LIFT Monthly Viewing: February 2009 Screening

The LIFT
monthly viewing is a new social event intended to get LIFT members talking
about diverse approaches to filmmaking. During the workshop season, the last
Sunday of each month will be devoted to screening and discussing a selection of
work from the library of the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC)
and elsewhere. This is an excellent opportunity for filmmakers to get together,
discuss the approaches other filmmakers have taken, and develop their own
ideas.

Social
Issue – Cinema Verite:

SUNDAY
FEBRUARY 22, 2009

7:00 PM

Cost:
Suggested donation $5

“Hookers on
Davie”

Janis Cole
and Holly Dale

1984 |
83 minutes | Documentary

SYNOPSIS

The
decision to shoot a film about “the prostitution capital of Canada,” Davie
Street, was based on eight months of research by the filmmakers concerning
prostitution in major cities throughout Canada and the United States. Davie
Street is located in the heart of Vancouver’s residential West End, just
minutes from Stanley Park. Hookers have turned the tree lined streets into a
drive-in brothel open for trade from noon until 4:00 AM, seven days a week.

The
prostitutes here have organized themselves by meeting once each week to discuss
safety, self-defense, and health controls. Collectively, they print “bad trick
sheets,” warning each other of potentially dangerous clients. These prostitutes
are independent and through mutual cooperation have maintained a “pimp free”
work environment. There are normally up to 150 prostitutes frequenting this
area, congregating around neighbourhood churches and lining the alleyways and
street corners all day long. After spending two months on Davie Street talking
with the hookers, the filmmakers were able to gain their trust and confidence.
The subjects agreed to wear radio microphones while being filmed by a hidden
camera in a parked van. They worked the corner, openly negotiating with tricks,
and spoke candidly about their experiences during breaks at a local restaurant.

“Hookers on
Davie” emerges as a fresh insight into the lives of prostitutes working the
streets, giving a sensitive and personal portrayal of their world and their
lives. The film is shot like a documentary and put together like a dramatic
fiction. The filmmakers allow the audience to be interpreter; there is no
voice-over, and no contrived dialogue to explain the plot. The viewer is taken
into the world of the men, women, transvestites and transsexuals who ply their
trade on Vancouver’s Davie Street. “No maudlin cliche, it shows how rough and
tough life on the streets can be.” – Brian Johnson, MacLean’s Magazine

For
information on the other screenings please visit:

http://www.lift.on.ca/mt/archives/workshops_09a_the_lift_monthly_viewing.html

Sunday 22 February 2009 –

Non-members: FREE
Members: FREE

Location:

Canada