CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — “The Song and the Sorrow”, a documentary exploring the lives of two P.E.I. musicians – Catherine MacLellan and her father, the late Gene MacLellan – will screen in Charlottetown this weekend.
Directed by P.E.I. filmmaker Millefiore Clarkes and produced by the National Film Board of Canada, it will be shown at The Guild on Saturday, May 4 at 3 p.m., during the East Coast Music Association Conference.
The Charlottetown screening is free and will be followed by a Q and A with MacLellan and Clarkes.
The documentary will then travel to Glasgow, Scotland, to screen at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, where it will be picking up an international award for best mid length documentary. The Scottish festival is a month-long arts festival that takes place at venues across Scotland.
Later in May, it will screen at the iconic Yorkton Film Festival in Saskatchewan where it is nominated for a Golden Sheaf Award for best documentary (arts and culture). The Yorkton Festival is Canada’s oldest running film festival.
The film is also opening the Newfoundland Arts Festival, Lawnya Vawnya, in St. John’s, and will screen in Pugwash, N.S., at the Sunrise Film Festival.
“The Song and the Sorrow” has been screening at festivals since the fall of 2018 and has picked up several awards and received some great national press and reviews along the way. It follows Catherine MacLellan as she faces the troubled legacy of her father, Gene, who struggled with mental illness.
She is determined to both celebrate his artistry and genius, as well as use her own story as a tool to open up conversations around mental illness.
At a glance:
- Millefiore Clarkes is part of a growing film community and industry on the Island.
- Many of the key crew and contributors to the film are based on P.E.I., such as cinematographer Kyle Simpson, sound recordist Adam Gallant, and composer Devon Ross.
- The success of the film is a testament to the skills and abilities of those who work in the industry on P.E.I.
If you go:
What: Screening of “The Song and the Sorrow”
When: Saturday, May 4, 3 p.m.
Where: The Guild, 111 Queen St., Charlottetown
Cost: The screening is free and is followed by a Q and A with Catherine MacLellan and Millefiore Clarkes
