AL PURDY WAS HERE – 9PM

SCREENING: Saturday, February 6, 9:00 pm

Directed by: Brian D. Johnson
With: Margaret Atwood, Joseph Boyden, Leonard Cohen, Sarah Harmer, Eurithe Purdy
Documentary, Rated PG, 92 min. (Canada)

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. 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.”

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