Hot Docs

Mark Karbusicky moves in and out of focus, haunting the faint traces of negative space he leaves behind. Gentle animal rights activist, political vegan, punk maestro, and life partner of transsexual performance artist Mirha-Soleil Ross, Mark was also friend and editor to one of the preeminent experimental filmmakers working today, Mike Hoolboom. Together, they collaborated on Hoolboom’s acclaimed biography series. When this loving soul, who had always worked tirelessly to improve the lives of others, suddenly hangs himself at 35, Mark’s relentless optimism, impossible kindness, and self-effacing nature take on new weight. Editing alone for the first time on what may be his finest film, Hoolboom searches for Mark through home video, found footage, and raw interviews with those who loved him, distilling fragments of memory into a collage of true emotional experience. We may not discover who Mark really was, but we feel him deeply. - Gisèle Gordon

Co-presented with Vtape Video + New Media.

Media Coverage

NOW Magazine (Review), Eye Weekly (4-star Review)