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In Search of Blind Joe Death : The Saga of John Fahey (2013)
The film, In Search of Blind Joe Death : The Saga of John Fahey (2013) is a 57-minute documentary that focuses on the life of the talented musician, John Fahey.

The documentary was filmed and based in Washington D.C. where Fahey was born, the Mississippi Delta, where Fahey met and recorded with many musicians, and Salem, Oregon; where Fahey resided in during the last 20 years of his life. The documentary includes a series of video clips of Fahey’s performances, interviews with those who were involved with the musician in his personal and professional life up until his death in 2001, and an adapt animation of objects such as turtles, trains and Fahey himself.

The film gives viewers an in-depth and gripping understanding of what Fahey’s personal world was like, and how he worked as a musician through animation, interviews, video clips and documentations of Fahey. In Search of Blind Joe Death: The Saga of John Fahey was released in October of 2012, 11 years after Fahey’s passing.

Review Quotes
“If you didn't already admire Fahey's music, you may be searching for more of it after seeing this documentary.” -The New York Times

"Excellent! Newcomers and fans alike will find a lot to treasure here." -Film Journal

"In Search of Joe Blind Death is an admirable success. John Fahey, heavy-lidded eyes and Muppet-like voice, stays weird (and weirdly fascinating) throughout." -Cinema Sentries

"The documentary casts a lingering spell, drawing you into its richly textured reveries with gorgeous new cinematography, archival footage, current-day storytellers and even artful animation.” -Blues Rag

Production Team
In Search of Blind Joe Death : The Saga of John Fahey (2013)- is produced by Tamarack Productions located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
 * Website: www.tamarackproductions.com
 * Contact: info.tamarack@rogers.com

The film was produced, directed and written by James Cullingham, who is also the owner of Tamarack Productions. Cullingham is an award winning filmmaker, who while growing up in Toronto, earned a PhD in history at York University. Cullingham has worked as an executive producer at (CBC) Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as a writer, and a Professor at Seneca College for Broadcast Journalism. He has also created documentaries focused on history, culture and politics including internationally broadcasted films, As Long As The Rivers Flow(1991), and Lessons in Fear (2005), two of his many accomplishments. Cullingham has established 25 years of experience in the broadcasting industry.


 * Assistant Producers - Monica Szenteszky, and Tina Witham.
 * Director of Photography - Igal Hecht
 * Editors - Caroline Christie and Jessica Anne Cullingham.
 * Supervising Editor - Caroline Christie
 * Executive Producers - James Cullingham, JoAnn McCaig, Doug Whyte
 * Animators - Bianca De Guzman, Alice Ho, Min Zhou
 * Under the Supervision of - Professors Ben McEvoy and Barnabas Wornoff
 * Creative Participation - School of Creative Arts & Animation at Seneca College, Toronto
 * Produced with the support of - The John Fahey Trust
 * Produced with the participation of - Oregon Public Television (OPB)
 * Produced in association with - Blue Ant Media

Featuring

 * Melody Fahey - Painter, Former Spouse of Fahey
 * Chris Funk Of The Decemberists
 * Barney Hansen - Dr. Demento
 * Ayal Senior - Musician and Writer
 * Joe Bussard - Blues Collector/Musicologist
 * Marc Minsker - Educator and Fahey Authority
 * Joey Burns of Calexico
 * Li Robbins - Music Journalist
 * Pete Townshend of The Who
 * Rob Bowman - Musicologist, York University
 * Stefan Grossman - Guitarist

John Fahey
Born in Washington, D.C; in 1939, and raised in Takhoma Park, Mayland; John Fahey was known as the “Father of American Primitive guitar playing”, after his ability to create music with his own original techniques of guitar finger-picking. He was well known for his talents in folk music, but was also involved with classical, bluegrass, blues, do-wop and jazz, and had a unique way of incorporating all sounds into his music.

Throughout his career, he dealt with substance abuse to alcohol and sleeping pills, which confused many for drugs. Fahey also always associated turtles into his music, a symbolism after his fond love for nature, as well as trains.

In the later years of his life, he moved his eclectic guitar playing into the New York band Sonic Youth, and also began painting. As mentioned in the documentary, Fahey painted a series of abstract paintings, 55 of those were exhibited in New York’s East Village during 2010.

Fahey also pioneered his own recording and distribution company called Takoma Records, and opened a secondary recording company in 1996, called Revenant Records, alongside Dean Blackwood.

Throughout his career, Fahey was known as an eccentric, intelligent musician and a prankster.

Broadcasters

 * BBC
 * Oregon Public Broadcasting
 * AUX
 * HIFI TV

Screening History

 * Raindance Film Festival, UK- World Premier - September 2012
 * Vancouver International Film Festival, Canada - October 2012
 * Mill Valley Film Festival, USA - October 2012
 * Eugene International Film Festival, USA - October 2012
 * Salem Cinemas, Salem, Oregon - October 2012
 * Hollywood Theatre, Portland, Oregon - October & December 2012
 * Leeds International Film Festival, UK - November 2012
 * Cafe Oto, London, UK - November 2012
 * Innis Town Hall, Toronto - November 2012
 * Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK - December 2012
 * Santa Barbara International Film Festival, USA - January 2013
 * Trent University, Peterborough - January 2013
 * The Cube Cinema, Bristol, UK January 2013
 * Spokane International Film Festival, USA - February 2013
 * Glasgow Film Festival, USA - February 2013
 * Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, USA - February 2013
 * Summerhall, Edinburgh, Scotland - with The Wee Rogue - February 2013
 * Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival, Sebastopol, California - March 2013
 * Belfast Film Festival, Ireland - April 2013
 * Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, Argentina - April 2013
 * Takoma Park, Maryland - June 2013
 * Danish Film Institute Cinematheque, Copenhagen, Denmark - June 2013
 * Transmissions Festival de cine y música, Spain - June 2013
 * Revelation Perth International Film Festival Perth, Australia - July 2013
 * End of the Road Festival, Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset - August 2013
 * Clonakilty International Guitar Fest, Clonakilty, Ireland - September 2013
 * Grand Illusion Cinema, Seattle, WA + The Criterion Cinemas at Movieland, Richmond, VA - September 2013
 * Webster University Film Series, Webster Groves, MO - September 2013
 * Gateway Film Center, Columbus, OH + Eltrym Theatre, Baker City, OR. - September 2013
 * London, Goldsmiths, University of London - October 2013
 * WOMEX, The World Music Expo, Cardiff, Wales - October 2013
 * Toronto REEL Indie Film Festival - October 2013
 * Montevideo Cinemateca, Uruguay - October 2013
 * Toronto RIFF Reel Indie Film Festival, Royal Cinema - October 2013
 * AFI Silver Theatre, Silver Spring, MD- October 2013
 * Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport, MA - October 2013
 * Carrboro, North Carolina, Carrboro Arts Centre - October 2013
 * Sebastopol International Documentary Film Fest, Sebastopol, CA - November 2013
 * Albuquerque, New Mexico, Guild Cinema - November 2013
 * Reggio Emilia, Italy - December 2013
 * BBC Four Broadcast Premiere, United Kingdom - December 2013
 * Lisbon, Portugal - March 2014
 * Porto, Portugal - March 2014

Theatrical/Club Screenings with Live Performances

 * Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema in Buenos Aires with Claudio Klienman (Guitar), Jorge Senno (Guitar) and Marcelo Ponce (Guitar) - April 2013
 * Reggio Emilia, Italy with Egle Sommacal - December 2013
 * Verona, Italy with Squandra Omega - December 2013
 * Udine, Italy with Rambo Zambo - December 2013
 * Bergamo, Italy with Maurizio Abate(Guitar) - December 2013
 * Perugia, Italy with Homo & The Sexual- December 2013
 * Rome, Italy with Luca Collepiccolo (DJ Set) and Gispsy Ruffino (Guitar) - December 2013
 * Milano, Italy with Maurizio Abate (Guitar) - December 2013
 * Bologna, Italy with Egle Sommacal - December 2013
 * Torino, Italy with Blah Blah and Eye Rape- December 2013
 * Cagliari, Italy with Badas, Cerina, Antagonista, Cristofalo, Podda, Spanu and Pilia e altri - January 2014
 * Paris, France with Chuck Johnson (Guitar) - June 2013
 * Auckland, New Zealand with Richard Gilewitz (Guitar/Presentation) - August 2014
 * Christchurch, New Zealand with Richard Gilewitz (Guitar/Presentation) - September 2014
 * Shibuya, Japan with Yoshiki Sakurai (Guitar) and Tetuzi Akiyama (Guitar) - January 2015
 * Shibuya, Japan with Takashi Ueno (Guitar), Yousei Suzuki (Guitar) - May 2015
 * Shibuya, Japan with James Cullingham (Director/Speaker), Yasuhito Higuchi (Guest Speaker), Manabu Yuasa (Guest Speaker) - June 2015
 * Shibuya, Japan with Dustin Wong (Guitar) - June 2015
 * Shibuya, Japan with Ryo Takematsu (Guitar), Takuma Makino (Guitar) - June 2015
 * Shibuya, Japan with Jim O’Rourke (Guitar), James Cullingham (Director/ Guest Speaker) - June 2015