talented announcers and musicians -- and fostered fiercely loyal fans. tells the CKUA story by interweaving three themes: The Music played on CKUA, and The History of the station and The Fight to get CKUA back on the air after it was shut down in 1997,. The Music is the heart of Radio Worth Fighting For. The film highlights the amazingly eclectic music played on CKUA by featuring the live performances of 37 musical acts including Ricky Skaggs, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Bruce Cockburn, Kiran Ahluwalia, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Jim Cuddy, Roy Forbes, Janiva Magness, Mose Allison, The Mahotella Queens, Bomba!, Pete Seeger, Daniel Lanois, and Sylvia Tyson performing with Quartette The Fight chronicles the long odds and serious struggle facing CKUA’s supporters after the radio station fell silent in 1997 due to government cutbacks, questionable management practices, and bureaucratic bungling. Footage of television news reports from the time of the shutdown is combined with commentary by the CKUA staff and listeners who lead the fight. These scenes paint a compelling picture of people of all ages, classes and tastes banding together on a social crusade to keep their favorite community treasure on the air. The History of CKUA is shared through fascinating archival photos, stock footage of events at the station over the past seven decades, and storytelling by colourful CKUA staff alumni. These include actor-singer Robert Goulet; musician-turned senator Tommy Banks and John Worthington, who continues to host a weekly big-band show after 53-years at the station. CKUA was saved by it’s listeners. Remarkably, one-quarter of CKUA’s annual budget now comes from donors in Canada and around the world who tune in to this unique station on the radio, or on the Internet.

As the nexus of Canadian music, the city has been enriched by wave after wave of homegrown and international musicians. Its stages, streets and alleys resonate with the notorious jams, numbing heartaches, and lucky breaks that are the city’s musical DNA. City Sonic is a new, multi-platform music series that delivers these stories straight into the hands of today’s music fans, wherever they are: online, on TV, and on their mobile phones. Each film tells the story of one musician and their shared history with a legendary Toronto music venue. City Sonic creates a new level of engagement with the city through location-based storytelling and a gaming component built around the new generation of mobile phones. The City Sonic Mobile Guide (available for download here: http://www.citysonic.tv/mobile-app/) is a ten page guide intended to help documentary producers gain insight into some of the considerations and challenges that come with producing content for mobile delivery specifically film and video content.

From acclaimed director Bruce McDonald, teaming with Emmy and Oscar nominated documentary producer Erin Faith Young and her producing partner Jennifer St. John, comes a rare and exclusive musical journey. Rita Chiarelli, an award-winning recording artist, takes a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the blues, Louisiana State Maximum Security Penitentiary a.k.a Angola Prison. She never imagined that her love of the blues would lead her to a historic jailhouse performance with inmates serving life sentences for murder, rape, and armed robbery. This musical journey is a glance into what used to be the bloodiest prison in America, but now gives lifers something to live for through the power of music. In contrast to sensational stories of convicts, we witness remarkable voices of hope as their love of music radiates humanity and redemption on their quest for forgiveness.

Set at an idyllic music camp for emerging musicians in rural Ontario, A Drummer’s Dream focuses on a rare assembly of some of the most versatile drummers in the world, including Nasyr Abdul Al-Khabyyr, Dennis Chambers, Kenwood Dennard, Horacio “El-Negro” Hernandez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Mike Mangini and Raul Rekow, awe-inspiring musicians who have backed up the likes of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Carlos Santana and now – each other. It showcases their explosive talent – running the gamut from Latin and rock to jazz and soul – as well as their passion, humour and irresistible personalities.

PAUL QUARRINGTON: LIFE IN MUSIC is a documentary about a celebrated artist whose sudden diagnosis of a terminal illness leads him to ask the universal question, what would you do? He is driven to squeeze every ounce of creative juice from his multi-dimensional career – writer, musician, filmmaker - in whatever amount of time he has left. By bearing witness to the most intimate moments of his creative process, through to big moments on the public stage, Quarrington’s final journey provides testament to the power of a perfect song to provide lasting connections to humanity. His is a story that will inspire every viewer to re-connect with their creativity and truly engage in the sweet, bitter, hilarious or poignant moments life has to offer. On-screen conversations with some of the most important people in Quarrington’s life, including Roddy Doyle, Dave Bidini, Nino Ricci, Wayson Choy and Martin Worthy; with dynamic performances from his band Porkbelly Futures, The Rheostatics, Dan Hill, Joel Quarrington, Tony Quarrington, Joe Hall and many more. Inspired by the book “Cigar Box Banjo: A Life in Music and Words” by Paul Quarrington, published by Greystone Books, May 29, 2010. The film includes original live performances of music composed expressly for the film, as well as songs composed during his illness, many of which are included on the CD “Paul Quarrington: The Songs,” Paul’s only full-length solo recording, available through Cordova Bay.