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Wonder and Amazement - Rita Briansky on Her Life in Art

Rita Briansky was four when her family came from Poland to a small lumber town in Northern Ontario, where wild berries in the woods nearby and the Aurora Borealis in the sky above set her on her path in art. Her paintings and etchings are found in homes, museums and institutions across Canada and the United States. And today, at 93, she is still at her easel. “One of the nice things about being old”, she says, “is that you feel freer.” This film conveys, in Rita’s own words, the life story of an inquisitive, versatile artist and teacher. “It’s with me all the time - the wonder and the amazement”.

  • Janet Best
    Director
    A New Life on the Land - Jewish Farmers in Canada, The Dust of His Feet
  • Dov Okouneff
    Director
    A New Life on the Land - Jewish Farmers in Canada, Montreal Jewish Memories Parts 1, 2, 3 & 4
  • Dov Okouneff
    Producer
    A New Life on the Land - Jewish Farmers in Canada, Montreal Jewish Memories Parts 1, 2, 3 & 4
  • Janet Best
    Camera Person
    A New Life on the Land - Jewish Farmers in Canada, The Dust of His Feet, Norman Hall
  • Janet Best
    Editor
    A New Life on the Land - Jewish Farmers in Canada, The Dust of His Feet
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    39 minutes 19 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 2, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    3,769 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Toronto Jewish Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    May 10, 2018
    North American Premiere
  • 2nd Multicultural Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    July 2, 2018
Director Biography - Janet Best, Dov Okouneff

DOV OKOUNEFF was studying agriculture at the University of Florida in 1949 when he went with a Hashomer Hatzair group to Kibbutz Gal-On, where he worked in the orchards. In 1968, he left for Jerusalem where he founded The Audio-Visual Unit of the World Zionist Organization, producing documentaries on Israeli life. After coming to Montreal in 1977 for Friends of Pioneering Israel, he set up his own company, D.O. Film (1982), concentrating on Canadian and Jewish themes, such as Gabrielle Roy's St. Henri, the Montreal Jewish Memories series and A New Life on the Land: Jewish Farmers in Canada. He holds degrees in Political Science and Public Policy from Concordia University.

JANET BEST, photographer and filmmaker, directed, edited and shot two documentaries - Norman Hall about the legacy of a troubled artist and The Dust of His Feet, the story of two Bangladeshi spiritual folk musicians. The latter film played at the 2011 Documenting Bangladesh Film Festival. As well she shot, edited and co-directed, A New Life on the Land - Jewish Farmers in Canada, which played at the 2014 Toronto Jewish Film Festival. As well she has taught in a Cree community on James Bay and holds an B.A. and M.A. in the History and Philosophy of Religion.

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Director Statement

Rita Briansky embodies in herself the Wonder and Amazement she speaks of in this film. As one of her students, that’s what spurred me into embarking on this project. Dov Okouneff - co-director

The idea of doing the film had been gestating over the years I’d been taking part in Rita’s classes. One day I asked if I could (discretely) document her in class and later in studio, to which she agreed. I then mobilized some seed money from the Labour Zionist Alliance in order to apply for proper funding (which never came), and brought in Janet Best as collaborator (camera, editor; then, as co-director).

The elements gradually began to come together, first and foremost Rita’s narrative, told in vivid detail as she put paint to a large canvas, balancing space and color. Her life, a kaleidoscope of stress and escape, joy and fruition: a troubled upbringing matched by childhood friendships; marriage and motherhood; happy years at the Art Student League of New York set against the early loss of a gifted husband and kindred soul. The film goes on, like a painting, through years of teaching, and into the present. A reference to family lost in the Holocaust. Students raise a glass. Music swells. The film/painting is complete..
Dov Okouneff - one of the directors