NOMINATED FOR THE DIRECTOR'S GUILD OF CANADA AWARDS' ALLAN KING AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING
What A beautifully made film which is very inspiring - I'm Here With Mag
The Award Winning Film
GIFT is a tribute to something that can’t be measured or counted, bought or sold. Exploring the parallels between artists’ work and a gift economy, it’s a reflection on the creative process, the reasons we “labour in service of our gifts”.
Screening Dates
Vancouver, BC
May 14th, The Rio Theatre - 1660 E Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5N 1W1 Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, Dr. Gabor Maté and Director Robin McKenna will be in attendance
Toronto, ON
May 17-23, Carlton Cinemas - 20 Carlton St, Toronto, ON M5B 2H5 Friday, May 17: Showtimes, 1:30 PM and 6:30 PM, Saturday, May 18: 1:30 PM and 6:30 PM, Sunday, May 19: 1:30 PM and 6:30 PM, Monday, May 20: 1:30 PM and 6:30 PM, Tuesday, May 21: 1:30 PM and 6:30 PM, Wednesday, May, 22: 1:30 PM and 6:30 PM, Thursday, May 23: 6:30 PM.
River John, NS
May 30, Sunrise Film Festival
Maberly, ON August 17, The Barn Loft at Fieldwork - 2501 Old Brooke Rd.
Inspired by Lewis Hyde’s beloved classic The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World, GIFT is a richly cinematic film, interweaving character‐driven stories. On North America's Pacific Northwest Coast, a young indigenous man undertakes the elaborate preparations for a potlatch - to make a name for himself by giving everything away. In Rome, Italy, a factory occupied by migrant families is transformed into a living museum, protected by a barricade of art : a model of resistance, and an invaluable gift. In the pirate utopia of Burning Man, a mutant bumblebee art car distributes honey in a post--apocalyptic desert landscape. Meanwhile, in Auckland, New Zealand, artist Lee Mingwei prepares to launch Sonic Blossom - a “transformative gift” of song.
GIFT is a tribute to something that can’t be measured or counted, bought or sold. Exploring the parallels between artists’ work and a gift economy, it’s a reflection on the creative process, the reasons we “labour in service of our gifts”, and a celebration of the imagination.
Taiwanese artist Lee Mingwei, one of the artist-heroes of GIFT- near Auckland Art Gallery, preparing Sonic Blossom, an unexpected "gift of song". — with Lee Mingwei in Auckland, New Zealand
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Robin McKenna
Director/Writer/Producer Robin McKenna is director, producer and writer of GIFT, a feature-length documentary and crossmedia project inspired by Lewis Hyde’s classic bestseller The Gift. Recently she directed a short film with actress Geneviève Bujold, produced by the Canada’s National Film Board for the Governor General’s Awards. She is currently making Thanadoula, a short animated documentary fairytale, about a real-life “death doula” who finds her calling through the loss of her beloved older sister. She is producer and director of Medicine, a feature-length documentary about ayahuasca, medicine and healing, for release in 2019.
Robin grew up in Montréal, Canada, and began making films with La Course destination monde,
travelling around the world alone with a camera making short, creative documentaries. Her film The
Great War Experience won Yorkton Film Festival Founders’ Award in 2007. She has directed award-
winning series for networks in the US and Canada, and her cinematography credits include City of
Borders (Berlinale, Hot Docs 2009) and The Take with Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis (AFI Best
Documentary 2004). She is an alumnus of Hot Docs’ Doc Lab, and has been a filmmaker-mentor in
indigenous communities with Wapikoni Mobile.
PRODUCERS Ina Fichman, Robin McKenna
Intuitive Pictures is a Montreal-based company helmed by Veteran producer Ina Fichman. The company is dedicated to producing a quality film, television, and digital productions. We work with some of the finest creators, “ideas people” in developing creative documentaries that are both innovative and have a wide audience appeal. We have developed an expertise in international co-production and often collaborate with talent and partners worldwide. Recent productions include: The Oslo Diaries, Laila at the Bridge, Gift and Inside Lehman Brothers.
Inspired by Lewis Hyde’s beloved classic The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World, GIFT is a tribute to something that can’t be measured or counted, bought or sold. An intimate exploration of real-life gift economies, it’s a reflection on the creative process, the reasons we labour in service of our gifts, and a celebration of the imagination.
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Courtesy of Taro PR