Private Project

East Side Till the Grave

Introspective yet vibrant and provocative, East Side Till The Grave offers a glimpse into the world of 25-year-old African-Nova Scotian rapper MAJE (mah-jay). Through MAJE’s story, the film touches on obstacles within the hip-hop and rap community in Halifax, and the genre’s influence on the city's culture.

  • Victoria Walton
    Director
  • Bronwen McKie
    Director
  • Victoria Walton
    Writer
  • Bronwen McKie
    Writer
  • Victoria Walton
    Producer
  • Bronwen McKie
    Producer
  • Michael Earle (MAJE)
    Key Cast
  • Jean Earle
    Key Cast
  • Michael McGuire (Hermitofthewoods)
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Music
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 20, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    100 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Victoria Walton, Bronwen McKie

Bronwen McKie is a fourth year Journalism and International Development Studies honours student. She’s keen about science and nature writing, human rights, hiking and being in the ocean.

Victoria Walton is a fourth year Journalism student at the University of King’s College, with combined honours in International Development Studies. She’s interested in social issues and international reporting, and enjoys exploring new cities.

This is the first film for both directors, who hope to continue to work in the field. McKie and Walton, who hail from Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, will both graduate from King's in May 2017.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When one of the filmmakers volunteered at Citadel High School to help students learn about creating change in the community, she first noticed our main subject, MAJE. The stage hosted local artists, musicians and other creatives like MAJE’s rap group, Gentlemen Mafia. Intrigued by the message Gentlemen Mafia was trying to spread, she dug deeper into the person who founded the group.

MAJE and his story emerged from there. As we got to know MAJE, we found that he is a complex character whose story goes beyond simply being a rapper. While making this film, we listened to more rap and hip-hop music than we’d ever listened to in our life, and we’ll probably know all the lyrics to his song “Ciara” for the rest of our lives. But more importantly, we discovered a vibrant alternative music scene that isn’t always recognized. We hope that MAJE’s personality, story and music were able to express themselves within this documentary.