Alison McAlpine - Global Excellence Initiative

Filmmaker and writer Alison McAlpine, winner of a 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship in film/video, blurs the lines between documentary and fiction.

“All of my work, in differing ways, is personal,” she says. “Of course, that’s linked with my imagination, my background as a poet and my ensemble of collaborators are always key contributors.”

The Guggenheim is in support of her current film project, Dr. Procter. It’s inspired by the life of her grandfather, an opioid-addicted doctor in the 1920s-40s.

“So the Guggenheim allows me to develop this hybrid of documentary and fiction,” she says.

“It will fund a key part of the development, allowing me to explore without any strings attached, which is usually hard to do in the financial structures of filmmaking.”

For example, those structures usually require quick decisions around collaborations. “This [award] allows me to work, in the initial exploration stage, with whoever I want to work with, anywhere in the world.”

Her research for the film has introduced her to doctors in Canada, the United States and Scotland who are recovering addicts. “My network of doctors in recovery will provide guidance and wisdom regarding the complexities of drug addiction and recovery. Several will be in the film.”

The filmmaker, who was the Mordecai Richler Writer-in-Residence at McGill University the year when COVID-19 struck, describes the Guggenheim as an “enormous gift and honour,” noting that even the process of applying itself was a helpful experience.

“It helped my process. Answering the questions, you had to be so succinct. The whole process was very demanding but very helpful for me artistically.”