There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace

There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace is a 2020 Canadian documentary film, directed by Lulu Wei.[1] The film profiles the issue of gentrification in Toronto, Ontario through the history, demolition and redevelopment of the historic Honest Ed's department store and its effects on the larger Mirvish Village neighbourhood.[2]

There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace
Film poster
Directed byLulu Wei
Produced byAli Weinstein
StarringKathleen Conway
Deborah Cowen
Mike Layton
CinematographyLulu Wei
Edited bySarah Bachinski
Music byLaura Barrett
Release date
Running time
75 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Stories woven through the film include those of Wei and their partner as they navigate the process of looking for a new place to live after being "renovicted" from their current Mirvish Village apartment; Itah Sadu, the owner of the city's Black Canadian specialty bookstore A Different Booklist, as she lobbies to secure a space for her store in the new development; an artist and gallery owner who takes the loss of his existing location as an opportunity to retire from the business rather than attempting to relocate; and the efforts of anti-poverty activists and city councillor Mike Layton to secure a larger affordable housing component in the new development.[3]

The film premiered as part of the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.[4] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, it was not screened theatrically, but premiered as part of the festival's online streaming component.[5]

An abbreviated edition of the film was broadcast by CBC Television as an episode of CBC Docs POV in October 2020.[3]

Awards

On June 8, the film was named as one of five recipients of the Rogers Audience Award at Hot Docs, alongside the films The Walrus and the Whistleblower, 9/11 Kids, First We Eat and The Forbidden Reel. Although it was not the overall winner of the audience balloting, in light of the pandemic situation and its ongoing effects on film distribution, the award committee opted to split the award among all of the top five Canadian films.[6]

Wei received two Canadian Screen Award nominations in television categories at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, for Best Direction in a Documentary Program or Series and Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Series.[7]

References
  1. Norman Wilner, "Norman Wilner’s top 10 must-see films at Hot Docs 2020". Now, May 25, 2020.
  2. Peter Howell, "Honest Ed’s documentary an honest look at the beloved Toronto store and the future of Bloor/Bathurst". Toronto Star, May 26, 2020.
  3. Gabrielle Mulholland, "Honest Ed's Doc 'There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace' Reveals a Tear in Toronto's Cultural Fabric". Exclaim!, October 9, 2020.
  4. Daniele Alcinii, "Twenty-three Canadian titles among Hot Docs virtual lineup". Playback, May 5, 2020.
  5. Garnet Fraser, "Hot Docs to stream dozens of films in new digital version of festival". Toronto Star, May 5, 2020.
  6. Daniele Alcinii, "Hot Docs ’20: “The Walrus and the Whistleblower” takes top audience award". RealScreen, June 8, 2020.
  7. Brent Furdyk, "Television Nominees Announced For 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Leads The Pack With 21 Nominations". ET Canada, March 30, 2021.
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