Oct 20 & 22, Original Princess. Join us for a special fundraising event for the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund.
In participation with Secret Path Week, we will be screening The Tragically Hip concert film, LONG TIME RUNNING, followed by the Gord Downie/Jeff Lemire short about Chanie Wenjack, SECRET PATH.
All proceeds from this event will go toward the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund.
Long Time Running (d. Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Canada, 2017. 97 min.) No other band encapsulates the rugged rock 'n' roll soul of Canada like The Tragically Hip. When singer Gord Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2016, determined to go out on his own terms, Downie convinced his bandmates to tour in support of their new record. Featuring arrestingly candid interviews, gorgeous imagery, and searing performances of Hip favourites, Long Time Running is "a film about wonder, perseverance, and feeling alive even when dark shadows loom." - TIFF
Secret Path is an animated film adaptation of Gord Downie's album and Jeff Lemire's graphic novel. Working with Downie's poetry and music, Lemire has created a powerful visual representation of the life of Chanie Wenjack. The film is divided into ten chapters, each a song from Downie's musical retelling of Chanie's story – from his escape from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School, to his subsequent and heartbreaking death from hunger and exposure to the harsh weather. The final product is a uniquely immersive emotional experience - an insight into the life of a little boy who, as Gord has said, he never knew, "but will always love."
About the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund: Inspired by Chanie’s story and Gord’s call to build a better Canada, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. The Fund's goal is to improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education, and connections between all peoples in Canada.
About Secret Path Week: Taking place from October 17-22, Secret Path Week is a national movement that commemorates the legacies of Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack. This is a meaningful week as October 17 and 22 respectively mark the dates that Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack joined the spirit world. We call on all people throughout Canada to use Secret Path Week to answer Gord’s call to action, to “Do Something” by creating a reconciliACTION and furthering the conversation about the history of residential schools.