The CFI to celebrate the late Donald Shebib on National Canadian Film Day
OTTAWA, ON – To celebrate his legacy as part of National Canadian Film Day (CanFilmDay), the Canadian Film Institute (CFI) will present a special screening of Donald Shebib’s groundbreaking 1970 film, Goin’ Down The Road. Presented in partnership with Reel Canada and the Directors Guild of Canada, the film will be screened for free on April 17, 2024, at 7:00 pm at the ByTowne Cinema. Before the film, there will be a discussion between the film’s star and legendary actress Jayne Eastwood, Emmy-nominated director Annie Bradley and the CFI’s Executive Director Tom McSorley.
“With its gritty realist style, unflinching critique of an increasingly materialist society, and finely observed fish-out-of-water narrative, Goin’ Down the Road not only tells a quintessential Canadian story but also heralds a new era for fiction filmmaking in English-speaking Canada,” says McSorley.
Selected as a part of this year’s CanFilmDay lineup, Goin’ Down The Road is the archetypal Canadian story of leaving one’s small-town home for the big city. The film follows Pete (Doug McGrath) and Joey (Paul Bradley), two men from Cape Breton who decide to ditch small-town life and head to better times in the bright lights of Toronto. The film was one of Eastwood’s first on-screen screen appearances. In addition to Goin’ Down The Road, Eastwood is known for her roles in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), Dawn of the Dead (2004), and Hairspray (2007).
The 1970 Best Picture winner at the Canadian Film Awards, Canada’s “original road movie” was named the sixth-best Canadian film of all time by the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015. A contemporary of Francis Ford Coppola, having worked as a crew member on Coppola’s Dementia 13 (1963), Shebib passed in November 2023. As a filmmaker, Shebib’s body of work includes but is not limited to Rip-Off (1971), Between Friends (1974), Heartaches (1982), The Climb (1986), Down the Road Again (2011), and Nightalk (2022).
Since its launch in 2014, CanFilmDay has provided the opportunity for Canadians to gather and celebrate Canadian filmmakers’ stories and achievements. Each year screenings take place across different platforms and Canadian venues. Filmgoers can order complimentary screening tickets for Goin’ Down The Road through the ByTowne Cinema’s website.
