Please find attached and enclosed a press release from ACTRA Toronto
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, January 22, 2016 – ACTRA Toronto’s Act Your Age (AYA) Committee, which serves the union’s senior members, has released an advocacy video called Misconceptions starring the award-winning Kate Trotter, Art Hindle and stunt legend Dwayne McLean.
Misconceptions is a comedic short which explores and contrasts the image seniors have of themselves with how they are commonly portrayed in the media. The script was written by AYA member Elva Mai Hoover with ACTRA Toronto V.P. Internal Theresa Tova and AYA Chair Jennifer Higgin. The video features over a dozen other union performers over the age of 60, some well into their 80s.
“We see ourselves as experienced, capable, energetic, vital, fun and even sexy, while the media too often portrays us as challenged, slow, dowdy, infirm, and out of date,” says Jennifer Higgin. “We wanted to create a tool to advocate for our realistic inclusion in the stories we tell.”
The video was shot over two days in September in Toronto. A top-notch team of older artists from sister unions and guilds happily joined the endeavour: Alan Goluboff, President of the Directors Guild of Canada (Ontario) directed, Ron Wisman co-edited, Kit Whitmore was the Director of Photography and Canadian Federation of Musicians’ member Jane Bunnett gave the group permission to use selections from her CD Jane Bunnett and Maqueque.
The video was funded by a grant from the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat, Actra Fraternal Benefit Society and ACTRA Toronto with generous support from DGC (Ontario), Urban Post Productions, the Canadian Federation of Musicians, William F. White International, Sim Digital, Performing Arts Lodge Toronto, Bling Digital, and Creative Arts Savings & Credit Union.
Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWxfHxqvl-w
ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing over 15,000 of Canada’s 22,000 professional performers working in recorded media in Canada. As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven union that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers.
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For media inquiries please contact: Karen Woolridge Public Relations, ACTRA Toronto
Cell: (416) 937-1437