Toronto's Clubland

CLUBLAND

A film by
Eric Geringas

Network Premiere on Global Television’s “Currents”
Friday, October 2, 2009 at 8:00pm ET/PT
(7:00pm in Winnipeg & Regina)

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“Clubland takes us deep into the maelstrom of controversy over the largest and most congested playground in North America - 60 clubs and 25 bars crammed into 1.4 square kilometres.” - Lynne Fernie, Hot Docs

After its World Premiere screening at the 2009 Hot Docs International Festival – CLUBLAND will have its network premiere on Friday, October 2 at 8pm ET/PT on Global Television’s “Currents”.  In Winnipeg and Regina, the documentary will air at 7pm.

In Eric Geringas’ CLUBLAND, residents in expensive downtown Toronto condos, law enforcement officials, and local city councilor Adam Vaughan face off against drunken club patrons and club owners in North America’s largest club district.

A candid nocturnal romp through Toronto’s groundbreaking Entertainment District, CLUBLAND captures the rhythms of a neighbourhood that is more than a place - it’s an experience, a scene, an attitude - and the centre of the universe for a generation of Toronto revelers.  Eric Geringas’ documentary takes viewers on a VIP tour beyond the long line-ups and velvet ropes.  We hang with clubbers (Dan Lavoie, Mike J. Ianni, Holly McLeod, Tika Simone) as they take-in the party scene at (CiRCA, Ultra Lounge) some of the hottest nightspots in the world.  We spend the night with many of the District’s key movers and shakers....the savvy clubowners (Charles Khabouth (Stilife, Ultra Lounge), Peter Gaitens (CiRCA owner and of NYC Limelight and Tunnel fame) and expert promoters (Massimo Grisafi) who have been so instrumental in the Entertainment District’s rise to a level of success few could have imagined - and of course the cops who try to control this testosterone and alcohol highball.

Previously Toronto’s Garment District, free trade in the late ‘80s had brought an end to the domestic garment trade and the beginning of empty warehouse spaces that developed into today’s embattled entertainment district.  Desperate landlords sought new tenants and ambitious entrepreneurs saw opportunities.  In 1988 the areas first nightclub opened, Stilife.

Early success inspired many and by the late 1990s so many clubs were opening in the area that the city took notice of the revitalization and gave the district an official stamp of approval. Toronto’s Entertainment District was born.

By 2000 over a hundred nightclubs had opened and tens of thousands of young people flocked from all over southern Ontario to the scene.  The rapid growth brought others too. Many land developers saw an opportunity to create a neighbourhood for these city fun seekers. A condo boom started and many moved to the area buying up the expensive tiny dwellings. As more people came so too did problems.  Overcrowding, violence, drugs and accompanying headlines became the norm. With thousands of new residents living in the district, the wild and crazy late nights were starting to cause sleepless nights. Something had to be done. A residents association was formed, the King Spadina Residency Association. Their collective voice pushed club owners into stricter regulations, lower decibels and even closings.

As CLUBLAND depicts, Toronto’s Entertainment District has become the most congested in North America. Yet many are not thrilled with the idea of cramming 50,000 fun-seekers into an area 1.5 sq. kilometers in size.  Politicians, police and condo dwellers prepare themselves each weekend for the inevitable onslaught of partiers. Developers have hundreds of millions invested into the area, clubowners millions, and the new residents...their life savings. The city’s old “Garment District” has gone from sweatshops to sweat boxes in a generation and now repeatedly makes the headlines asking the same question.... What’s to be done?  For the clubbers their only question is “Where’s the party tonight?”

CLUBLAND is directed by Eric Geringas and produced by Peter Gentile.  It is produced by Clubland Productions Inc. for MDF Productions in association with Canwest, Canadian Television Fund, created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Cable Industry, and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.