By John Corrado
The 2026 Hot Docs Film Festival runs from April 23rd to May 3rd in Toronto
The latest film from Canadian documentary filmmaker Barry Avrich (The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, Born Hungry), This Above All: The Theatrical Life of Antoni Cimolino serves as a polished biographical portrait of a man who has devoted his life to the theatre.
Antoni Cimolino is the Artistic Director of the world famous Stratford Festival, and the film follows him as he prepares for his last season in this role. Avrich takes us through Cimolino’s start as a theatre actor, including starring as Romeo in a production of Romeo and Juliet in the 1990s that was broadcast on the CBC, to directing a number of Shakespeare productions.
We follow his rise through the ranks to become Stratford’s Artistic Director in 2013. Cimolino’s time at the company has included navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, when the entire season was forced to be cancelled, and the calls for more diversity following the summer of 2020.
Among the subjects is esteemed Canadian actor and personal friend Colm Feore, a compelling orator even in interview form. Cimolino and Feore provide the bulk of the interviews, balanced out by their respective wives, actress Brigit Wilson and choreographer Donna Feore, who clearly all share a mutual respect for each other and add personal insights to the film.
Avrich’s film is assembled around interviews with his subjects, balanced out by some revealing behind the scenes footage and clips from various performances, with Shakespeare quotes that act like chapter headings. It’s kept entertaining at just 78 minutes. As such, This Above All works as a concise and engaging oral history of the Stratford Festival and Cimolino’s tenure at the company.
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