Critical Writing Index

Brutal Art from mean streets

by Marshall Delaney

Saturday Night, 1978, p. 54

Toronto: Saturday Night, 1978

An early interview with Janis Cole and Holly Dale, young filmmakers documenting the lives of queers, prostitutes and maximum security criminals. Their first two shorts capture the director’s friends inhabiting Toronto’s adult entertainment strip populating Yonge Street in the 1970s. Their follow-up, about criminally insane inmates, portrays a unique perspective on documentaries about mental hospitals. What sets their films apart is a frank, unvarnished exploration of the working class, and a strong commitment to the lives of their subjects.

ITEM 1978.065 – available for viewing in the Research Centre

Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited

Cream SodaJanis Cole

Cream SodaHoly Dale

Thin LineJanis Cole

Thin LineHolly Dale

Minimum Charge No CoverJanis Cole

Minimum Charge No CoverHolly Dale