Waiting for Twilight

Director: Noam Gonick

Film Info

  • Year: 1998
  • Film Format: 16mm
  • Origin: Canada
  • Runtime: 60
  • Color
  • Language: English
Narrated by Tom Waits, this breezy documentary follows Guy Maddin during the production of TWILIGHT OF THE ICE NYMPHS, and reflects upon his bizarre life and career to date, the difficulties of creating artistically challenging work in Canada and his mission to create “tingles” in the spine of his audience.

WAITING FOR TWILIGHT is available on the CAREFUL DVD.

Noam Gonick

Born into a radical Marxist family, Gonick supplemented his education by studying filmmakers Guy Maddin and Bruce LaBruce. His survey of Maddin's life and work became the award-winning (Hot Docs) documentary WAITING FOR TWILIGHT (1998), narrated by Tom Waits. His interest in LaBruce resulted in the book Ride, Queer, Ride!

Noam's first short film, 1919 (1997), was a re-visioning of the Winnipeg General Strike set in a Chinese babershop/gay bathhouse. An mixture of contemporary sexual identity politics and early-twentieth century social movements, the film posits a more positive albeit historically inaccurate outcome for the strike. 1919 won best short at the Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival.

HEY, HAPPY! (2001) Gonick's first feature, was an astro-camp epic set in the Winnipeg rave scene on the eve of an apocalyptic flood. DJ Sabu and Happy's meeting results in the conception an alien love child. The film premiered at Sundance and opened the NY Underground Film Festival.

STRYKER (2004) is a gang war flick with a Native power message. The film was shot by Academy Award-nominated Cinematographer Ed Lachman. STRYKER premiered at the 61st Venice Film Festival.


Written and Directed by Noam Gonick

Narrated by Tom Waits

Featuring Shelley Duvall, Alice Krige, Pascale Bussieres, Greg Klymkiw, John Paizs, Steve Snyder, Herdis Maddin, John Harvey and Geoff Pevere

Produced by Laura Michalchyshyn

Edited by Bruce Little

Consulting Editor Jeff McKay

Story Editor Bob Lower

Title Design Robin Len

Sound Recordist Etoile Stewart