Honest Ed’s discount store served as a beacon in Toronto for a diverse community and recent immigrants for nearly 70 years. When a luxury developer buys the entire block — small businesses, gallery owners and artists must vacate. The transformation of this iconic community is told through the stories of its displaced residents as they reconcile their history with inevitable change, all while facing the biggest housing crisis Canada has ever seen.
SFF Program Director Jeff Schmidt caught up with THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE THIS PLACE, ANYPLACE Director Lulu Wei to talk about the origins of the film and her own role within it.
Jeff Schmidt: Your own story is intertwined with what we see on screen in your film. At what point did you realize that you should be filming what was unfolding?
Lulu Wei: I think it's when we found out about the closing date for the stores on Markham street and Honest Ed's is when I realized that I should be filming what was unfolding. As they say, you don't know what you have until it's gone and I think that realizing everything would be gone for good, really pushed me to start documenting what was happening in the neighbourhood. I think I was compelled by wanting to document how magical the block was for future generations since they wouldn't get to see how special the block was first hand.
JS: Some filmmakers like placing themselves in a story, while others would prefer to stay behind the camera. Ultimately you chose to appear in the film, can you talk about that decision?
LW: It was a really difficult decision to put myself and Kathleen in the film, it's hard to watch yourself and your relationship on screen. I think part of the reason I ended up being in the film was how I was shooting it and there was a sense of intimacy and my presence in a lot of the verite footage. When we found out that our landlords had decided to sell our apartment to the developers, I realized that the redevelopment would be directly affecting us. I felt that we were a representation of most people I know, a generation that's unable to buy a place since real estate is so expensive in Toronto, and constantly facing rental uncertainty.
JS: Often times in a Q&A, we end up asking filmmakers what has happened to the characters since filming ended... in this case, you're one of the characters! What have you been up to since filming completed?
LW: Since we finished the film, we've been lucky to have had a good digital festival run and are still figuring out the rest of the rollout for the film. I'd love to have an in-person screening sometime, since I've never been able to watch the film in a theatre or with an audience and I'd love to see Gabor and Itah on stage for a Q&A. I'm in pre-production on a documentary feature that I'm directing that will hopefully be finished next year and I'm shooting on a few other projects for other productions. I've been able to visit Gabor outdoors, a few times since the pandemic began and we're working on a way for him to sell his artwork. Itah and A Different Booklist are fundraising to renovate and move into their new space and people can visit https://adbcc.org/ to help support their journey!
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE THIS PLACE, ANYPLACE streams as part of Salem Film Fest from Friday, March 19 - Sunday, March 28. Tickets to view the film can be purchased here.
