WELCOME TO ROUGH TRADE THE MOVIE! THIS IS NOT A DOC, IT'S A LIVE-ACTION RECREATION OF EVENTS!

This page has been created by Andrew Boutilier and Jan Nathanson, proud producers of the dramatic feature film based on the life of Carole Pope and her band, Rough Trade, set in the downtown art scene in 1980s Toronto.

If you’re reading this, it’s likely you already know who Carole is, but you might be wondering why we’re taking on the challenge of making a film based on her life. First and foremost, Carole is known as the artist and musician whose songs, like “High School Confidential,” are forever etched in the minds of a generation. Her music rallied the young, and outraged the establishment with its explicit (even by today’s standards) lyrics and Carole’s provocative performances.

CAROLE AS AN LGBTQ ICON

Equally important, and something that can only be truly appreciated with the passing of time, is that Carole was a groundbreaker in LGBTQ rights in Canada. Canada is at the forefront when it comes to sexual diversity with incredible changes having taken place in society in the past few decades, primarily because of people like Carole, who chose not to accept the status quo, socially or morally.

Carole was fierce, unapologetic and terrifying, yet so unbelievably cool that you couldn’t help but like her, even if she made some people seriously uncomfortable. She was a role model for a whole generation of young people, especially those struggling to come to terms with their sexuality. She was self-assured and had no bones about standing up to the conservative establishment, demanding to be accepted on her own terms. We know this journey of hers will make a fresh, engaging and inspiring feature film.

QUEEN STREET WEST COUNTER-CULTURE

This film is also a celebration of a watershed moment in the cultural growth of this country. In the late 70s and early 80s, Toronto was emerging as Canada’s leading city. People were arriving from across the country and around the world and were craving something new in fashion, art, music…. and everything. Video was just emerging as a creative force and social networking at the time was exactly that; hitting the clubs and going to the right parties. The film will also capture what was an incredibly vibrant time in fashion, music and culture, a time that came to an abrupt end in the late 80s with the onset of the AIDS epidemic and a seismic shift to the right in politics.  

THE STORY

The movie, Rough Trade, follows Carole as she makes her way from the bleakness of suburban Toronto of the 70s, to the big bad world of downtown. On her journey, she meets her partner, Kevan Staples and the two of them create the band, Rough Trade. We follow her as she comes to terms with her sexuality experiencing first-hand the impact it had on her personal and professional life. This is a story many of us can relate to. But Rough Trade the movie will be more than Carole and her story. It also celebrates youth, fashion, music and hedonism and having the potential to be anything you want to be. Rough Trade the movie promises to be a great party that you don’t want to miss out on. 

WHY ARE WE HERE AT INDIEGOGO? 

Jan and I have been working for a number of years with Carole and our amazing creative team of Stephanie Weber-Biron (Director-Writer) and Tamara Faith Berger (Writer) developing a screenplay and we’re very proud of. Now it's time to take the project to the next stage and to do that we need your support. We’re not asking you to fund the film. We’re asking for your help to provide us with the means to put elements such as cast and crew in place to help us access the financing we need to produce the film and bring it to a screen near you. Specifically, we’ll use the proceeds of this campaign to start securing music rights for a great soundtrack, start locking down the creative individuals to help us realize our vision, and start casting our lead actors. If we’re fortunate enough to exceed our goal on Indiegogo, any excess will go back into making this film even better. Most importantly, a successful Indiegogo campaign creates momentum for the film. Join the community we’re creating around this film. Your support, at any level, allows us to show our funders that people out there want to see this film. Like Carole herself, we’re not going to shy away from anything controversial and we’re going to portray alternative sexuality in an honest, refreshing and entertaining way. Let us share this journey with you and see first hand how this movie takes shape. There are some great incentives for helping us along but most importantly, you'll be an integral part of bringing this important story to life!

Help spread the word! Tell your friends and anyone you think might be interested and don’t forget to use the share tools that are included on this site.

Thank You!