In a 50 year career as dancer and artistic director with the National Ballet of Canada, legendary dance icon Karen Kain tackle Swan Lake for her first directing role and farewell project. For Kain, the making of this ballet is a labor of love, as it launched her career to superstardom when she made her acclaimed debut in the feature role of Odette/Odile in 1971. Swan Song captures the creative process, the determination and vision in re-staging this classical ballet, which was complicated by a two year pandemic-related delay. Featuring ballet stars past, present and future, the documentary provides an intimate glimpse into the grueling physical and emotional sacrifice required to create this sumptuous, lush re-imagining. Directed by Chelsea McMullan (My Prairie Home, Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas, winner of VIFF’s 2022 Showcase Audience Award), Swan Song is an immersive, thrilling glimpse behind the curtain.
October 1: Q&A with director Chelsea McMullan
Media Partner
Community Partner
Karen Kain
Canada
2023
Special Presentations
English
Self Harm, Coarse Language
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Sean O’Neill, Chelsea McMullan, Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Anna Godas, Oli Harbottle, Neve Campbell
Producer
Sean O’Neill
Screenwriter
Chelsea McMullan & Sean O’Neill
Cinematography
Tess Girard, Shady Hanna
Editor
Brendan Mills
Original Music
Katie Stelmanis
Director
Photo by Luis Mora
Chelsea McMullan
Chelsea McMullan is a director, writer and producer. Their work in documentary, experimental narrative, and hybrid films has often centered on leading international artists in different practices. Ever Deadly (2022), directed in collaboration with the Inuk artist, writer and musician Tanya Tagaq screened at VIFF last year. Their previous features include My Prairie Home, a musical documentary about the transgender musician Rae Spoon and the feature documentary Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas about the world-renowned choreographer. Both screened at VIFF and many other festivals.
Filmography: My Prairie Home (2013); Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas (2022); Ever Deadly (2022)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Queen at Sea
An academic is pitted against her stepfather in a moral crisis over the care of her mother, who lives with dementia. Winner of the Silver Bear Jury Prize and Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance at the 2026 Berlinale.
Image: © Seafaring
An Evening with Mark Mothersbaugh
Experience a one-night-only live performance with legendary composer and DEVO founder Mark Mothersbaugh, joined by an 11-piece ensemble, celebrating music from The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, Thor: Ragnarok, The LEGO Movie, A Minecraft Movie, and more.
Image: © Randall Michelson
Bitter Christmas
Pedro Almodóvar’s latest confection is a mischievously meta mea culpa, a bifurcated comedy about the perils of autofiction: A blocked writer-director borrows liberally from the lives of friends without so much as a by your leave.
Who Moves America
Who Moves America follows UPS teamsters through their 2023 contract negotiations. Director Yael Bridge turns meetings, rallies, votes, and everyday conversations into a clear-eyed portrait of solidarity and building power.
