2 minute read
Big Screen Debut
Brittany Farhat’s first feature film premieres at North America’s largest documentary film festival.
Brittany Farhat (Broadcasting – Television alumni, 2010, Advanced Filmmaking alumni, 2011) was filming the Live at Massey Hall concert series when she received news that left her weeping with joy.
Brittany’s first feature film, July Talk: Love Lives Here, was accepted into the 30th annual Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
Each year, Hot Docs—North America’s largest documentary film festival—presents over 200 cutting-edge films from around the world.
Grappling with a global pandemic and a live music shutdown, July Talk: Love Lives Here brings the audience closer to the artists who make up the band July Talk, as they set out to put on a one-of-a-kind rock and roll concert experience.
In addition to filming the band’s process planning these unprecedented concerts, Brittany spent 18 months combing through hundreds of hours of behind-the-scenes footage that had never been released. “I was given access to the band’s extensive archive, shot over nearly a decade by members of their creative community,” she says. “I couldn’t ask for a more fitting project as my first feature film, but it was a long and arduous process to make the film what it had to be.”
Earlier this year, the film brought Brittany back to London. It was screened at Hyland Cinema and was accepted into the Forest City Film Festival, where it won Best Documentary Feature.
After graduating from Advanced Filmmaking, Brittany decided to pursue her passion of working with musicians, initially working at record labels before eventually launching her own production company, Good Job Hi Five, that saw her tour with artists across North America and Europe, directing live concert films and music videos.
Brittany will always be proud of her decision to study at Fanshawe. “My teachers were extremely knowledgeable, professional and supportive of my goals and passions as an aspiring filmmaker. I received excellent hands-on training.”
