Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine

With Ellen McIlwaine

Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaineis a feature documentary about thelegendary and largely forgotten Canadian singer and musician who fought for her right to play the slideguitar, a male-dominated instrument in a male-dominated world.Eight months after arriving in Greenwich Village with no prospects, Ellen found herself opening for thebiggest blues legends in the world, like Odetta, Richie Havens, and Mississippi John Hurt. But it’s the sixmagical nights a young fearless redheaded Ellen ignited the stage with Jimi Hendrix that changed thecourse of her life.Goddess of Slideis a spirited musical journey of a 75-year-old female slide guitar virtuoso whoseunbreakable faith in her talent kept her going.This is a heartfelt story of a young girl who was adopted bymissionaries in Nashville, Tennessee, and then moved to Kobe, Japan where she attended the CanadianAcademy International School. Her introduction to war, religion, rules, regulations and sexual abusepropelled Ellen into a rebellious life in rock and blues that established her as the goddess of the slideguitar.Ellen was the most innovative female slide guitarist ever to grace the stage and hers is a unique story ofsurvival, passion and justice.Goddess of Slideis an intimate look at a pioneer performer whose road tripto stardom and long career deserves a rightful place in music history

Thank you to the Professional Translation Program of the Department of Arts, Languages and Literatures at Université de Sherbrooke for the translation of the subtitles for the film Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine, presented at the Festival cinéma du monde de Sherbrooke.

Join us for a roundtable dedicated to exploring the role of cinema in building social connections and fostering cultural exchange through translation.

ROUND TABLE |
Friday, April 17 at 2:30 PM at the Boq.
Free activity

Featuring director Alfonso Maiorana (Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine), Catherine Viau, producer and Head of Film Programming at the FCMS, and Audrey Canalès, professor of audiovisual translation at the Université de Sherbrooke, this discussion will examine how cinema can serve as a powerful catalyst for community building and a meaningful learning tool for translation.

Activity details here

Guests View the trailer Press kit