Aim for the Roses

This screening took place on Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 4:30 pmYukon Arts Centre

In 1976, Canadian stuntman Ken Carter declared his intention to jump a mile over the St. Lawrence Seaway in a rocket powered car. Evel Knievel called it "the daredevil stunt to end all daredevil stunts". In 2008, Canadian musician Mark Haney declared his intention to pay tribute to Ken Carter in the form of a concept album for solo double bass. The Vancouver Province called it “a daring record”, the Vancouver Sun called it “the most bizarre release of the year” and the Georgia Straight called it “utterly amazing and completely fucking ridiculous”. In 2011, Canadian filmmaker John Bolton declared his intention to make a "musical docudrama" about both men. The Globe And Mail called it “audacious”, DOXA called it “glorious” and POV Magazine called it “the wildest, craziest, smartest doc in years”. AIM FOR ROSES is a one-of-a-kind film, about a one-of-a-kind album, about a one-of-a-kind stunt, all three of which could only happen in Canada. It blurs the lines between pathos & kitsch, and dignity & absurdity, through a barrage of original interviews, archival footage, dramatic recreations and musical numbers. It celebrates the beauty and the terror of making a living as a composer and as a stuntman. It's for highbrow fans of the contemporary avant-garde and lowbrow fans of 1970s Canadian hoserdom. (Think: Errol Morris & Philip Glass meet Super Dave Osborne.) It shows and tells two very different stories, about two very different men, at two very different crossroads in their lives, both of whom risked it all to make “the ultimate statement”. Director John Bolton and producer, Naomi Mark in attendance Preceded by: Tales of the Psychopomp Dir. David Curtis, 2016, YT, 3 min