From our 2016 Festival:
An icon of English Canadian letters, the late Al Purdy was equal parts rock star, raconteur, and rabble rouser – in other words, all poet. Coming to prominence in the 1960s alongside a crop of other extraordinary talents, Purdy scorned the tired tales of rural life that had dominated Canadian literature and set out to create a different language, one that came from the contemporary Canadian experience. Purdy’s impact on Canadian culture has now been lovingly detailed in Brian D. Johnson’s fine documentary Al Purdy Was Here, which artfully combines archival footage with readings and reminiscences from friends and colleagues, as well as performances from such musicians as Bruce Cockburn, Tanya Tagaq, and Sarah Harmer, who set Purdy’s words to music.
The short film Not the End of the World was shown before the main feature.
A Q&A session with director and producer Brian D. Johnson followed the screening.
BRIAN D. JOHNSON is the former film critic for Canada’s weekly news magazine Maclean’s. He serves as president of the Toronto Film Critics Association and has worked over the years as a journalist, author, musician, and, most recently, a filmmaker. Al Purdy Was Here is his first feature-length documentary.
