The Power Plant Screens The Maiden as Part of Free Public Programs Accompanying the Exhibition Drink from the river by Brenda Draney
Director Graham Foy’s debut feature-length film will screen at the Toronto gallery ahead of its national theatrical release, with a panel discussion hosted by Atom Egoyan
Still from The Maiden, 2022.
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is delighted to announce a film screening of The Maiden (2022), directed by Graham Foy, as part of its free public programming that is accompanying the exhibition Drink from the river by Edmonton-based artist Brenda Draney, who hails from Sawridge First Nation.
On Friday, April 28, 2023, the evening will begin at 6 PM with a reception and a chance to see the exhibition at The Power Plant, followed by the film screening at Harbourfront Centre Theatre and a panel discussion hosted by filmmaker Atom Egoyan.
This will be the first time The Maiden has been shown in Toronto since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2022. The Power Plant has a long history of championing film and moving-image works. Recent examples include an exhibition of video works by Meriem Bennani as part of TIFF Wavelengths in September 2022, and a screening of Grada Kilomba’s Illusions, Vol. III, Antigone in February 2022.
There are many thematic connections between the paintings and sculptures in Drink from the river and the film The Maiden, including their immediate ties to Edmonton:
“Draney’s exhibition seeks to examine the relationship between familiarity, nostalgia, horror, and intimacy—all four entangled in a perpetual dance. Draney’s exhibition and The Maiden share central themes around the delicate balance between the events, memories, and moments that haunt us individually versus the ones that connect us collectively.”
—Adelina Vlas, Head of Curatorial Affairs, The Power Plant
“In my first feature film, The Maiden (2022), I, like Draney, drew heavily from personal memory. My process as a screenwriter and filmmaker is rooted in a sense of rediscovery, looking back through wide vistas of time to create something new based on the past. This process tends to reveal empty gaps in psychological space—things are forgotten, left out, reinterpreted. These gaps leave room for mystery and imagination; they inform something that, in my own work, feels closer to personal mythology than factual history.”
—Graham Foy, Director, The Maiden
Brenda Draney, Drink from the river, 2023. Installation view: The Power Plant, Toronto. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.
About Drink from the river
Drink from the river features a selection of existing and newly commissioned works that examine the complex nature of intimacy. Referencing her own memories and experiences living in Edmonton, artist Brenda Draney explores the layered meanings embedded in everyday motifs and situations. The exhibition is part of The Power Plant’s Winter 2023 season and is on view until May 14, 2023. A publication on Drink from the river includes a text by Graham Foy and will be released later in 2023. The exhibition and publication were supported by Rob and Monique Sobey, and the exhibition’s forthcoming tour is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Still from The Maiden, 2022.
About The Maiden
Shot in Alberta, Graham Foy gives The Maiden an exquisite sense of place, echoed by the atmospheric 16 mm cinematography of the epic landscapes and open prairie skies. Moving between realism and something more like a dream, The Maiden gently navigates the vulnerable and tender inner lives of adolescents, reminiscent of Sofia Coppola and Gus Van Sant’s coming-of-age classics. The film further announces the arrival of the three striking leads: Jackson Sluiter, Marcel T Jiménez, and Hayley Ness. The Maiden has been recognized as the winner of the BNL for Cinema of the Future Award (Venice Film Festival); winner of the FIPRESCI Prize and the Award of the Student Jury, as well as Special Mention for Best Screenplay – Rainer Werner Fassbinder Award (IFF Mannheim-Heidelberg); and winner of the Grand Prix – National Feature Competition (Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Montreal). The film was produced by MDFF and F F Films Inc. and made with the generous support of Telefilm Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts.
For more information and to register for free tickets, visit Eventbrite.
About MDFF
MDFF is an independent artist-focused production and distribution label committed to focusing on unique, director-driven projects that propel the form forward. Founded by Dan Montgomery and Kazik Radwanski in 2009, MDFF stands for Medium Density Fibreboard Films, reflecting the company’s DIY roots and ethos. They have collaborated with filmmakers like Nicolás Pereda, Graham Foy, Sofia Bohdanowicz, Antoine Bourges, and more. The company's short films and features have screened at renowned international festivals across the globe, including the New York Film Festival, Berlinale, Locarno, Venice, SXSW, BFI London, and Toronto International Film Festival. As curators, MDFF has presented the Toronto premiere of new and exciting works from filmmakers like Ricky D’Ambrose, Khalik Allah, Hong Sang-soo, Josephine Decker, Bi Gan, and Alex Ross Perry. For more information, visit mdff.ca.