The Vancouver International Film Festival is set to begin on October 1st, 2021, and amongst its lineup is the World Premiere of the Vancouver-shot feature film Be Still; an official selection in the True North category. The feature debut from director Elizabeth Lazebnik is a dramatic and surreal interpretation of the life and work of acclaimed Canadian photographer Hannah Maynard.
Be Still takes place in the 19th century BC and delves into the mind of an artist whose shattering grief leads to the creation of striking new artforms. All but erased from history, 40 years before Dali and the Surrealist movement began, professional Canadian photographer Hannah Maynard was perfecting surrealist art techniques in her Victoria, BC studio. The film, which took 17 years to make, is a work of passion and dedication from filmmaker Elizabeth Lazebnik. With 15 short films and three TIFF premieres under her belt, Lazebnik is proud to debut her first feature in BC where Maynard lived and worked.
The film includes an exceptional lead performance by Piercey Dalton, who is known for her leading roles in Netflix Original The Open House and as Louise Lynch alongside Vincent D’Onofrio’s in the CBS All Access series Interrogation. Be Still also stars: Daniel Arnold (When Calls the Heart), James McDougall (The Handmaid’s Tale), Sophie Merasty, Amber Tyler (Unspeakable), and Meredith Hama-Brown.
It’s the late 19th century in sleepy Victoria, BC, and grief-stricken Hannah Maynard (Piercey Dalton) has found some solace in her art. Already a successful portrait photographer, she now sets about reinventing this burgeoning art form by investigating its more surreal possibilities, crafting macabre collages and uncanny self-portraits that capture multiple iterations of herself in a single image. Abandoning herself to a creative process that might easily be mistaken for madness, she’s soon visited by mirror images of herself, as well as her daughter’s ghost.
Channeling her own profound connection with Maynard’s work, Lazebnik conspires with cinematographer Suzanne Friesen to craft a monochromatic phantasmagoria in which the bounds of time, memory, and reality collapse. The result is a psychologically rich and uniquely immersive film that honors both its inspiration’s technical wizardry and personal anguish. Formally daring and deeply felt, Be Still imparts images and inspires sensations that linger long after the film’s closing shot has faded.
The BC production was filmed in and around Vancouver, Delta, Langley, and North Vancouver. Be Still was created by a mostly female team and was a part of the Telefilm Talent To Watch program. Development support was provided through the Women in Director’s Chair (WIDC) and production support came through Telefilm’s Talent Fund, Canada Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council. The film was written and directed by Elizabeth Lazebnik, produced by Sara Blake of Ceroma Films, production design by Sophie Jarvis, and director of photography Suzanne Friesen.
Be Still will be streaming virtually on VIFF connect from October 1st and will have two in-theatre screenings at the VIFF Centre – Vancity Theatre on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at 6:30 PM and Friday, October 8, 2021, at 4:30 PM.
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