| Al Purdy Was Here | |
| Director: | Brian D. Johnson |
| Producer: | Brian D. Johnson Ron Mann Jake Yanowski |
| Cinematography: | Nicholas de Pencier |
| Editing: | Nick Taylor |
| Studio: | Purdy Pictures Rogers Documentary Fund |
| Distributor: | Documentary Films We Like |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English |
Al Purdy Was Here is a 2015 Canadian documentary film.[1] Directed by Brian D. Johnson, the film is about the A-Frame Campaign, a literary and artistic project to raise funds for the restoration of influential Canadian poet Al Purdy's cabin in Prince Edward County as a writers’ and artists’ retreat. It also touches upon Purdy's quest to become a great Canadian poet, and the artists wrapped up in his legacy.
In addition to archival footage of Purdy, the film also features writers Leonard Cohen, Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, George Bowering and Joseph Boyden, actor Gordon Pinsent, and musicians Gordon Downie, Bruce Cockburn, Jesse Zubot, Sarah Harmer, Tanya Tagaq and Doug Paisley.
The film debuted at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was named second runner-up for the People's Choice Award for Documentaries.[2]
An album of songs and poems inspired by Purdy, titled The Al Purdy Songbook, was also prepared as a companion piece to the film, and was released in 2018 to mark the 100th anniversary of Purdy's birth.[3]