CLAIRE'S HAT: THE UNMAKING OF A FILM

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Legendary Canadian Director Bruce McDonald documents the unmaking of his 2001 flop PICTURE CLAIRE in this rarely screened alternate version.

PICTURE CLAIRE is a frenzied film noir about Claire Beaucage, a young woman whose dreams of a better life are kick-started into reality by a one-night stand. In only a few hours, Claire’s life will be turned upside-down. Escaping a group of vengeful drug dealers, Claire flees to Toronto hoping to find Billy, the man of her dreams. But he’s not everything he appears to be, and Claire is about to fall into a web of secrets. Fighting against time and a case of mistaken identity, Claire must race to clear her name and get out alive.

After screening the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, Director Bruce McDonald recut the film, calling the first version a failure. The seldom screened alternate version, CLAIRE'S HAT: THE UNMAKING OF A FILM, has garnered a quasi-legendary status. Constructed like a DVD commentary – with McDonald re-imagining the creators in the principal roles – CLAIRE'S HAT features some genuinely hilarious, though possibly apocryphal, behind-the-scenes anecdotes. But instead of the usual self-congratulatory throat clearing that characterizes such behind-the-scene forays, CLAIRE'S HAT is a rancorous, excoriating exercise in self-criticism, in which McDonald confesses, “I fucked up my own movie.” Of course, he had some help, as detailed in this film packed with all variety of backstage knowledge.

DIRECTOR'S BIO
Bruce McDonald is a Canadian director known for his irreverent, eclectic style and his love of music and pop culture. After breaking out with his debut feature ROADKILL (CUFF 2022 National Canadian Film Day Selection), he has gone on to direct numerous other acclaimed films including HARD CORE LOGO, THE TRACY FRAGMENTS and PONTYPOOL (CUFF 2017 National Canadian Film Day Selection), as well as a handful of documentaries and more TV than you can shake a stick at. He currently lives in Toronto with his wife and daughter, enjoys Italian food and loves the great album Bitches Brew. Shadow Shows is Bruce’s script development and production company.