Special Preview Screening with Live Performance

Join the filmmakers of “Passenger Side” for a rare

live musical performance following a preview screening at

The Royal on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 8:00pm

In the spirit of indie film and music the filmmakers of PASSENGER SIDE are hosting a very special evening on Wednesday, April 7 at The Royal (608 College St) featuring a rare musical performance by Mac McCaughan and Jim Wilbur of SUPERCHUNK and PORTASTATIC whose music is featured in the film. Sponsored by NOW Magazine, McCaughan and Wilbur’s acoustic set follows a preview screening of the festival hit Passenger Side and panel discussion with McCaughan and writer/director Matthew Bissonnette, moderated by NOW’s Michael Hollett, on the synergies of music and filmmaking.

Having composed the original scores for Matthew Bissonnette’s last two films LOOKING FOR LEONARD and WHO LOVES THE SUN, and acting as a music consultant on PASSENGER SIDE, McCaughan has been closely involved in seeing Bissonnette’s visions come to fruition.  No stranger in the music industry, McCaughan’s American indie music label, Merge Records, has just celebrated their 20th Anniversary and has quite a roster on tour presently; including them, Superchunk.  http://www.mergerecords.com

Says McCaughan, “Working on the music for Matt’s movies has always been a rewarding process because the music is as important to Matt as any other aspect of the films, but also because he approaches film making with the same spirit that we’ve always approached making music and putting out records. Also because theCarolina Hurricanes have won more Stanley Cups than any Canadian team in the last 17 years.”

As Bissonnette talks about working with McCaughan – “One of the great things about filmmaking is that it’s a collaborative process, and if you’re lucky, you get to work with people whose art you’ve always admired. Like many folks, I grew up listening to Superchunk and Portastatic, and they were, and still are, very important bands for me. To later have the chance to collaborate with Mac, and to have his music in the films, has been one of the great pleasures and honours of my movie life. In fact, I rate it up there with Sidney Crosby and the rest of our boys sending team USA packing.”

PASSENGER SIDE features music by Asexuals, Camper Van Beethoven, Leonard Cohen, Evan Dando, Dinosaur Jr., D.O.A., Guided by Voices, Islands, the Mekons, The Mountain Goats, The Nils, Silver Jews, Smog, SNFU, Squirrel Bait, Superchunk, Unrest, Chad VanGaalen, Volcano Suns, Wilco and Young Marble Giants in the film.

Tickets are on sale at Soundscapes (572 College St.), Rotate This (801 Queen St. West) and http://passengerside.eventbrite.com. Advance tickets are $20 (or $25 at the door).

After recently being named one of “Canada’s Top Ten” films of 2009 by the Toronto International Film Festival, PASSENGER SIDE has been a hit on the festival circuit, including the Los Angeles Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Whistler Film Festival and the Edmonton International Film Festival where it was awarded the ‘Citytv Award for Best Canadian Feature’.

PASSENGER SIDE tells the story of two brothers, played by Adam Scott (Leap Year, Step Brothers, The Aviator, Knocked Up) and Joel Bissonnette (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Looking for Leonard, Zodiac), who spends the day driving around Los Angeles County looking for the meaning of their lives, or cheap street drugs, depending on who you happen to believe.

PASSENGER SIDE was produced in association with Telefilm Canada, The Movie Network and Movie Central.  Corey Marr (Who Loves the Sun) is Producer and Executive Producers are Adam Scott, Corey Marr and Matthew Bissonnette.

PASSENGER SIDE – is set to hit Canadian theatres in April 2010.

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