Laurie Townshend
Laurie Townshend is a Toronto-based filmmaker, writer and educator. Raised by a Jamaican mother—the family’s eloquent griot—Laurie learned early on that before we shape stories, stories shape us. Her films centre on the human capacity to transform small acts of courage into quiet revolutions, as seen in the dramatic short The Railpath Hero (2013, TIFF Black Star Festival, starring Stephan James), the unscripted series Human Frequency Streetdocs (2014) and the award-winning short doc Charley (2016). A Mother Apart is Laurie’s first feature-length film. (10/7)
Available Title(s):
A Mother Apart
A film by Laurie Townshend, 2024, 88 min,
A MOTHER APART follows acclaimed poet, performer, and activist Staceyann Chin (Def Poetry Slam, MotherStruck!) on a deeply personal search for her biological mother, who abandoned her as a child in Jamaica. Now a mother herself, Staceyann wrestles with the question: how do you raise a daughter when your own mother left you behind? Spanning…
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