Venue: The Rooms Theatre
Date: Friday, October 29, 2010
Time: 7:00 pm

Director/Réalisateur: Bert Kish
Producer/Producteur: Judith Keenan
Writer/Scénariste: William Laurin
Country/Pays: Canada
Running Time/Durée: 46 min

The man was larger than life but unfortunately he couldn’t outrun it. This highly entertaining documentary by BookShort genius Judith Keenan manages to capture the full measure of the man—novelist, screenwriter, painter, composer, musician, husband, father, teacher — in the last defiant months of his life. Refusing to go gentle into that good night, Quarrington hung on with gusto to the last, embodying an admirably healthy attitude towards the precious time left to him, even while his body lived itself out. Clearly music fed his soul, sustaining him to the end. The film is a happy occasion for celebration, a truly remarkable legacy of one of the finest artists this country has produced, and a fitting tribute to the man who well understood the music of whales.

For more information and tickets http://www.womensfilmfestival.com/tickets.php

Paul Quarrington, novelist, musician, screenwriter and non-fiction writer, passed away in January 2010. Even after being diagnosed with lung cancer, Quarrington embarked on concert tours with his band Porkbelly Futures, produced his own solo CD and the Porkbelly’s third release, completed his non-fiction memoir, Cigar Box Banjo: Notes on Music and Life, and was the subject of a feature-length documentary. Tonight you’ll have the chance to view the documentary, in which he comes to terms with his life and death through the power of music, and hear more about this remarkable man from both his publisher and one of his many friends.

Rob Sanders Video Telegram to Paul Quarrington from MovingStories.TV on Vimeo.

This event is presented in partnership with Emily Carr University of Art and Design and is sponsored by Douglas & McIntyre Publishing Group.

ALSO: PORKBELLY FUTURES in concert!

10:30pm, Friday, October 23, 2010
Performance Works
Granville Island

Tickets: $12 at the door starting at 10:15pm

Porkbelly Futures is a tough band to pin down. “Toronto’s Most Excited Band” began as a boisterous Chicago-style blues band, but singer/songwriters Paul Quarrington and Martin Worthy soon veered off into uncharted waters. Who Knows what this critically acclaimed five-piece band’s music is now, but on stage there will be a pedal steel guitar (that’s country), a Telecaster guitar (for blues rock), a mandolin (to pluck heartstrings), acoustic guitars (for folk enthusiasts), and a bunch of vocal mikes. And somewhere, Paul is smiling….

For tickets and screening details, call Phone 519 305 2100 or visit http://www.docfeststratford.ca/view.php?public/The_Films

Paul Quarrington: Life in Music Documentary Feature

{EXCERPT}

Paul Quarrington is gone
He lost his battle with cancer, but Quarrington joins the distinguished dozen — the authors who make up the Banff Distinguished Author Series alumni. Richard Ford, David Adams Richards, David Malouf, Annie Proulx, Richard Wright, Margaret Atwood, John Ralston Saul, Jane Urquhart, Austin Clark, Douglas Coupland, and the late Timothy Findley and Mordecai Richler.

FOR THE COMPLETE STORY >>

http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/arts/books/fifteen-years-of-literary-bliss-6410/

Wednesday, September 22

Venue: Grand Theatre, Regina Rosen Auditorium
Time: 7:30 – 10:30 pm
Tickets: $20.00 >> get info here >> http://www.kingstonwritersfest.ca/tickets.php

Paul Quarrington was a storyteller in every medium he could get his hands on—novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, songs. Opening night brings together PQ’s People, the writers, musicians, actors, and filmmakers who knew Paul and have their own stories to tell about the writing life that produced 10 novels, including Canada Reads winner King Leary, the award-winning book and screenplay Whale Music, the TV series Due South, musicals for children, 3 full-length plays, 3 CDs with the Porkbelly Futures, as well as a posthumous solo CD and the memoir Cigar Box Banjo. Join Nino Ricci, Dave Bidini, Kim Moritsugu, Stuart Ross, Steven Heighton, Dan Hill, Cordelia Strube, Jim Garrard’s theatrical presentation of The Invention of Poetry featuring actors Craig Walker and Brett Christopher, Judith Keenan, and the Porkbelly Futures for an evening of stories in all their glorious forms.

2010 Screenings:

Leacock Summer Festival, Orillia ON- Sun. July 25

Writers at Woody Point NL – Wed. Aug. 18

Haliburton Forest Festival ON – Sat. Aug. 21

Bravo! Doc Presents PQ Life in Music – Sep 18 @ 7pm ET – check local listings

Kingston Writers Festival ON – Wed. Sep 22

Thin Air: Winnipeg Writers Festival MB – Sat. Sep 25

WordFest: Banff-Calgary Intl Writers Festival AB – Sat. Oct 16 & Sun. 17

Vancouver International Writers Festival BC – Fri. Oct 22

St. John’s Intl Women’s Film Festival NL – Oct 26-30

BookFest Windsor ON – Fri. Nov 5

TO BOOK A SCREENING DATE CONTACT
Judith Keenan
Executive Producer
Tel. 416.519.0806
Judith-at-bookshorts-dot-com
www.movingstoriesfilmfest.com

“It was great, Judith. Or at least, I hear it was. I was stranded on Fogo Island!
But people were very moved by it and were grateful to have the opportunity to
honour Paul. Steve Brunt and I also had a Paul moment on stage–we put out
the fishing rod he used last year…I read a bit from the book about Des Walsh
and then we played the Friendly song–which got stuck in the middle and stopped!
Then picked up again. Quite a moment! hope your summer was/is great. xoxo”

Here’s the Western Star review of the event too >>

Canadian author and musician remembered at Woody Point Writers festival
Published on August 24th by Katherine Hudson

Stephen Brunt and Shelagh Rogers at Writers at Woody Point Festival

Stephen Brunt and Shelagh Rogers seen on Saturday August 21, 2010

She is currently (2003-present) Executive Producer and Founder of BookShorts Inc. and its not-for-profit sister company BookShorts Literacy Program (bookshorts.com). The corporations produce screen media oriented around authors, books and publishing for distribution via television broadcast, Internet, live events, film festivals and other multi-platform promotions. Since its launch in 2004, Judith has produced two feature documentaries, twenty original short films, a national television series (movingstories.tv), over 125 book video trailers, and hundreds of news vignettes.

For additional information and production credits, visit www.bookshorts.com