Yorkville

When New York City found its artists burrowing in Greenwich Village, and while artists were flocking to Haight-Ashbury on the San Francisco scene, the hippies of Toronto were building their own cultural haven in Yorkville. 

Located in the dead centre of the city, the neighbourhood became a place for Canadian musicians, writers, and political activists to form a community in one of their country's largest metropolises. Singers like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Gordon Lightfoot found themselves in the same cafes and clubs as migrated Americans including Rick James, Ronnie Hawkins, and Leon Redbone before making a name for themselves in the mainstream. Draft dodgers mixed in with curious Canadian youths, and a presence was born that shocked and alarmed the Silent Generation as the 1960s counterculture grew.

But after a few years of a flourishing arts scene and political demonstrations, the creation of an experimental university started Yorkville on its short road to decay. But could an educational experiment gone wrong be enough to destroy one of the most prominent cultures in Canadian history? 

Starring:

David Clayton Thomas - Blood, Sweat & Tears

Bernie Finkelstein - True North Records

Ronnie Hawkins - Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks

John Kay - Steppenwolf

Danny Marks - Edward Bear 

Sylvia Tyson - Ian & Sylvia

& many, many more

Directed by: Amanda Macchia of Moderna Pictures

Interviews by: Derek Kirk

Production Assistants: Cosette Schulz, Aidan Denison

Execution:

As this is an entirely independent production, we need your help to tell this powerful but over-looked story in Canadian history. Your funding will provide us with the ability to purchase footage and music that is essential in capturing the characters and demonstrating the events that existed in Yorkville. Every dollar helps.

The Goal:

This film has been in production since April 2014, and we will be entering post-production towards the end of the year. The ultimate goal is to have the film premier at a Toronto film festival, and ensure the story of Yorkville and its residents has a home in Canadian cinema and history forever.