A Cinimage and National Film Board of Canada Co-Production.
The Geographies of DAR is a captivating film that explores the life and literary works of renowned Canadian author David Adams Richards.
Through stunning visuals, insightful interviews and excerpts from his writings, the film uncovers the profound connection between Richards’ personal experiences and Eastern Canada’s Miramichi, the region that shaped his storytelling.
The masterful cinematography showcases the harsh yet beautiful landscapes of Richards’ Miramichi, taking viewers on a journey through the complex lives of his characters, marked by destruction, freedom, and redemption.
Richards opens up about his childhood, his struggles and demons, and his unwavering belief in God, providing candid and perceptive insights into cruelty, love, faith, and the human experience.
This poignant film is an elegy to the joys, suffering, mercies and beauty of life, celebrating the indomitable spirit and courage of this extraordinary Canadian writer.
A visually stunning film on acclaimed author David Adams Richards and his connection to one of Canada’s most overlooked yet breathtaking regions.
The Geographies of DAR is a captivating and deeply evocative film that delves into the life and literary works of acclaimed Canadian author David Adams Richards.
Through stunning visuals, insightful interviews and poignant excerpts from his writings voiced by fellow authors, the film explores the profound connection between Richards’ personal geography and his literary landscapes, revealing how the intertwining of his own experiences and Eastern Canada’s Miramichi shaped his storytelling.
The masterful black-and-white cinematography captures Richards’ Miramichi in all its harshness and beauty. Rivers flowing and far-spread forests, dirt roads and highways, a tavern, or a burning house: the film takes viewers on a journey through the complex roads and paths of his characters’ lives, tracking their race towards self-destruction or their quest for freedom and redemption.
In the film, one of the most reserved of Canadian literary giants confides like never before. With disarming candour and striking perceptivity, he tells the story of his childhood and adolescence, his struggles, and demons, and declares his love of family and friends. Speaking openly about the importance of faith, David Adams Richards believes in God and makes no apologies for it.
The Geographies of DAR is an elegy to being human. It is about the joys, the suffering, the big and small mercies, the crimes against those we love, the violence we inflict upon ourselves, the love of words, the inevitable despair, the lies we choose to believe and the courage to see the beauty of it all.
It is a spellbinding testimony to a great Canadian writer’s life and work, his indomitable spirit, his love of humankind, his unwavering faith, and his courage to march to his own drum.
Contact NFB publicist for high-resolution poster for print.
Featuring
David Adams Richards
Director
Monique LeBlanc
Producers
Monique LeBlanc
Rohan Fernando
Christine Aubé
Executive Producers
Monique LeBlanc
Rohan Fernando
Nathalie Cloutier
Annette Clarke
Scriptwriter & Researcher
Monique LeBlanc
Editors
Geoffrey Boulangé
Julien Cadieux
Directors of Photography
Bernard Fougères
Monique LeBlanc
Sound Designer
Monique Jean
Sound Recordist
Georges Hannan
Readers
Vanessa Moeller
Allan Cooper
Jean-Philippe Raîche
Danny Jacobs
Sonya Malaborza
Robin Anne Ettles
Monique LeBlanc
Drone Operators
Frédérik Jones
Bernard Fougères
Sound Editor
Dennis Morton
Production Managers
Monique LeBlanc
Joel Culligan
Production Accountant
Carol Babin
Stills Photographer
Bernard Fougères
Offline Editing Services
Digital Cut Post-Production
Patrick Clune
Original music
Monique Jean
Musicians
Mario Gauthier-Harmonica
Sylvain Pohu-Guitar
Additional Music
“Dissolution”
Written and Performed by
Ross Birdwise and Heather McDermid
(Ejaculation Death Rattle)
Courtesy of Ejaculation Death Rattle
For The National Film Board of Canada
Online Editor
Denis Pilon
Infographics
Alain Ostiguy
Re-Recording Mixer
Isabelle Lussier
Production Supervisor
Roz Power
Technical Coordinators
Christopher MacIntosh
Daniel Lord
Digital Editing Technicians
Marie-Josée Gourde
Pierre Dupont
Patrick Trahan
Sound Technician
Bernard Belley
Senior Production Coordinators
Cheryl Murgatroyd
Sarah MacLeod
Studio Administrator
Leslie Anne Poyntz
Marketing Manager
Jamie Hammond
Marketing Coordinator
Harmonie Hemming
Publicist
Osas Eweka-Smith
Legal Council
Peter Kallianiotis