A little digital miracle is going on down in lower Sandy Hill

Peter Evanchuck & Hélène Lacelle

Man and machine now occupy our little piece of Sandy Hill. Inmates of Hurdman and Robinson hear the familiar sound of construction as the roar of the pandemic is usurped by the roar of loaders, dozers, cranes and trucks. It’s the 21st century and “times they are a-changin’.” For our area, condo mania has overtaken nature.

Many of us sit and watch our life being interrupted and changed as this isolated island of greenery will soon be overrun with hundreds of interlopers.

Meanwhile with the help of Apple’s iMac27 and final cut pro software, we have reached out digitally to the international community of creative folks showing them bits and pieces of our Canadian way of life through art, photography and movies.

The success of our documentaries and dramas has been overwhelmingly far above what Helene and I expected  —  awards, recognition and invitations to Florence, Moscow, L.A., Rome, New York, Venice to name a few, have been in my emails for the past three years as our movies appeal to a wider and wider festival audience.

Our latest documentary, Strange Uncle Gerry, about my bi-polar buddy is a real and raw documentary shot with new digital camcorders that allow enormous freedom of movement and freedom from the high cost experienced when I was shooting film. As is Alice Unloved starring my partner Hélène Lacelle who gives a fine performance as she attempts to live an existential life to reach her full potential as an artist but discovers she can’t live without love. Both are original and unique sort of like movies you’ve never seen before.

They were supposed to premier at the ByTowne but that’s closed now as once again condos remove the life that I had for the crowding overflow of the modern world.

I’m now working on a new documentary ‹bipolarBUDDIES. I plan to use Zoom to garner comments from Sandy Hillers; if anyone wants to say a few words about mental illness contact pevanchuck@hotmail.com and we’ll set up a Zoom session.

Posters:  Helene Lacelle and Peter Evanchuck