(For Immediate Release – Wednesday, August 13, 2003) Toronto, Ontario - For three days in November the fiercest competition in the Canadian legal profession rages not in the courtrooms, but in the towers of Bay Street. The prize is not wining a case, but recruiting a winning law student. And, for both the firms and students, the stakes are as high as they get. On Thursday September 18, 2003 at 8:00 p.m. ET, The Documentary Channel will debut GENUINE ARTICLE: The First Trial, a one-hour documentary that takes a behind the scenes look at the Canadian legal profession’s unique and fiercely competitive recruitment system.
Each year, during three critical days in November known as ‘Interview Week’, Toronto’s powerful Bay Street law firms court the newest class of aspiring lawyers. Those who are chosen are virtually guaranteed a lucrative future; those who are not face more challenging financial and professional prospects.
Directed by David Bezmozgis and produced by Toronto’s Markham Street Films Inc., GENUINE ARTICLE follows three law students as they vie for extremely coveted positions at top Toronto law firms. GENUINE ARTICLE joins the young candidates as they make the most important decision of their young lives, and one law firm as it tries to secure that year’s best and brightest.
“Television is hooked on lawyer shows, but it rarely, if ever, portrays the dramatic reality of the profession. In a sense, GENUINE ARTICLE answers the question: where do lawyers come from," says Director David Bezmozgis.
A director and writer, Bezmozgis recently had pieces of fiction published in the May 2003 issues of The New Yorker and Harper’s.
GENUINE ARTICLE follows Calgary native Suneeta Vyas (University of Western Ontario), Torontonian Jordan Goldblatt (Osgoode Hall, York University) and Vancouver’s Megan Stewart (University of Toronto), three students from different backgrounds as they participate in this Darwinian process, more secretive and more dramatic than an NHL Draft Pick. The pace is hectic, the schedule frantic, the stakes and anxiety incredibly high. For the first time ever, the doors of the Bay Street law firms will be opened to allow an insider’s view of a ritual that is dramatic, intense and uniquely Canadian.
Markham Street Films Inc. is a production company based in Toronto, Canada, specializing in the production of documentary films and feature films. Formed in 2002 by partners Judy Holm and Michael McNamara, Markham Street Films Inc. has originated such distinct documentaries as the Gemini Award nominated WRINKLE, and produced HEARING VOICES: The Lives and Times of Rich Little. Markham Street Films Inc. is currently producing a number of new television documentaries including RADIO REVOLUTION: THE RISE & FALL OF THE BIG 8 for The History Channel, GENUINE ARTICLE for The Documentary Channel, MEET THE SUMDEES for Vision TV and 100 FILMS & A FUNERAL for The Documentary Channel, as well as the feature films VICTORIA DAY, SLEEPYHEAD, and THE RETURN OF THE FABULOUS SEVEN.
www.markhamstreetfilms.com
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Markham Street Films Inc. Tel. 416-536-1390 info@markhamstreet.com
