World Premiere

The vehicle drifts across the centre-line, its speed pushing 70 km/ hr. As it races downhill, the rider hangs on. Metal screams and rattles, and small wheels struggle to grip the pavement. Welcome to the picture-postcard community of North Vancouver, where local bottle pickers have turned the act of binning into a thriving subculture of shopping cart racing. Murray Siple, a former snowboarder and sport film director injured in a serious car accident ten years ago, returns to filmmaking to capture their story in the documentary Carts of Darkness.

This brotherhood of the dispossessed includes men like Big Al, a fearless cart-rider who bombs the mountainside; Fergie, a still- handsome alcoholic who rambles between his bush hideout, the homeless shelter and the drunk tank; and Bob, a gentle artist/musician who collects just enough bottles to support his flower garden and his art. Cut off from regular jobs and family, these men live in the margins, almost invisible in a society obsessed with success and appearance. “I discovered that like them, I face an obstacle-riddled culture of judgments based on first impressions and stereotypes," says Murray.

Big Al's wild rides come at a cost -- shopping carts are routinely stolen and the wheels literally melt off on slopes that descend from the sky to the sea."Shopping carts ain't free,” offers Big Al. But escape from the daily world of poverty, addiction, even death is worth the price of jail. As the affinity between them grows, Murray's need to recapture the visceral rush that he remembers from his snowboarding days will take a final act of daring and trust.

Shot in stunning high-definition, Carts of Darkness borrows the cinematic language of snowboarding and skateboarding films to put you right in the middle of the action. POV shots of Big Al carving down a hillside blur together energy, mass and the pull of gravity into one moment of pure outlaw joy. Featuring tracks from Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, Vetiver, Bison, and Alan Boyd, of Little Sparta, Carts Of Darkness is a story of endurance and resourcefulness, that captures the risk and intensity of life lived on the very edge.

DIRECTOR BIO - MURRAY SIPLE
Director Murray Siple began his film career making extreme sports videos including the cult classic Cascadia (1996) and The Burning (1995). In 1996, a serious car accident changed Murray's life forever when he became a quadriplegic. Ten year later, Murray returns to filmmaking, incorporating his passion and distinct viewpoint in the documentary Carts of Darkness.

PRODUCER BIOGRAPHY - TRACEY FRIESEN
Tracey Friesen is the Executive Producer for the National Film Board of Canada’s Pacific and Yukon Centre. Since joining the NFB, Tracey’s producer credits include director Bonnie Sherr Klein’s SHAMELESS: The Art of Disability, ScaredSacred, Being Caribou and Citizen Sam. Recent productions include Hope by Thomas Buchan and Stuart Reaugh, and Dirt, directed by Meghna Haldar.