Crush: Message in a Bottle
Directed byMaya Gallus
Written byMaya Gallus
Produced byHoward Fraiberg
Maya Gallus
CinematographyJohn Tran
Edited byDave Kazala
Music byGarth Stevenson
Distributed byRed Queen Productions
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

"Crush: Message in a Bottle" is a cinematic documentary following a year in the life of artisanal winemakers and growers during one of the most historically difficult harvests in the Niagara region.

Featuring winegrower Ann-Marie Saunders (whose Jamaican-lineage family are pioneers in the region, dedicated to labour intensive regenerative farming)[1], winemaker Kelly Mason (a first generation female farmer devoted to the risky, hands on craft of low intervention wild ferment winemaking), winemaker Shiraz Mottiar (celebrated as the "King of Gamay", who actively promotes diversity and sustainability in the industry), as well as esteemed winemaker Thomas Bachelder(trained in Burgundy, now dedicated to exploring the various terroir of the Niagara region).[2]

The film premiered at the Devour: the Food Film Fest! on October 28, 2023, followed by several international film festival screenings, including HotDocs[3], Santa Barbara Film Festival and the Most Festival internacional de Cinema del Vi i el Cava in the Penedes where it received the Sustainability Award.

  1. Official Website

References

  1. ^ Glassman, M (2023, November 3). Crush Review: A Zestful Celebration of Ontario’s Wineries. POV Magazine
  2. ^ The Globe and Mail. (2022, June 30). New Canadian film captures the growing pains of winemaking in Niagara. The Globe and Mail.
  3. ^ Tangerine2016 (2023, Nov 5) Crush: Message in a Bottle - Documentary on Winemaking at Hot Docs Cinema https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodToronto/comments/17k585m/crush_message_in_a_bottle_documentary_on/ Reddit