Hometown Series at the Esplanade Gallery

If you find yourself in downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta over the next 5 months, have a look at the Tumbleweed Spaces that line the exterior of the Esplanade gallery.

Since 2012, I've sporadically shot thousands of images of Medicine Hat as part of a collection I've referred to as "the Hometown Series" and if you've followed me at any point in the last decade there's a good chance you've seen a part of it randomly pop up in your feed. The Hometown Series became so popular over lockdown that you may even have a print from it hanging in your home at this point.

This new installation was just completed last week and features 24 panels with over 150 variations from the series. It's also been a rare excuse for me to take stock of just how big this collection has become without having a specific end date or purpose in mind - it was always more about challenging myself to create and share something in the moment amidst a myriad of other projects.

As I described in my notes it's become a digital tapestry of my community, but in its simplest form, it's really just an excuse to look at the familiar in a less familiar way.

Of course, this exhibition wouldn't have happened without all of you and your support. It also wouldn't have happened without the amazing team at TREX Southeast who were the ones who nudged me to consider doing this and presented the opportunity a year ago.

It's amazing what time and a little creative energy can turn into. Thank you all for the push and for continuing to share the ride!

Shooting New York City on (Expired) 35mm

This old Minolta may not look like much, but it was the only camera my parents used to capture my childhood. Needless to say, I don't think it had taken a single picture in over 20 years.

So, I thoroughly cleaned it, I found some very expired 35mm rolls of Kodak Gold, and I put it in my bag to capture some snapshots on my latest round of travel shoots in New York City.

Despite discovering the auto focus meter no longer worked and a little bit of bleed on the film, overall I was just pleased the experiment worked. Here's some of what developed.

Back to the Future on Broadway in New York City

A few visuals from Back to the Future on Broadway in New York City. 

Your Cinema Needs You In Tokyo, Japan

The latest official selection on the spring film festival run for my documentary, Your Cinema Needs You was received this past weekend. The feature documentary about the Monarch Theatre, Canada's oldest surviving cinema, is off to Tokyo, Japan where it has been accepted as part of the Lift-Off series - a collaborative, international festival that takes place in various cities around the world. This edition in Tokyo was my first submission to this film festival series, but I'm excited to see how the film performs with a new international audience. 

More updates to come as Your Cinema Needs You continues its festival tour.

Book of Mormon on Broadway in New York City

A few visuals from the Book of Mormon on Broadway in New York City.

Another Round of Travel Shoots in New York City

This spring I was back in New York City to add to an already extensive collection of travel shoots around the five boroughs. Making this series particularly memorable was the timing of the solar eclipse and some ongoing discussions about my documentary "Your Cinema Needs You", which inspired me to search out the oldest surviving cinema remaining in NYC.

These latest shoots included new observation decks, popular filming locations, and hotels, but to an even larger extent, a lot more general street photography to round out some of the more specific shoots from past visits. The weather was incredible and I managed to cover a lot more ground than I had planned for which was all a bonus. Expect to see a lot more New York City highlights from this series in the months ahead. 

 

Festival Nomination: Art Film Spirit Awards

I'm happy to share that while I've been away on my recent travel shoots, "Your Cinema Needs You" picked up another festival nomination on its ongoing film festival world tour. The feature was nominated for Best Documentary at the Art Film Spirit Awards in partnership with Toronto Film Magazine last week, and as you'd imagine, I'm thrilled that the movie has been gaining momentum since this festival run kicked off last month.

Knowing I have a lot of creatives and aspiring filmmakers in my audience, however, I'd also like to share that I received 3 new festival rejections last week too. This isn't unusual. This is what this process looks like. In the same week as you're being grouped in with the "best of" you can simultaneously find that you're "not the right fit" somewhere else. 

I mention this, not only because I think it's good advice, but because I'm still living by the same lessons that I picked up when I was a film student. Making movies is hard. Celebrate your successes. And at the end of the day, trying to achieve something is still more fulfilling than not doing something because you're afraid to fail. I've failed a lot on this documentary, and by all accounts, it's going pretty well!

Thank you all for the ongoing support as the ride continues!

Finding the Oldest Cinema in New York City

Your Cinema Needs You has made it to NYC where I've been in ongoing discussions about further festival placements and screenings for the documentary this year. Fingers crossed. 

A few meetings aren't much of a storyline though, so I made my way to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to search out what is believed to be the oldest, surviving, purpose-built cinema remaining in all 5 boroughs of New York City.

This is the Alpine Cinema, originally the Loew's Alpine built in 1921.

The Alpine is a rare holdout in a city that has demolished some incredible structures. And, despite numerous older live theatre venues which have survived, there are but a few relics from the silent era of movies still standing in New York City today. 

It's one more thing that makes the documentary about the Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta special. The Monarch Theatre (built in 1911) has the oldest surviving New York City cinema beat by a full decade, and needless to say, New York had a bit of a leg up with hundreds and hundreds of cinemas built here over the last century.

It makes you realize that cinemas like the Alpine and the Monarch really are diamonds in the rough. Also, I've become a bit hooked on visiting them in person.

Solar Eclipse in Central Park in New York City

A few snapshots from watching the solar eclipse in Central Park this afternoon.