Salt Spring Film Festival Presents:
Shut Up and Say Something

A big man with a big heart and a very big message. Shane Koyczan is a much celebrated Canadian spoken-word poet. He has touched audiences far and wide with the generous intensity of his live performances, viral animated videos, TED Talks, a libretto for the opera Stickboy and the unforgettable opening ceremonies for the 2010 Olympics where hundreds of new fans came on board the Shane train. In her film “Shut up and Say Something”, Melanie Wood has captured the performer, the young boy who was bullied, the grandson grateful for the love of his Grandmother, the son trying to forgive his father and the man in search of who he really is. The film is a deep sea dive into the emotional pain and poetry of Shane Koyczan revealing new shades of his colourful personality. Expect electrifying performances, animated poetry sequences, gentle engaged interactions with his fans, at times evasive self reflection and at other times honest vulnerability as he journeys to reunite with his father who abandoned him as a child.