Suzanne Friesen

A More Radiant Sphere

2022

Director: Sara Wylie

DOP: Suzanne Friesen

A More Radiant Sphere tells the long-lost story of Communist poet, activist and Canadian political prisoner Joe Wallace, bringing him to life through archival material, both real and imagined. This hybrid film is shot primarily on 16mm film and weaves together the story of Wallace, the failed Canadian Communist Party, and the filmmaker’s own surprising discovery of her relation to Wallace through a distant relationship with her father (Joe's great-nephew). Segmented throughout are folk songs based on Wallace’s writings, performed by award-winning folk musician Simone Schmidt, aka Fiver. The film delves into the limits of history and its records, and reimagines the archive to create new political and personal truths.

Distribution: https://collections.cfmdc.org/titles/5446

44.1 minutes, 16mm