With a strong connection to the beach, The Last Curlew will premiere at the Fox Theater on Queen Street East on the evening of April 15.
By JACK SKINNER
The Last Curlew will premiere at the Fox Theater in the Beach on Saturday, April 15. The film is inspired by the book written by longtime beach resident Fred Bodsworth.
The Last Curlew is also directed by a Beach resident, Gregory Sinclair. Film photography is by David Mewa and Ben Sharp.
Continuing the beach connection, the film was written and produced by local resident Tom Allen, who is a Canadian radio broadcaster with the CBC.
Bodsworth’s book The Last of the Curlews is about a reluctant birder and grieving widower grandfather who brings his equally reluctant teenage daughter Dearie on a pilgrimage to see what might be the last curlew in Canada’s north.
“It’s a trip that will change both of our lives forever,” Allen said.
Bodsworth was born on October 11, 1918, in Port Burwell, Ont. He grew up with a love of the outdoors, especially birds, and his writing reminded people of how abusive humans can be to the environment. In 1944, Bodsworth married Margaret Banner and they raised three children. They moved to Toronto and lived in a house on Beech Avenue near Kingston Street.
Last of the Curlews was Bodsworth’s first novel, and he was inspired to write it after reading an account of two Eskimo Curlew birds in Texas. He wondered, “What if they were the last two on Earth?”
Members of the Bodsworth family, along with renowned Canadian author Margaret Atwood (who is a family friend and avid birder) will be in attendance at the April 15 premiere.
The Last Curlew stars RH Thomson, Liyou Abere and Rheal Rees. Dances in the film are performed by Julia April, along with music by Canadian composers R. Murray Schafer, Alexina Louie and Marjan Mozetich. Music is performed by harpist Lori Gemmell and violinist Etsuko Kimura.
The film starts at 7 p.m. The Fox Theater is located at 2236 Queen St. E.
For ticket information, go to https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/the-last-curlew/
For more Fred Bodsworth, Tom Allen and The Last Curlew, check out Bernie Fletcher’s Reel Beach column at https://beachmetro.com/2017/10/04/tom-allen-channels-fred-bodsworth-last-curlew/
“Falls down a lot. Unapologetic alcohol guru. Travel specialist. Amateur beer trailblazer. Award-winning tv advocate. Hipster-friendly twitter aficionado”