Discover Ontario: Explore the province with fascinating docs and special guests. In this screening, visit Roblin Lake.
Two-time Governor General's Award-winner Al Purdy was a charismatic tower of contradictions: a "sensitive man" who whipped out a poem in a bar fight; a factory worker who found grace in an Arctic flower; a mentor to young writers who remained a stranger to his sons. Purdy was famous for his diverse and stirring poetry, boisterous and rabble-rousing personality and A-frame house in Roblin Lake, Ontario, which became a mecca for pioneers of Canadian literature including Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and Dennis Lee. Fresh off the screens of this year’s TIFF, director Brian D. Johnson blends archival footage with readings, reminiscences and live performances from those who have been touched by Purdy's life—including Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, Gordon Pinsent and Tanya Tagaq—to create a complex and moving portrait of the “last, best and most Canadian poet.”
Director Brian D. Johnson will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.
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