Dear Calgary (and area) friends and contacts,
Academy Award-winning filmmaker John Zaritsky along with a group of people are helping to bring John's new film, "Leave Them Laughing: A Musical Comedy About Dying," to Calgary for a special fundraiser screening.
"Leave Them Laughing" is a documentary film about Canadian singer, actor, comedian, and mother Carla Zilbersmith who, at the age of 45, was struck by the devastating disease of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
Here’s what our colorful Carla had to say about that:
"Having Lou Gehrig’s Disease sucks, because I hate baseball. I’d much rather have been diagnosed with a basketball disease. Maybe Wilt Chamberlain Disease. That’s the one where you have sex 20,000 times and then you die."
Winner of the Special Jury Award!
Top 10 Audience Favourites at Toronto's Hot Docs, and one of "The Ten Films to See" at the Vancouver Film Festival according to the Globe & Mail, "Leave Them Laughing" has been glowingly endorsed by ALS Societies and even the most skeptical of reviewers has admitted to being thoroughly entertained and moved by the story.
Often described as "hilariously funny", it gives people a very empowering, feel good, positive life message at the same time as it raises awareness about the serious need for support for ALS sufferers, families, and research.
100% of the funding for this film to date has been through the personal contributions of the director, producer, and other individuals hoping to help make a difference. We will be hosting a Calgary fundraiser screening on Thursday October 21st to help get "Leave Them Laughing" that final stretch and pay for the remaining expenses so it can be publicly released world-wide and used as a powerful awareness tool to benefit ALS research and support.
This is one of those films that “sounds like a drag but winds up being poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. An emotional roller coaster of fabulous proportions.” (Susan G. Cole, NOW - Toronto)
“Please help this film become as stellar as it can be. This film deserves it. Those living with ALS, and all touched by its far-reaching fingers, need it.” (Kathryn Dunmore, ALS Society of Ontario)
“Please help this film become as stellar as it can be. This film deserves it. Those living with ALS, and all touched by its far-reaching fingers, need it.” (Kathryn Dunmore, ALS Society of Ontario)
Anyone can get ALS, young or old (there are two teenage boys in the film with it), male or female, and the disease is always deadly. There is neither cure nor effective treatment currently available. It tends to strike down people in their prime. Approximately 3,000 Canadians currently live with ALS and two or three Canadians die of the disease every day. This film will help to educate the public, and awareness leads to participation, and from that, hopefully the necessary research and cure.
Please share this with your friends and join us on October 21st at the Globe Cinema Calgary for this experience.
Film will show at 7:30pm
Personal Meet & Greet for VIP ticket holders pre-show with Academy Award-winning director John Zaritsky
Audience Q & A session to follow with the film's director
Film will show at 7:30pm
Personal Meet & Greet for VIP ticket holders pre-show with Academy Award-winning director John Zaritsky
Audience Q & A session to follow with the film's director
VIP ticket holders and sponsors are invited to attend the private Leave Them Laughing after-party at The Unicorn, Calgary's original pub. Includes champagne reception and live entertainment.
Tickets, details, and a preview clip of the film are at http://www.leavethemlaughingcalgary.com.
There is also additional information at the official website http://www.leavethemlaughingfilm.com/blog/
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