Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story

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Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
Any Other Way poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Michael Mabbott
Lucah Rosenberg-Lee
Written byMichael Mabbott
Lucah Rosenberg-Lee
Alison Duke
Produced byAmanda Burt
Sam Dunn
Michael Mabbott
Scot McFadyen
Justine Pimlott
Starring Jackie Shane
CinematographyAdam Crosby
Edited by Mike Munn
Music by Murray Lightburn
Production
companies
Distributed byNational Film Board of Canada
Release date
  • March 9, 2024 (2024-03-09)(SXSW)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story is a 2024 Canadian documentary film, directed by Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee. [1] The film is a portrait of Jackie Shane, the pioneering transgender singer who was a prominent figure in the Toronto music scene in the 1960s before virtually disappearing from public life after 1971. [2]

Contents

Production

The film was based in large part on telephone interviews that Mabbott conducted with Shane over the year before her death in 2019. [1] As her death precluded the ability to videotape any new interviews in person, and very little video footage of Shane from the 1960s survives, the producers depict her in the film through the use of animation, generated by superimposing photos of Shane over rotoscoped footage of contemporary drag performer Makayla Couture. [3]

Production on the film was announced in 2022. [4] According to Rosenberg-Lee, the film benefitted from the contrast between Mabbott's knowledge about Shane and Rosenberg-Lee's relative lack of knowledge. [5]

Distribution

The film premiered at the 2024 SXSW festival. [6]

It had its Canadian premiere at the 2024 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, [7] and was screened as the closing film of the 2024 DOXA Documentary Film Festival. [8]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. [9]

In a positive review, Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote, "Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee's documentary Any Other Way combines archival materials, interviews and animated reenactments into a compelling investigation of an elusive life, as well as a talent so striking you'll be amazed it remained forgotten for so long." [10]

The film was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual Canada's Top Ten list for 2024. [11]

Awards

At Hot Docs, the film was awarded the DGC Ontario Special Jury Prize from the Best Canadian Feature Documentary award jury. [12] At Frameline, the film won the Out In The Silence Award, which is given to an outstanding film project that highlights brave acts of LGBTQ+ visibility in places where such acts are not common. [13]

The film was named as a finalist for the Rogers Best Canadian Documentary Award at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2024. [14]

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References

  1. 1 2 Vlessing, Etan (March 8, 2024). "SXSW: Jackie Shane Disappearance Mystery Solved in 'Any Other Way' Documentary". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  2. ↑ Calum Slingerland, "Jackie Shane Documentary to Make World Premiere at SXSW". Exclaim! , February 8, 2024.
  3. ↑ Michael Talbot-Haynes, "Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story". Film Threat , March 10, 2024.
  4. ↑ Andrew Jeffrey, "Telefilm names 22 features for $3.8M theatrical doc fund". Playback , August 22, 2022.
  5. ↑ Peter Knegt, "Jackie Shane is finally getting the big moment she deserves and we wouldn't have it Any Other Way". CBC Arts, April 25, 2024.
  6. ↑ Taimur Sikander Mirza, "Four Canadian world premieres added to SXSW lineup". Playback , July 8, 2024.
  7. ↑ Jennie Punter, "Hot Docs Lineup: ‘Luther: Never Too Much’ to Open Toronto Nonfiction Fest Amid Mass Programmer Exit". Variety , March 26, 2024.
  8. ↑ Dana Gee, "Adrianne & the Castle official opener for this year's DOXA Documentary Film Festival". Vancouver Sun , April 3, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  10. ↑ "'Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story' Review: Solving The Mystery of a 1960s R&B Talent". Variety . April 29, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  11. ↑ Carlos Diaz, "Canada’s Top Ten: TIFF Celebrates the Best in Cinema for 2024". That Shelf, January 8, 2025.
  12. ↑ Jennie Punter, "‘Farming the Revolution’ Harvests Top International Competition Award at Hot Docs". Variety , May 3, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story". Frameline. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  14. ↑ Nicholas Sokic, "TFCA unveils 2024 Canadian film nominees". Playback , December 16, 2024.
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