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“Leave Them Laughing. It’s a documentary about a stand-up comic who’s dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease.” I think I sighed. “But it’s supposed to be absolutely hilarious!” he quickly added. This, I knew, was a movie I absolutely did not want to see. Like a lot of people, I’ve had some medical miseries, and the last thing I wanted [...]
The 2010 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival ended with a weekend full of awards presentations to the top films and film makers this year. Many of these awards come with cash prizes that help both seasoned and emerging filmmakers continue to create the work that moves us. Among the films honoured this year were [...] The Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature was presented to Vancouver-based Academy Award-winning filmmaker John Zaritsky for LEAVE THEM LAUGHING (P: Montana Berg, Canada/USA), which follows mother, performer, and darkly funny smart-ass Carla Zilbersmith in her battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Jury statement: “The Special Jury Prize goes to a film about an unimaginably horrifying [...] Please join us for the World Premiere of LEAVE THEM LAUGHING in Toronto at Hot Docs (North America’s biggest international documentary film festival) followed by a reception (cash bar). Everyone is welcome! May 6 11:00pm – reception following screening This is one of those films that sounds like a drag but winds up being poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. Carla Zilbersmith has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and is determined to make the most of the few years she has left. She also simply will not stop laughing about it. Talk about dark humour – [...] John Zaritsky explores the lighter side of death
Carla Zilbersmith in Zaritsky’s Leave Them Laughing. by Gavin Fisher Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 “My whole intention as a documentary filmmaker,” says the man sitting across from me, “was to do something totally unconventional, totally against all the classic kind of rules and traditional formats of documentary [...] Top 10 Reasons You Should Become A Fan of Leave Them Laughing(according to director John Zaritsky): Carla Zilbersmith, the star of the film, is the funniest person I’ve ever met. In the six weeks we’ve spent with her, she’s provided us with more laughs than anybody else. I guarantee that you’ll get at least l00 laughs [...] During my career, I have made several films which centered on death and dying. In some of my documentaries, the deaths were slow and painful natural ones. In other documentaries, the deaths were sudden and violent, coming at the hands of criminals or enemies in wars. Up to then, I had found nothing funny about [...] |
   Once a nationally-known performer of ballads, skits and self-parody, now fated by Lou Gehrig’s Disease to perish within months, the remarkable Carla Zilbersmith was diagnosed in 2007 and given less than four years to live. She will leave a teen-aged son, a few fans and students who adore her, and this 90-minute pre-mortem retrospective of a life lived fully, but far too fast. »More about "Leave Them Laughing"
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