cinéSARNIA presents HONERDRIPPER December 7/8, 2008

Director: Cast: Danny Glover, Gary Clark Jr., Run Time: 123 minutes Country: USA Year: 2007 Language: English Distributor: Seville Pictures Ratings : ON PG

A Special Presentation at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival ®, Honeydripper marks the return of acclaimed writer-director John Sayles ( Silver City , Casa de los Babys ) in this passionate film about the birth of rock ’n’ roll, the rural South and the soul of rhythm and blues.

Set in an Alabama juke joint in 1950, the film takes as its protagonist Tyrone Purvis (Danny Glover, Poor Boy’s Game , Blindness ), who is deeply in dept and in search of a miracle that will save his roadhouse from bankruptcy. With a grand notion of recruiting regional celebrity and blues star Guitar Sam to perform at his establishment, Tyrone sets the wheels in motion, building to a suspenseful Saturday night. When his efforts to book the famous electric guitar player go awry, fate intervenes and in walks the wandering Sonny Blake (Gary Clark Jr., in an impressive film debut). A bluesman cut from past legends, Sonny claims to be every inch as good a player as Guitar Sam and comes equipped with a guitar like none ever seen: carved from a solid block of wood, and, unbelievably enough, electric.

No one does a better job than Sayles at portraying the deep South as a tantalizing, slightly surreal setting for action. In his return to this landscape, Sayles brings humour and poignancy to a wonderful film that unfolds with sharp insight and breathtaking elegance. Powerful performances, accomplished directing, dynamic musical numbers and stunning cinematography combine to create a profoundly moving film. Honeydripper is an inspiring example of the ability cinema has to transcend boundaries of culture and era.

“…In the endearing musical time-piece Honeydripper , [John Sayles] lets his narrative gifts take the lead and the social issues follow like a tight bass line. The result is one of Sayles’s best films.” – John Anderson, Variety