Down by the River

Down River is a Canadian drama film, directed by Benjamin Ratner and released in 2013. Created as a tribute to actress Babz Chula following her death in 2010, the film stars Helen Shaver as Pearl, an older woman who is a friend and mentor to actress Fawn (Gabrielle Miller), visual artist Aki (Jennifer Spence) and bisexual musician Harper (Colleen Rennison). The cast also includes Jay Brazeau, Tahmoh Penikett, Ali Liebert, Brian Markinson, Tom McBeath, Nancy Sivak and Hiro Kanagawa. The film premiered at the 2013 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival. It was subsequently screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Most Popular Canadian Film and received an honorable mention from the jury for the Best British Columbia Film award.