THE BICYCLE OPERA PROJECT’S AWARD-WINNING FILM PREMIERES IN TORONTO JUNE 15
In-person premiere followed by world-wide digital streaming event
Toronto, ON – The Bicycle Opera Project is thrilled to present the film adaptation of SWEAT, an innovative opera by Juliet Palmer with a libretto by Anna Chatterton. Winner of the Best Narrative Feature at the LA Independent Women Film Awards, SWEAT will make its Toronto debut with an exclusive in-person screening on Saturday, June 15th at the Revue Cinema, followed by the digital streaming release available worldwide June 16-30 (details below).
Filmed on location in Hamilton and Kingston, Ontario in the summer of 2022, SWEAT tells the story of a group of women working in the garment industry and sets their individual aspirations against the unrelenting demands of global capitalism. The film merges contemporary dance and operatic storytelling with evocative and striking imagery.
Reuniting many of the all-Canadian cast from the original touring stage production, The Bicycle Opera Project brought choreographer Jennifer Nichols on as director/choreographer/producer of the film version. Jennifer has worked in film and television for a decade, in the capacity of choreographer – including head choreographer and dance consultant for Netflix’s Tiny Pretty Things – and tackled the challenges of adapting stage to screen head-on.
“Revisiting SWEAT through film after the stage was incredibly satisfying because the possibilities for storytelling are so broadened. There’s an intimacy the camera provides that gives the viewer a deeply nuanced, multifaceted perspective, which makes it so exciting choreographically. It allows you to sculpt a scene in a manner no other medium can.”- Jennifer Nichols
SWEAT marks Jennifer’s feature film directorial debut. Cinematographer Ash Tailor-Jones captured “haunting and moving imagery”, says Larissa Koniuk, Artistic Director of The Bicycle Opera Project and a producer on the film. “We were shocked by the quality of the picture we were seeing on the monitors,” she continued. “The film is moody and evocative and pulls at your heart strings.”
The Toronto screening will also include the premiere of the animated short, The Wild Goose, produced by Canadian Art Song Project. “The Wild Goose” was written by singer / songwriter Wade Hemsworth and arranged for Canadian Art Song Project (CASP) by Cecilia Livingston. CASP Co-Artistic Directors, pianist Steven Philcox and tenor Lawrence Wiliford perform the arrangement written for them in this new animated short.
The Wild Goose animated short pays homage to the National Film Board supported animated shorts The Log Driver’s Waltz (1979) and Blackfly (Christopher Hinton, 1991), both inspired by Wade Hemsworth songs. In addition to being inspired by the tone of these animated shorts, The Wild Goose also draws inspiration from the settler relationship with the natural landscape of Northern Ontario sketched by Group of Seven artist Thoreau MacDonald. Collaborating on this project was a team of talented animation students from OCAD University under the supervision of Experimental Animation faculty member and Chair, Philippe Blanchard.
TORONTO SCREENING
Saturday, June 15 at 6:30 pm (doors 6:00 pm) Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave Followed by a Q+A with the creative team
Tickets are $20 plus fees in advance bicycleopera.com
WORLD-WIDE DIGITAL STREAMING
Stream digitally on-demand anywhere in the world starting Sunday, June 16 at 12:01 am until Sunday, June 30 at 11:59 pm. Digital access starts at $15 plus fees.
For a complete list of cast and creative team, please see SWEAT Press Kit HERE Film Trailer can be viewed HERE
Photographs can be downloaded HERE
About The Bicycle Opera Project
Founded by Larissa Koniuk and Nadia Chana, two opera singers fusing their love of opera and cycling, The Bicycle Opera Project creates a car-free alternative to touring. Cycling town to town by bicycle with props and costumes in tow, The Bicycle Opera Project has completed six seasons of bicycle-powered opera productions. Grounded in their mandate to create works that are innovative and accessible, the company is now exploring digital and collaborative creation projects as they grow into the future.
About Canadian Art Song Project
Canadian Art Song Project was founded in 2011 by tenor Lawrence Wiliford and pianist Steven Philcox. Its mission is to build on the rich legacy of Canadian song by engaging composers, writers, and performers to share and celebrate their experiences through the creation of new music, while also providing opportunities for Canadian artists to champion the existing art song literature. For more information, visit their website: www.canadianartsongproject.ca.