Montreal, Quebec – “Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Musician Ellen McIlwaine” fromaward-winning producer and director Alfonso Maiorana of Soul Flicker Films will premiere Wednesday, March 12 on CBC Gem. “Goddess of Slide” is a personal and heartfelt story that follows Ellen McIlwaine’s relentless pursuit to claim her rightful place in music history.
McIlwaine was one of the first women to choose the slide guitar as her instrument of choice, against the advice of everyone around her. McIlwaine did not stray from her conviction and love of the instrument. “Goddess Of Slide” takes you on her journey. The artist would lose out on lucrative record contracts and management by refusing to conform to what she was told her image should be. The standard belief in what an up-and-coming artist should look and sound like was not hers.
“Goddess Of Slide” documents the triumphs and the costs to McIlwaine’s career and music status, but she was fearless, the epitome of an adventurous spirit. Fierce and independent, the powerful artist took her musical gifts in surprising directions, defying expectations. “Goddess Of Slide” highlights her fearless spirit. Excelling in a male- dominated field, McIlwaine’s voice and guitar skills lead her bands down roads that transcended genre and culture.
“Goddess Of Slide” begins eight months after McIlwaine arrives in Greenwich Village with no prospects and finds herself opening for the biggest blues legends in the world, Odetta, Richie Havens, and Mississippi John Hurt. But it was six magical nights the young guitarist ignited the stage with Jimi Hendrix that changed the course of her life. “Goddess Of Slide” is an intimate look at a pioneer performer whose road trip to stardom and long career deserves a rightful place in music history. Director Alfonso Maiorana tells that story in “Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine.”
“Goddess Of Slide” began its film festival run at the Calgary International Film Festival in September of 2024 and came home with its first of many awards: the Audience Choice Award for Music on Screen Feature. The documentary continues its film festival run in the U.S. and Europe. A special in-person screening of “Goddess Of Slide” will be held at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto (506 Bloor St West), Sunday, March 9 at 12:30PM.
Director Alfonso Maiorana will be present for a Q&A immediately following the screening. “Goddess Of Slide” is produced by Alfonso Maiorana and Agata De Santis with support from the Canada Media Fund, the Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit, The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Documentary Channel, the Rogers Documentary Fund and the Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund.
Watch the Trailer for “Goddess Of Slide”
https://goddessofslide.com/trailer/
“Goddess Of Slide” Screening:
WHEN: Sunday March 9, 2025
WHERE: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto (506 Bloor St West)