Goin’ Down the Road is said to have been groundbreaking in Canadian cinema – not only for its realistic portrayal of the struggles of the blue collar working class, but for the way it started a new era in Canadian “homegrown” filmmaking. It was made with only $27,000 and a three-man crew.
The original film’s story revolved around two friends from Nova Scotia – Pete and Joey – who are unemployed and take a road trip to Toronto hoping to find their fortune there. Though Shebib is now working on its sequel, Down the Road Again, he considers it a prequel as well, as it explores and fixes some of the narrative themes that he’s always wanted to change about his original film.
Shebib has been a force behind several popular television series and films. In addition to directing episodes of Wind at My Back (“New Directions”, “Grace of Hollywood” and “Triple Trouble”), he also directed episodes of The Edison Twins, Night Heat and Lonesome Dove: The Series, to name just a few.
Goin’ Down the Road won the Canadian Film Award in 1970. And Shebib received a Gemini Award nomination for his work on The Little Kidnappers, and two Genie Awards for Heartaches and Fish Hawk.
Fans of Kevin Sullivan’s Anne of Green Gables may be interested to learn that Canadian actress Jayne Eastwood (who played Mrs. Hammond) is returning to her original role in Shebib’s new sequel, which fans can see in 2011.
Source: The Winnipeg Free Press
