The eleven-city release that includes Toronto and Vancouver opens March 29th
The independent documentary making big waves, ‘Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick,’ has signed on with Cineplex Odeon for a Canada-wide theatrical tour. The award- winning feature documentary will screen in eleven cities across Canada on March 29th and April 1st in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Oakville, Sudbury, Windsor, Halifax, Petersborough, Calgary, Winnipeg and Cote Saint-Luc, Quebec.
“It is amazing and a huge honour to see our small independent film get recognized by so many people and have the opportunity to have a Canada-wide release with Cineplex”, says producer Natalie Boll.
‘Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick’ is a portrait of Canadian art legend Beau Dick, an enigmatic carver from a small remote village on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. His remarkable masks have been celebrated across the global art scene as vibrant expressions of West Coast Indigenous culture and a sophisticated crossover into the contemporary art world. Dick had an unprecedented ability to tap into the collective memory of his people and breathe new life into age-old traditions. In 2017, his Undersea Kingdom series was listed as one of the top highlights to see at documenta 14 (Kassel and Athens).
‘Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick’ strives to capture the essence of Beau Dick and his mysterious enigma as an artist who symbolized Canada’s history with the First Nations and the ethical dilemmas faced in reconciling with that colonialist history. Dick was able to use his celebrity to call attention to the injustices done to his people and the environment. Weaving together the personal and cultural until both become inseparable, ‘Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick’ presents an artist who succeeded in reconciling the two.
The film illuminates a man whose art and life continue to transcend expectations and boundaries. Natalie Boll explains, “We wanted to tell a story of both the artist and the world that informed his work. We aimed to present Beau in an intuitive and authentic tone, and to define his position within Canada’s complex colonial history and the larger struggle for Indigenous rights.”
LaTiesha Fazakas, Beau’s longtime friend and gallerist, conceived the film in 2010. After meeting film producer Natalie Boll in 2012, LaTiesha and Natalie began filming with Beau. “I just had the feeling everyone should meet Beau Dick, and a film seemed like the perfect way for that to happen,” says LaTiesha Fazakas.
In the beginning, the filmmakers tried to secure grants and broadcaster interest to help with funding. “We literally applied for funding everywhere and to everyone,” says Natalie Boll. However, after exhausting all funding avenues, these determined women persevered and continued filming with only the help of friends and family. They describe their crew volunteering or working for small honorariums to keep the project going. In 2015, Randall Perry came on as an Executive Producer and helped secure financing to complete the project. The film shot for a total of five years.
“It was so challenging, but it was like an obsession for me. I had to see it through,” says LaTiesha. “And we weren’t the only ones with true commitment. Our editor, Steve Bowyer, was with us since the beginning in 2012. He went through hundreds of hours of footage to help create the final story.”
Shortly after completion, the film was selected for the 2017 Vancouver International Film Festival where it experienced three sold-out screenings and an additional six screenings after the festival as part of the VIFF Repeats. The film recently won the Cultural Currents Award at the Victoria International Film Festival and is slated to screen at various other festivals and cities within BC in the coming months.
The project caught the eye of Brad LaDouceur from Cineplex Odeon after meeting with Natalie Boll at AFM in Los Angeles in 2012. After recently viewing the completed film, Brad decided to partner with the filmmakers and their distributor Dfilms to host a series of special screenings in 11 cities across Canada as part of Cineplex Events.
Beau Dick worked within an ancient tradition and rose to the ranks of international success. In 1986, Dick was commissioned to carve a mask to be showcased in Expo 86 in Vancouver. The Canadian Museum of History (formerly the Canadian Museum of Civilization) in Gatineau, Quebec, acquired Dick’s mask, and it remains on display there. In 1998, he was one of only seven Canadian artists to be invited to the reopening of Canada House in London, England, in the presence of Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Queen Elizabeth II.
Sadly, Beau passed away in March 2017 shortly after the film was completed. The theatrical tour with Cineplex will begin two days after the anniversary of his death. Beau Dick daughter Linnea Dick has been invited to Australia by the High Commission of Canada to showcase the film in three cities: Brisbane, Canberra, and Melbourne.
“The film could not have been completed at a more fitting time with critical issues Beau talks about in the film like the Kinder Morgan pipeline, fish farms, and Indigenous rights are currently being brought to the forefront of Canada’s political landscape,” says Boll.
‘Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick’ opens across Canada has one screening at Cineplex Odeon in each city on March 29th and again on April 1st. Tickets are limited so advance bookings are suggested to avoid disappointment. Purchase advance tickets here. https://www.cineplex.com/Movie/maker-of-monsters-the-extraordinary-life-of-beau-dick
For more information, photos and interviews please contact:
Lesley Diana | Lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca | 604-726-5575
For film requests please contact: Natalie Boll: natalielizboll@gmail.com
For Beau Dick Art requests please contact: LaTiesha Fazakas: latiesha37@gmail.com
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: @MeetBeauDick
Facebook: @MakersofMonsters
Tickets at the following Cineplex Cinemas available through the following link:
https://www.cineplex.com/Movie/maker-of-monsters-the-extraordinary-life-of-beau-dick
- Cineplex Cinemas Yonge-Dundas and VIP
- The Park Theatre
- SilverCity Sudbury Cinemas
- SilverCity Theaters
- Cineplex South Keys
- Park Lane Mall
- AMC Theatres Winston Churchill
- Cineplex Odeon Eau Claire Market Cinemas
- Cineplex Odeon McGillivray and VIP Cinemas
- Cinéma Cineplex Odeon Cavendish Mall
- Le Mail Cavendish, 5800 boulevard Cavendish, 5800 boulevard Cavendish, Cote Saint-Luc, QC, H4W 2T5