Photo Credit: THN
This year’s Toronto International Film Festival kicked off in style on Thursday with the first Canadian documentary to ever open the prestigious festival, Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band. The film is also has the youngest filmmaker to have ever opened the festival behind the camera, director Daniel Roher.
The film is an excellent watch – a real insight into Robertson, who hails from Toronto, and the legendary rock band The Band, who featured in Martin Scorsese’s superb concert movie The Last Waltz. Scorsese was on hand at the premiere of the movie at Roy Thompson Hall in the heart of the city, as was the film’s producers, Imagine Entertainment’s Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. Robertson was also present on the carpet of the film, along with 89-year-old Ronnie Hawkins, who Robertson wrote songs for at the age of just 15 back in the 1950s.
Producer Ron Howard. Photo Credit: THN
Roher, Grazer and Howard took part in a press conference for the film earlier in the day, the highlights for which can be viewed in the player below. It’s an interesting watch.
He made music history several times over. He lived the rock star life at its peak. The depth and soul of his songwriting continues to influence countless artists all over the world. And it all started in a little corner of Southern Ontario. Born in Toronto and inspired to make music on the nearby Six Nations of the Grand River reserve, Robbie Robertson is a homegrown icon with a singular story to tell.
Daniel Roher’s film draws you right into Robertson’s orbit as he recounts his early formation, the talent, hard work, and happy accidents that led to his fame with The Band, and the conflicts that consumed them. “It was a beautiful thing,” he recalls. “It was so beautiful it went up in flames.” Rare archival images, Robertson’s memory for detail, and contributions from friends such as Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, and Martin Scorsese conjure up a glorious era of creativity and excess that can never quite be repeated.
An interview at the press conference revealed that the film has already been purchased by Magnolia Pictures for distribution around the world.
