If you are a fan of the popular indie rock band July Talk, well you are in luck, Fanshawe is getting a screening of the documentary called July Talk: Love Lives Here. The documentary follows the group of five during the pandemic as they prepare to perform a concert at a drive-in theater.
“I grew up going to concerts and putting on live shows in my community as a teenager and was always just wondering how I could contribute to the music community through my filmmaking.” said Brittany Farhat, the director of the doc.
Farhat is a Grand Bend native and a graduate of the advanced filmmaking program here at the college. She first got her start working alongside musicians in London filming music videos before making her mark in Fanshawe’s TV and Broadcasting program.
“Early on, when I was a teen I was exposed to a lot of amazing artists within London . I eventually went on to study television broadcasting and advanced filmmaking at Fanshawe.” said Farhat.
After graduating, Farhat moved to Toronto to pursue her dream as a filmmaker and launched her own production studio. She began to tour with bands documenting their journeys and continued to film music videos.
“I decided to pursue a full time career of working with artists and I eventually launched my own production company. I would tour a lot with bands and make music videos with amazing artists that inspired me.” said Farhat
Working inside the local indie scene helped Farhat expand her network, meeting new bands from across the Greater Toronto Area which led her to cross paths with July Talk.
“I was just immersed in the local indie rock scene there and early on July Talk really captured my attention as such an amazing live band and It was nothing like I’ve ever seen before, so I loved going to their concerts in Toronto and following their journey as a rock band” said Farhat
She began to film their shows and edit them as she was inspired by their cinematography and black and white aesthetic. Farhat then reached out to the band
“I reached out to July Talk in 2020 and told them I loved the concept of a Drive-In rock and roll show and that I would love to come out and document it.” said Farha
Throughout her time filming in the band, Farhat got to see more of the interpersonal bond the band had with one another and the artistic dynamic that makes the band the great musicians they are
“When I was filming one of their first rehearsals for the drive-in show, I started to realize how loving and welcoming their community was and how everybody was willing to help each other and to collaborate. On top of the footage that I shot with July Talk during the drive-in show era, there was also tons of unreleased archive footage that I was able to work with and incorporate in this film. I feel very grateful to the band their creative community for that.” said Farhat
As her first full feature length film, Farhat showcased her documentary at the Hot Docs film festival in Toronto earlier this year, but having the opportunity to showcase her project where she got her hit closer to home.
“To be to be screening the film at Fanshawe means so much to me, it was such an amazing experience for me to attend the advanced filmmaking program as it was the place where I first got inspired to create films and really learn about filmmaking and to be able to bring it back to the school where I learned and got to exercise my creativity is just like so exciting” said Farhat.
The screening of Farhat’s film, July Talk: Love Lives Here, will happen November 28th
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