Ez Sez

"Forum de Montréal" Art Print

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Wed, 20 May 2026 18:53:29 +0000

"Forum de Montréal" art print

Very excited to share the news about my new limited edition art print "Forum de Montréal" featuring my old ticket stubs from the Montreal forum which closed 30 years ago in 1996. Only 100 of these 16"x24" archival-print images will be produced and hand-signed.

The print is a companion piece to my 2016 coffee-table book "Last Game at The Forum" about the Montreal Canadiens' last game at that hallowed hockey shrine.

You can read more about the print and book, and order copies, here.

Read about the print and book in Dan Laxer's May 2026 piece in The Suburban here. Watch Dan's video interview with Ezra here.

Go Habs Go!

-Ez

"The Last Batch" at The Walrus

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Wed, 20 May 2026 18:44:24 +0000

"The Last Batch" at The Walrus

Happy to share the news that in the June 2026 issue of Canadian literary magazine The Walrus, I had my story and photo essay entitled “The Last Batch” published.

The article delves into my efforts to photograph the very last batch of fortune cookies coming off the line at Wing Noodles Ltd. in Montreal’s Chinatown.

You can read the article in full here. Thanks for checking it out!

-Ez

Soify-selfie with one of the last Wings fortune cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 16:26:00 +0000

🎥👨🏻‍🎨🎨✨ I think of him as a kind of Patch Adams meets a backyard Picasso.✨

Happy to share my brand-new musical short film, “The Junk in My House”, about Montreal doctor, sculptor and renaissance man, Michael Dworkind, aka “Dworko”.

Michael, an endlessly creative soul and a dear friend in the neighbourhood, has three distinct passions: medicine, environmental activism and the creation of "junk art": sculptures lovingly crafted from found materials.

"The Junk in My House" is a 5-minute ‘music photeo’ that brings to life photos I've taken of some of the dozens of whimsical sculptures made by Michael in the basement workshop of the Montreal home he shares with his beloved wife Lesley.

These fantastical creations adorn nearly every surface of their colourful home and can now be seen set to music in this short, part 3 of my "Dworko Trilogy” about Michael and his captivating art, which I began in 2021.

Some cool news is that the new film was just written up by Dan Laxer in the Suburban newspaper: https://tinyurl.com/57vtem9j

And what was it that originally drew me to Michael? His almost unbelievably varied and truly accomplished life story.

Dr. Dworkind was senior academic staff at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital and a physician at the hospital's Herzl Family Practice Centre. That's where I first met him in 2013, when I was directing a documentary about that clinic for television.

While working at the JGH for over 30 years, Michael was also the founder of its renowned Palliative Care Division and the director of its training program, where he helped young doctors learn how to compassionately usher patients and their families through the process of dying.

Later in his career, Michael shifted gears and served as Co-Founder and Medical Director of Santé Cannabis, Quebec's leading education and resource centre for the use of medical cannab|s.

If that wasn't enough, on the activist front, two international physician groups Michael worked with to combat nuclear weapons won Nobel Peace Prizes in 1985 and 2015.

Now retired from medical practise, it is as an artist that Michael finds true peace and tranquility, crafting his quirky and unique sculptures. This is what I have focused on in my short film trilogy.

Part 1 of "The Dworko Trilogy" examined the homemade sculptures in his rooftop Zen garden ("The Junk on My Roof", 2021), while Part 2 was a spotlight on the sculptures he created and placed throughout the forest at his wonderland-for-the-senses country cottage up in the Laurentians ("The Junk at My Cottage", 2022).

It now gives me great pleasure to share part 3, "The Junk in My House".

📺✨: The film is now available on YouTube and you can watch it, as well as parts 1 and 2 of the trilogy, at the playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL2T8qbi87OMWUkxLmDMkMXC1Q4zrQXU4&si=46Dl9me_MZm-13u9

The films were designed to be "stand-alone", meaning you can watch them in any order you like.

Please feel free to share this post and these films with friends, family and fellow art lovers.

Michael sends his best to everyone and thanks you for exploring his work.

Big thanks from me too and I hope you enjoy the new film!

-Ez

Follow Dr. Michael Dworkind's always-inspiring Instagram feed here: http://www.instagram.com/michaeldworkindart

"Half & Half Blood Orange" (aka Eclipse Orange) - New short film!

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 11:58:00 +0000

Click here to watch the short film "Half & Half Blood Orange" (aka Eclipse Orange)

🌞🌓🍊You won't believe what I found... I call it the 'eclipse orange'.

This is for real. An anomaly of a Sanguinelli blood orange (a variety from Spain) that was so completely unusual I was inspired to make a short video about it.

🎥✨Watch my kooky new short "Half & Half Blood Orange" (aka Eclipse Orange) here: https://youtu.be/L1kQs9ssLCU. It's only 1 minute long and it makes for some very juicy viewing.

P.S. This 🍊 was not half-painted deep purple, or dipped in crimson ink, or altered in any way that I can detect and this is definitely not an AI photo or video you are seeing. This was the ONLY blood orange that looked like this at my beloved local fruit store, Fruiterie Monkland, in Montreal's NDG neighbourhood.

Have you ever seen a 'half & half' 🌓blood orange like this!? Leave your thoughts about this crazy piece of fruit, or this crazy piece of movie, in the comments below.

🌞Happy eclipse day (April 8, 2024) and happy orange eating to all.

B🍊n cinéma!

-Ez

"This Is Home" by Peter Gabriel - A Music Photeo by Ez

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 14:00:00 +0000

Watch "This Is Home" by clicking here or on image above

🌼📸🐝Friends, a very special story and a brand new project to share today…

When I first heard Peter Gabriel’s new song “This Is Home” a few short weeks ago (in Oct. 2023), I was deeply moved. Moved by the gripping song itself and also by its themes of home and togetherness.

Gabriel’s voice and lyrics struck a deep and timely chord and I was instantly inspired to create one of my ‘music photeos’ for it.

(Music photeos are my own brand of photo-based short films that lie somewhere halfway between a music video and a souped-up slideshow. Watch all my music photeos here.)

As soon as I set out on a walk that full-moon morning, with “This Is Home” playing on repeat, I began visualizing the photeo in my mind, vividly and effortlessly. And what I envisioned was literally wild…

You see, I'm a doc filmmaker and street photographer by trade and at heart, but in recent years I've been evolving, digging deeper into wildlife and nature photography, getting out as often as I can to nature preserves, bird sanctuaries, mountains, lakes, beaches and gardens to capture glimpses of the stunning creatures that make those places their home.

So, I rolled up my sleeves and eagerly sat myself down at my editing system to summon these creatures and whip up a music photeo for this captivating new song.

To mesh with the theme of home, I sifted through thousands of images in my photo collection, finding my favourite shots of animals and insects in their homes or natural habitats.

I selected birds, bees and butterflies as well as tons of other critters: some fuzzy, some feathery, some sleek; a bunch of up-close macro shots of stunning flowers too.

I was happy with how it was all clicking into place so smoothly, but felt it was missing something: another visual layer to connect what we are seeing to the song.

“What can I add to this to take it to the next level?,” filmmaker Ez wondered to himself.

After a minute of head-scratching, photographer Ez's mind blurted out: "The concert photos!”

How did this not dawn on me (and me) sooner?

I had been so taken by the song and so busy finding just the right nature shots to go with it, that I had overlooked the fact that a month earlier I'd actually shot photos of Gabriel in concert at Montreal’s Bell Centre.

Fuelled by this brainwave, I began interspersing photos of him and his incredible band in THEIR natural habitat… up on stage.

Long story short, it all just worked.

After a few days of editing, I sent the video off to Peter and his label, Real World Records, and crossed my fingers.

I then received emails back from both him and the label saying they thought my photos were beautiful and lovely and giving me their blessing to release my photeo. I cannot thank them enough for their faith in me and for permission to use this powerful song.

Special thanks to Anna Gabriel, fellow photographer and friend, for hooking me up with a photo pass for the Montreal concert in September. An unforgettable experience.

My hope is that this fan video brings a deeper appreciation of the seemingly infinite (but frequently threatened) species and habitats all around us. My goal is to shine a grateful spotlight on all these creatures, showing their interactions with each other and the natural world around them.

May the colour, warmth and beauty they offer provide some much-needed hope in today’s topsy-turvy world.

After all, “This is home” and - as far as I know - it’s the only 🌎ne we and the animals have.

Keep your eyes and ears open for Peter’s new album “i/o” coming out on December 1st. You can pre-order it here: https://lnk.to/PG21 I’ve heard nearly all the songs on it and it’s just wonderful.

The album i/o, coming Dec. 1st, 2023

Finally, you can 🦋WATCH🐿️ my music photeo for “This Is Home” right here:

https://youtu.be/uosjwzc1gdE

I’m thrilled to share all this with you today. Thanks for reading, thanks for watching and please feel free to share it with others if you dig it!

L❤️ve to all from Montreal,

-Ez

"Montréal, Snowbec" A short film by Ez

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 18:02:00 +0000

Hello Ez Sez readers! I recently released a brand-new short film called “Montréal, Snowbec”. The 5-minute movie premiered on TV on the CBC’s “Our Montreal” and was released online on the CBC’s Creator Network (Read Ezra’s CBC essay on the genesis of the film here) and on my YouTube channel where the film already has over 20,000 views.

Montréal, Snowbec is my love letter to my beloved hometown.

The short “musical documentary”, which features lively and colourful footage and photos I created over seven winters, paints a timeless, intimate portrait of winter in Montreal, specifically how the city deals with all its snow.

The film bears witness to the ballet-like snow-clearing operations of the city’s mammoth plows as they prowl Montreal's 10,000 kilometres of streets and sidewalks, taking endless dump truck loads to gargantuan municipal dumps.

This is a film for those who love winter and for those who absolutely hate it and only want to watch a short film about it and not have to actually venture out into it.

The film features a soundtrack by my friend and frequent collaborator, acclaimed Montreal hip-hop producer and musician Josh "Socalled" Dolgin.

You can read Bill Brownstein’s front-page Montreal Gazette column on the film here.

You can watch me talking about the film with journalist/host Sonali Karnick on CBC’s “Our Montreal” here.

You can listen to me talking about the film on The CJN Daily Podcast with Ellin Bessner here, or you can watch the video version of the podcast here.

Enjoy the film! Stay warm! ❄️

New Music Photeo: "Stages of Psychosexual Development"

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Ryan Stotland in the music photeo for "Stages of Psychosexual Development". Watch it here.

Here it is, perhaps the kookiest in a long line of strange and beloved film projects I’ve undertaken.

I was hired to create a brand new short video for the fun, funny and very Freudian song “Stages of Psychosexual Development” by talented Montreal singer-songwriter Ryan Stotland.

To accomplish this ‘music photeo’ (my name for something halfway between a music video and a souped-up photo slideshow - this one is my tenth - watch them all here: https://tinyurl.com/rzbp6jy5), I carefully combed through my entire digital photo archive from the past 12 years (over 100,000 images) and selected the most suggestive and appropriate (sometimes inappropriate) shots to accompany Ryan’s song that delves deep into Freud’s (sometimes discredited) 1905 theory of sexual development.

You can watch the new video here: https://youtu.be/jSCAEqP2Z8w

Hope you get a kick out of it!

-Ez

New Music Photeo "The Junk At My Cottage"

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 00:45:00 +0000

Michael Dworkind, aka Dworko, in "The Junk At My Cottage".
Watch it here.

Today, September 23rd, 2022, I am thrilled to share my brand-new short musical film, “The Junk At My Cottage”! It is part 2 of my trilogy on Montreal sculptor and renaissance man, Dr. Michael Dworkind, aka “Dworko”. (Part 1 was "The Junk On My Roof from 2021. Watch it here.)

Michael, a dear friend, has three distinct passions: medicine, environmental activism and art.

This 5-minute ‘music photeo’ presents photos I have taken of some of the dozens of whimsical and fantastical sculptures made by Michael up at his wonderland-for-the-senses country cottage, Villa Miriam, up in the Laurentians, an hour north of Montreal.

These quirky sculptures are entirely composed of recycled and natural materials and represent a vivid peek into Michael’s endlessly creative soul.

It’s Michael’s almost unbelievably varied and accomplished story that first attracted me...

On the medical front, he was senior academic staff at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital and the Herzl Family Practice Centre and the founder and Director of the Palliative care training program for 30 years.

Now retired from hospital work, Michael serves at the Co-Founder and Medical Director of Santé Cannabis, the leading education and resource centre for the use of medical cannabis in Quebec.

On the activist front, Dr. Dworkind won Nobel Peace Prizes in 2015 and 1985 as part of international physician groups working to abolish nuclear weapons.

It is as an artist, though, that Dworko finds true peace and tranquility. Whether it's at his home in NDG or on weekends and summer vacations up at Villa Miriam, he beautifies the world one recycled masterpiece at a time.

Watch “The Junk At My Cottage” and please share it with friends, family and fellow art lovers.

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/iCX520sWQ6Y

Follow Dworko on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/michaeldworkindart

New 'Music Photeo': "Purple Clouds"

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 21:40:00 +0000

Still from "Purple Clouds".
Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

🎸☁️🚗I took a magical road trip out to Shawinigan, Quebec, last week to see friends and unexpectedly ended up shooting a brand new music photeo (a music video featuring my photos) for the incredibly talented James Forest on a secret lake near his place just outside “Shawi”.

James Forest at the lake

The brilliant tune is called “Purple Clouds” and the impromptu video came about when I asked him to play it once we got to the lake.

The sweet “behind-the-scenes” photo below of me filming
James was shot by Ilana Block.

WATCH the full video for “Purple Clouds” in HD at the YouTube link here: https://youtu.be/ucxQM3rqPMQ

Hope you dig James Forest’s music as much as I do! Look for it on all the music streaming platforms. His sound is reminiscent of Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell and Harmonium.

Enjoy the video and your discovery of this gem of a dude…

-Ez

P.S. To see other music photeos I've done over the years, please click here.

"The Wildlife - The Walled Life" - new 'music photeo'!

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 18:22:00 +0000

Click here to watch the music photeo
“The Wildlife - The Walled Life” (5:25 mins.)

It was my 49th birthday this week and I have big furry news. 🐻🦊🦆🦅🦉🦋🦓🐘🦒🐠 My friend Ilana Block and I are excited to share a brand new ‘music photeo’ we made together!

“The Wildlife - The Walled Life” is a 5-minute, photo-based music video that blends Ilana’s spectacular wildlife photography with my photos of some of the stunning animal murals up on the walls across our beloved Montreal.

Top row wildlife photos by Ilana Block,
bottom row mural photos by Ezra Soiferman

Oh, and we sing on it too!

Wait... adorable animals, Montreal murals AND the velvety voices of heretofore unknown Canadian singing sensations Lani n’ Ez?!

You sez: “Okay, THIS I gotta see...”

Ez sez: “Go ahead, see it!”

WATCH “The Wildlife - The Walled Life” right here: https://youtu.be/TS33tonG_K0

Mike Cohen, “Cohen in the City” host, with
photographers Ezra Soiferman and Ilana Block. Watch.

Once you’re done watching, learn about the behind-the-scenes of our project at this “On Air - Cohen in the City” feature Ilana and I were guests at on at the Suburban:

https://tinyurl.com/SuburbanWalledLife

Special thanks to our friend Gregg Silver who co-produced the video’s soundtrack and arranged it so beautifully.

Extra special thanks to all the incredibly talented mural artists who brighten the walls of Montreal with their art and special thanks to all the animals who share their planet with us.

As the song sez: “May the animals live long, may the chaos settle down…” We made this project to let the animals bring colour, joy and light to us all in these trying times.

Finally, big thanks to Ilana for creating this with me. Your passion for animals is inspiring.

Friends, strangers, and animals with a wifi signal, if you dig the new video, please bark, meow, baa, roar, speak and spread the mothercluckin’ word.

Feel free to share this music photeo with your friends, co-workers and even with kids too. This is an all-ages adventure and we want these creatures to travel. They have lots to teach. 🐇🦩🐿🦜🦌🐎🐙🐞🦄

For my birthday - and for the love of dog - please strap on your safari hat and experience “The Wildlife - The Walled Life” right here:

https://youtu.be/TS33tonG_K0

❤️ to all from Montreal! 💫

Hemp for the Homeless 2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 13:48:00 +0000

We did it! With all your help after my fundraising plea in December, my Hemp for the Homeless project raised close to $3500 - THANK YOU!!! We took the 150 Hemp Help Kits we assembled and brought them over to Resilience Montreal, 
a crucial downtown shelter serving the primarily Native community of homeless people in and around Cabot Square across from the Old Forum. The experience was an eye-opening one, as you’ll see from our new video. There is great need out on the streets these days and we witnessed it first-hand.

Please watch my brand new 3-minute short film on the project here: https://youtu.be/7BKw_kbn__M

My daughter and Hemp for the Homeless volunteer,
 Lulu Soiferman

The Hemp Help Kits we assembled were filled with functional and nutritious hemp goods sent up to Montreal from hemp companies the world over. This included: Hemp face masks, soap, hand sanitizer, thick socks, hulled hemp seeds, hemp-oatmeal cookies, energy bars, a letter explaining the contents of the bag and the environmental and health benefits of hemp, and of course a reusable hemp tote bag.

Oatmeal-hemp cookies by Rustique Montreal

Special note: The incredible oatmeal-hemp cookies Rustique
 Pie Kitchen in St-Henri made for our kits were so crazy good that they are now also available for you to purchase from Rustique. And… for every single one of those beauties Rustique sells from now until the end of February, they will donate one cookie to Resilience Montreal! So, order up... www.tinyurl.com/RustiqueHemp

The contents of one of the Hemp Help Kits
 shared with clients of Resilience Montreal

If this ‘philhempthropic’ project I founded in 2007 strikes a chord and you are in a position to help support future Hemp Help Kit giveaways, please donate at our freshly updated web page: http://www.ezrasoiferman.com/hemp-for-the-homeless .

You can also donate directly to Resilience Montreal's GoFundMe page here: https://gofund.me/78c3d331 This week, Hemp for the Homeless donated $1006 of additional donations we received to this great cause. 

Thank you to my team of fellow volunteers who helped film the new video, take photos, pack and deliver the Hemp Help Kits and gave me so much support along the way:

Gregg Silver, Lulu Soiferman and Ilana Block

Handing out Hemp Help Kits to a client of
 Resilience Montreal

Thank you to our 30+ partner hemp companies over the years for all the help and all the hemp!

Our magnificent partners this year are:

Dr. Bronner's
 Magic Soap http://www.drbronner.com

Friends of Hemp
 http://www.friendsofhemp.org

Hello 123 Monkland
 (home of the Ezra Burger) https://www.hello123forever.com/quebec

Rustique
 Pie Kitchen http://www.rustiquepiekitchen.com

evo hemp
 http://www.evohemp.com

EnviroTextiles
 https://www.envirotextile.com

Hemp Foundation
 https://hempfoundation.net

And, of course, our partner Resilience Montreal
. http://www.resiliencemontreal.com

Some of the functional and nutritious hemp goods 
included in the Hemp Help Kits

Finally, thank you to my fellow hemp believers around the world. You have taught me so much and inspire me constantly with your love for this plant and your infinite stream of original ways to use it.

If there’s one message that drives our mission, it is that this incredibly versatile and planet-friendly plant can do so much good. #hempcanhelp

Love to all from Montreal. Truly.

-Ez

Ezra Soiferman
Montreal, Quebec

"It's the Winter Again"

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 20:56:00 +0000

Watch the short film by clicking HERE.

I made a fun new short film called "It's the Winter Again".

I filmed this action-packed sledding film in January 2021 at Murray Hill Park in Westmount, Quebec, a neighbourhood in Montreal, Canada. I used to toboggan at this hill as a kid and it was nice to return there with my daughter (who makes a cameo at 33 seconds into the film, jumping up and down) to enjoy the slope.

The short features a song I wrote, sang and recorded back in 1999.

You can watch the 49-second film by clicking HERE.

CBC-Montreal's Debra Arbec introduces "It's the Winter Again"

The film premiered on January 14th on CBC-Montreal's 6 o'clock newscast, hosted by Debra Arbec. You can watch the short clip of the news segment featuring the film by clicking HERE.

Enjoy the short!

The Ezra Burger kicks off new Hemp for the Homeless documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 12:47:00 +0000

The Ezra Burger at Hello 123 on Monkland Ave. in Montreal

Hello, Friends!

I am thrilled to announce that a burger has been named after me.

Wait, what?!

That's right, a juicy new vegan hempburger, called The Ezra Burger, is now officially on offer at the popular new vegan comfort food restaurant Hello 123 at their beautiful, plant-filled Monkland location in Montreal.

And, get this... the burger was featured on the front page of today's Montreal Gazette and called "To die for..." by renowned columnist Bill Brownstein! (Read his article here.)

More good news... $1 from each Ezra Burger sold goes to my Hemp for the Homeless project (founded in 2007) which brings functional and nutritious hemp goods to people experiencing homelessness.

Click image above to watch the brand new Hemp for the Homeless short film

But wait... there's more good news:

Today also marks the release of my brand new short documentary about the history of Hemp for the Homeless and the long, strange trip the project has taken over the years.

This 'philhempthropic' project is supported by Canopy Growth, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps and 35+ other incredibly generous hemp companies.

You can learn more about The Ezra Burger and the Hemp for the Homeless project it helps support at my official website, EzraSoiferman.com. The new film can be viewed there too. Enjoy!

Stay hempy, stay happy and try an Ezra Burger soon!

Ez

Ez and a little friend

Halloween 2.0 (A very short film by Ez)

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 13:39:00 +0000

Watch the short "Halloween 2.0" by clicking here or image above

Booyehkasha!, it's the 2nd day of Halloween?!

T’was the second day of Halloween in Montreal (the Mayor cancelled trick-or-treating on October 31st due to bad weather and related safety issues) and as I left my power-outage-riddled NDG home on November 1st to brave a fierce windstorm, I got an idea to try to take the silliest selfie of my life and make a movie about it too.

So, voila! I present: "Halloween 2.0"! (Click to watch)

-Ez

Street Stream - New short film

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 13:32:00 +0000

Click image above, or HERE, to watch "Street Stream"

Hello Friends & Strangers,

I was walking up the block on a beautiful fall day in Montreal and spotted a stream of water flowing down the street. I followed the drifting leaves to see where they were going. The way they coupled together and also drifted alone downstream reminded me of people, especially parents swimming with children.

Here is the short film that resulted from that adventure. It's only a minute and a half long, so I hope you'll watch. If you like it, please share it with leaf-minded friends.

Special thanks to the band The Mammals for their kind permission to use an excerpt from their powerful song "My Baby Drinks Water" as the soundtrack to this film. Explore more of their music if you like their vibe and message as much as I do.

Here's to water and all it brings to our planet,

Behind-the-Scenes on The Dark Crystal Set!

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 12:08:00 +0000

Dark Crystal director Louis Leterrier (left) and a Skeksis (right) on set in London (photo by Ezra S.)

A year ago, almost to the day, my 9-year-old daughter Lulu and I were lucky enough to be on set of the brand new Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (trailer), produced by Netflix and The Jim Henson Company. The series is based on, and serves as a prequel to, Jim Henson's groundbreaking 1982 feature film The Dark Crystal.

I'd been invited to the set by my old NYU classmate Louis Leterrier who executive produced and directed the new series alongside executive producer Lisa Henson, Jim's daughter. I decided to grab the opportunity (and grab my daughter!) and fly off to London as soon as I could.

Lisa, Lulu and Louis. Kermit too! (Photo by Ezra S.)

We absolutely loved the day we spent on set with Louis, Lisa, the puppeteers, and crew, and we're thrilled to share our new 6-minute video with you today!

You can watch our video here on YouTube (click here) If you like it, please share it with a friend!

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, the epic 10-episode series, premiered on Netflix on August 30th. There's a terrific 82-minute behind-the-scenes doc on Netflix too ("The Crystal Calls").

All the best from me n' Lulu,

Ez

Ez, Lulu and Louis on set at Langley Studios in London

"Sandulé on Screen" - New, very short film!

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 05:11:00 +0000

Sandulé Bobaru, busker, watch my new short here

Surprise new summer short!

Meet Sandulé Bobaru, accordionist, music teacher and busker who plays up on my awesome local high street, Monkland Avenue in Montreal’s leafy NDG.

Enjoy this new, very short film I whipped up called “Sandulé on Screen”. You can read the backstory on this film there too.

Watch the film by clicking HERE.

Regards to all from Montreal,

Ez

"Ecuadoria" - A new 'music photeo' by Ez

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 19:23:00 +0000

(Click image above to watch "Ecuadoria" on YouTube)

I just spent an unforgettable week touring and photographing in Ecuador. It was my first time there and I'm pretty sure it won't be my last.

Enjoy the sort 'music photeo' I made featuring buskers Julio Herrera (vocals/guitar) and Diego Gonzales (percussion) playing Julio's spirited, rag-tag love song "Si Tu No Estas Que Hago".

The video, "Ecuadoria" (3 mins) features their impromptu musical performance, filmed in Quito, as well as a selection of my favourite shots from my trip in a few locations in Ecuador.

An English translation of the lyrics can be found in the video description at YouTube at the above link.

Diego (Lt; percussion) and Julio (Rt; guitar/vocals), after singing the song for me on the streets of Quito, Ecuador

Goodbye, Harry Rosen

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 20:33:00 +0000

Dr. Harry Rosen, 2016

Tomorrow (11/18/18) is the funeral for my friend Harry Rosen. Dr. Rosen, who died on Thursday at the age of 89, was Emeritus Professor at the McGill Faculty of Dentistry, a pioneer in prosthodontics and a celebrated and immensely talented and driven sculptor.

It was a privilege to document Harry's sculptures over the past ten years through photographs. What fascinated me most about Harry was how he seemed to be built of the very same stones he found, moved, chipped, ground, molded, cast, set, donated, showed and shared. Like his sculptures, this gentle giant of a man was unshakeable and unmistakeable. A rock-solid mensch.

Delores and Harry Rosen

My sincere condolences to Harry’s wife Delores, his entire family and his many friends, fans, students and colleagues.

You can view a gallery of images I took of Harry at work up at his family cottage in Lake Patrick, QC, and the many sculptures he donated to institutions around Montreal here:
http://www.ezrasoiferman.com/harryrosen/

The funeral is Sunday, November 18th at 1pm at Paperman’s in Montreal. You can read the beautiful death notice his family wrote here:
https://www.paperman.com/en/funerals/2018-11-18-dr--harry--rosen

To learn more about Harry’s career and his sculptures, please visit:
http://www.drharryrosen.ca

Hemp for the Homeless - Denver, 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 11:07:00 +0000

Dropping off the 50 Hemp for the Homeless Kits at Denver Homeless Out Loud with Cici and Adam from HoodLamb Colorado and the Hemp for the Homeless team.

It's my birthday today, April 13th, so I thought I'd share some very exciting news and a few photos.

Last weekend, I attended the NoCo Hemp Expo in Loveland, Colorado. I went down on behalf of Tweed, Canada's - and the world's - largest cannabis company, which recently hired me on as a business development consultant as a followup to my artist's residency there.

Mario, Marc, Ez, Gregg - The Hemp for the Homeless team about to pack up 50 'Hemp Help Kits' at NoCo. (Photo by Lauren Brown -- Click pic for Bigger Version)

While I was at NoCo (the biggest hemp industry event in the USA), I organized another round of my HEMP FOR THE HOMELESS project (started in 2007) which collects functional and nutritious hemp products from hemp companies and creates 'Hemp Help Kits' for folks in need.

Nancy Metcalf and Lauren Stansbury of Dr. Bronner's

With the help of 20 generous corporate sponsors this year, me and my hemp/filmmaker buddies Gregg Silver, Marc Ostrick, and Mario Hamelin, gathered enough awesome hemp products at NoCo to fill 50 hemp tote bags for Denver Homeless Out Loud which does incredible advocacy for Denver's 7,000+ homeless residents.

Contents of a Hemp Help Kit (click pic for bigger view)

DHOL was thrilled to receive our kits and we were so happy to share. The feedback from the folks they support has been incredible.

A recipient of one of the kits, outside Denver Homeless Out Loud

Gregg Silver (right) giving out a Hemp Help Kit

I am so grateful to everyone, especially Gregg Silver who inspired me to kick this project back into gear last year at NoCo 2017 and go full steam into it this year.

Me, up on stage at NoCo, talking about the project

Stay tuned for a short film about Hemp for the Homeless coming this Spring and for more related initiatives in the future.

Jourdan Samel (L) and Ari Sherman (R) of Evo Hemp, a Hemp for the Homeless sponsor

If you have a hemp company and want to help support the project, please contact me via EzraSoiferman.com

HUGE THANKS to all our Hemp for the Homeless Sponsors for the following amazing, donated hemp goods:

Dr. Bronner's - Soap, skin balm, hand sanitizer, lip balm
Tweed - Travel & accommodations
HoodLamb Colorado (aka HoodLab) - Hoodies and T-shirts
EnviroTextiles - Long-sleeve shirts, socks, rope
Hemptopia - Tote bags, T-shirts, socks
Chiefton Supply Co. - Hoodies
Satori Movement - Socks
Palmetto Harmony - Skin care products
Evo Hemp - Nutritious snack bars
Hemptique - Hemp rope
Hemp Way Foods - Hulled hemp seeds
Nutracis - Hulled hemp seeds
DoxMix - Toasted hemp seeds

Me and Summer Star Haeske of EnviroTextiles, a Hemp for the Homeless sponsor

SPECIAL THANKS to our education, outreach and bonus material contributors:

NoCo Hemp Expo
Denver Relief Consulting
Vote Hemp
Hemp History Week
Norie Criswell of Hemp The Earth Clothing
Straight Hemp
Abaka Hemp Clothing
Lauren Brown Consulting

CiCi Dunn of Hoodlamb Colorado with clothing distributed as part of the project.

Thanks for reading this and for believing in the tremendous versatility of hemp to better our world and to inspire change.

Love to all from Montreal.

-Ez

How my Leonard Cohen photo went a little viral...

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 19:42:00 +0000

"Leonard Snowin'" by Ezra Soiferman

Though my films and photos are regularly shown online and on TV, it's rare for a project of mine to take off as quickly and widely as has happened with my shot "Leonard Snowin'" over the past few days.

So, I thought I'd share a behind-the-scenes peek at this little adventure with you...

I'd known throughout the Fall, that it would be fun to photograph the evocative and much-talked-about Leonard Cohen mural overlooking Crescent St. during a snowfall.

So, this past Wednesday, during Montreal's first storm of the season, I zipped through the Musée des beaux arts (located a block and a half away from the mural), hustling from floor to floor and window to window, snapping various vantages of the new mural painted by artists EL_MAC and Gene Pendon and produced by MU, the city's foremost mural collective. The 18-storey-tall work is based on a touching photo taken by Leonard's daughter Lorca.

When I was done shooting, I turned around to leave and my place at the atrium window was quickly taken by a couple of wide-eyed twenty-somethings who stared out at the mural and revelled in it.

I told them what I was doing and asked if I could take a photo of them in silhouette with the mural and snowstorm as a backdrop. They kindly obliged and in a quick moment, I had captured the shot above. I knew right away it was a bit of a keeper. When I showed it to them on the screen of my camera, they agreed.

The rest of this tale is a bit of a blur, but I'll try to recount it here...

I excitedly trotted down the infamous deep-depth steps of the museum, noticing how the nearby guard was far better at his trot than I was at mine. He had his down to a science, making him appear to descend in a way somewhere halfway between a pro hockey player and ballerina. I estimated that those kooky staircase were either his favourite part of the job or a complete nightmare that he had opted to master rather than succumb to.

Either way, he hopped off the staircase at the café floor and I continued bumbling down the steps carefully clutching my camera thinking to myself, "please don't let me wipe out and accidentally hurl my camera down the atrium onto the installation that looks like a giant hand grenade. I'll never get that Leonard shot again."

On my way out of the building intact, I showed the photo to the woman taking tickets at the front door and simultaneously tested my idea for the "Leonard Snowin'" title on her. Her eyes lit up and she gave me an enthusiastic "Wow!" I took that as a good sign. Always trust the gatekeeper's intuition, they say, so I did, further confident in the shot, and left the museum, braving my way back out into the sideways-blowing snow.

I found my car, hopped inside, cranked the heat and emailed the photo to the twenty-somethings featured in it. I then hit the gas, skidded out of the snowbank and crossed town past stranded accordion-buses wrapped around telephone poles, back to my neck of the wintry woods.

Early the next morning, with the snow still falling, I uploaded the shot to my Facebook page and Instagram page and watched as interest in it mounted unusually quickly. Within an hour, I was contacted by the Musée and asked by them for permission to feature the shot on their Instagram page. Total honour and another good sign.

I then watched as the photo got even more attention, now from complete strangers and not just my own loyal Facebook friends who were still generously piling on the likes. Later in the afternoon, a popular Leonard Cohen fan page had reposted the image and its members were excitedly chattering about it and how much they missed the grand bard. I further shared with them the story of when I happened to meet Mr. Cohen under strange circumstances.

By now, my iPhone was gingerly buzzing with Facebook and Instagram alerts and comments. This was kinda cool to see, though a bit unnerving due to the volume of dings and buzzes.

The next morning was when the nutsola-ness really kicked into overdrive.

I awoke to learn that Sony Music Canada had just reposted my original Facebook post, referring to the photo as 'stunning.' They had placed it right smack dab on their official Leonard Cohen Facebook page. This is when my iPhone lit up like a proverbial Christmas tree and began buzzing and flashing non-stop. For hours and hours. And hours. 2 full days of craziness.

As I write this a few days later, the snowstorm and Facebook-storm have fairly subsided and the tally is in: The photo now has more than 10,000 likes and 1500 shares on Facebook. I'm also pleased to say that it has also become the Musée des beaux arts' Instagram post with the most likes in the 5-year history of their Instagram page.

I'm INCREDIBLY grateful for all the interest in "Leonard Snowin'" and I'd like to thank everyone who liked, commented on and shared the image. Facebookers around the world are still sharing it as I write this. Thank you! The feedback and support means so much, and the way this all happened was a total thrill.

Big thanks to the folks who appear in the shot too. You guys rock. I'd especially like to thank the Musée des beaux arts, Sony Music Canada, MU, the supremely talented mural artists, and especially Leonard who's looking down from on high with that awesome smile. You are the true star of this whole escapade. We miss you.

As a 'mural-themed' bonus, here's "The Walls of Montreal", a short video I made for my Tweed residency, about the murals of my hometown:

Click image to play "The Walls of Montreal"

Best to all from Montreal!

-Ez

Ezra Soiferman

Filmmaker & photographer

EzraSoiferman.com

Rustique Salée - First customer

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 00:07:00 +0000

New Rustique Salée mini-pies

This Tuesday, I went for a few heavenly, creamy, desserty pies at Rustique on Notre-Dame West near de Courcelle. Been a very fave spot of mine since they opened a few years back and warmed Montreal’s heart and sweet tooth.

Cashier Jess told me a little secret that they were opening Rustique Salée right next door the next morning. Savoury take-out pies in the same flakey, buttery crusts. Be still my eating heart.

So, I showed up there the next morning, five minutes before the doors were unlocked and got my wish... I was the very first customer at Montreal’s newest outstanding eatery. Big honour.

Scarfed down three gorgeous mini-pies in the car as soon as I left. Incredible stuff.

Congrats to Ryan Bloom, Chef Ali, Sophie, Judith, Melissa, Jess and the entire team of sweet and savoury pie geniuses at Rustique. Home run outta the gate (or outta the oven, as it were).

Go pie! Go yum! Go Montreal food!

-Ez

My new short: "The One To Dream"

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 14:39:00 +0000

(Click image to watch the video)

New short film out today! Using Kat Goldman's stellar tune “The One To Dream”, I created a ‘music photeo’ that tells the tale of a wayward piece of hemp rope in search of... something more. Enjoy!

Kat, based in Toronto, is one of Canada’s very finest voices, and a dear friend. Plus, she survived being pinned under a car that crashed through a bagel shop window. True story. I’m honoured to have been given her blessing to create this short video and thrilled share it with you all today!

Pick up Kat’s brand new CD "The Workingman’s Blues" here or listen on Spotify and iTunes.

Support awesome Canadian music and dig hemp rope movie stars.

Hope you like the new short film and can help share it with friends, young or old, you think might love it. Thanks!

There's hope in this rope. Do knot let 'em tell you otherwise.

-Ez

P.S. The hemp rope dude in the video... his name is Xoosher.

Goodbye, Gord

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 14:10:00 +0000

In 1992, as a freshman college student in NYC, I caught a glimpse of a Village Voice ad for a show by The Tragically Hip taking place in the East Village.

Knowing how big the Hip were in Canada at the time, I figured the venue would be a fairly big one. When I arrived, I discovered that it was a tiny, second-floor walk-up club that could hold no more than 150 people or so. There were no more than 25 people there for that show.

I stood there, in awe, snapping photos of the shvitzing, screaming Gord Downie performing exuberantly, tormentedly, and at times quite contentedly, as if to a packed stadium. Here are a few of those shots from the front row, dug up from my archives and shared here for the first time, in honour of Gord's passing.

My condolences to his friends families and to my fellow longtime fans. Another legend gone. More music and memories to revisit.

Enjoy the photos above.

Rock on and on, Gord.

Love to all,

Ez

Goodbye, Michael Bond

noreply@blogger.com (Ezra Soiferman) — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 23:28:00 +0000

I was saddened this week learning Paddington Bear author Michael Brown had died in England at the age of 91. Here's a new tribute self-portrait featuring me and my collection from over the years. Yes, I was, and will remain, a bit of a fan.

Raise a jar of marmalade, friends. Dark day in Darkest Peru.*

The night Mr. Bond had died - and before his passing was announced - before putting Lulu to bed, I was looking through old archival boxes and happened upon a small grey alpaca sweater I'd randomly purchased in Peru 10 years ago "on spec." I had the brainwave to put it on 'Stissy McGhee,' my 40-year-old, favourite Paddington (wearing it, hatless, in centre of pic). Also in the box was his original jacket and hat which I hadn't seen in many years.

And if that wasn't enough, the next morning, still before his death was announced, I noticed that the vintage boxed set of Paddington books in Lulu's room (she's a fan too) had somehow found itself on the floor, knocked off the bookshelf.

As you may know, my life is filled with with coincidences like these which I love sharing with you. Bittersweet to relay them and this pic. Thanks for 'bearing' with me. :)

My condolences to the family of Mr. Bond and to all my fellow PB fans of all ages.

-Ez

P.S. In better news, I just learned Paddington Bear 2 is coming soon. Here's the trailer.

Read more about Michael Bond's life and Paddington Bear in this story from The Guardian.

*My sister Maira came up with the 'darkest day' line when she texted me the news. She also saluted my 'bond with Bond.'