Press reviews

Film details

Synopsis

Violinist Jessica Moss and singer/guitarist Efrim Menuck are struggling to balance parenthood with making music in their internationally acclaimed Montreal-based band Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. They are one of a growing number of bands to have accepted an infant (Efrim and Jessica’s son, Ezra) into their touring life. Making a living has never been more difficult for musicians: a downloading generation has shattered the economics of the music industry, and constant touring has become synonymous with economic survival. Touring with children is both costly and complicated, yet Jessica and Efrim, and fellow band mates Sophie Trudeau, Thierry Amar and Dave Payant, are determined to combine family life and being on the road with the band’s deep political commitment. As SMZ perseveres in making art and an honest living, we follow Jessica as she discovers the parallel path that mothers can find themselves on while attempting to pursue artistic endeavours along with their peers.

Against a backdrop of intense competition and rapid technological change, where corporatization of the cultural industries is challenging the very notion of freedom, and where the distinction between life and work is constantly blurred, the film follows a growing generation of globalized artists – struggling to remain “self made” in spite unprecedented economic precariousness. Like canaries in the coal mine, today’s artists are pioneers of the New Economy, where self-employment and self-promotion have replaced job security, and uncertainty becomes a way of life for all.

Credits
Script and Direction : Helene Klodawsky

Editing : Tony Asimakopoulos

Direction of Photography : Nicolas Caniccionni et Alexandre Margineanu

Music : The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra

Sound : Sylvain Vary, Philippe Scultéty, Emory Murchison, François Maurice, Roger Guérin

Production : Katarina Soukup

Financial partners

FMC

Super Channel

Direction

Helene Klodawsky

Helene Klodawsky has been writing and directing social, political and arts films for over 25 years. Her films have been screened and televised around the world, and have received more than 25 awards, including honours from the San Francisco International Film Festival, the Jerusalem International Film Festival, the Mannheim International Film Festival, Hot Docs, Les Rendez-vous du Cinema Quebecois and the Academy of Canadian Cinema. Her filmography includes Painted Landscapes of the Times (1986), Motherland (1994), What If (1999) Undying Love (2002), No More Tears Sister (2005), Family Motel (2007) Come Worry with us ! (2013). Her documentary, Malls R Us (2009), premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC –  the second time Helene participated in The Canadian Front Selection. She is a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Reviews and articles about Helene’s work have appeared in many periodicals, including Globe and Mail, National Post, New York Times, Newsweek International, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, La Presse, The Independent, BBC News Service, Hindu Times, and the Asian Tribune. Helene Klodawsky is a member of Doc Organization, the Writer’s Guild of Canada, Réalisatrices Équitables, and the  Quebec Executive of the Director’s Guild of Canada.   Non Exhaustive Filmography   Grassroots in Dry Lands (2015 / 90 min) Come Worry with us ! (2013 / 82 min) Malls R Us (2009 / 78 min) Family Motel (2007 / 88 min) No More Tears Sister (2005 / 78 min) Undying Love (2002 / 87 min) What If (1999 / 52 min) Motherland (1994 / 90 min) Shoot and Cry (1988 / 52 min)