Cinema

The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes

FIFA

EJH 03b Ed Hughes holding a painting in his yard full ca 1950

For seventy years, Canadian painter E. J. Hughes captured the landscapes of British Columbia. Too shy to attend his own exhibitions, the war artist lived in poverty before becoming one of the most sought-after painters in Canadian art history, notably thanks to the support of gallerist Max Stern.

Through interviews, including with Ian Thom, former curator at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and immersion in the landscapes Hughes painted, the film explores how his childhood in Nanaimo and his fascination with Mexican muralism shaped his practice.

Première québécoise

Sélection officielle - longs-métrages
In the presence of director Jenn Strom and producer Kevin Eastwood.

As an artist myself, I make films about the gifts and challenges of the creative process, and the power of creativity to transform and heal. I want to help society understand and value the role of artists in our culture. I want to inspire people to tap into creativity in their own lives. E.J. Hughes was a quiet introvert whose unwavering dedication to his craft left us with a beautiful gift.

More than an artist’s biography, it encourages the audience to go on a journey alongside him, reflecting on our individual connections to this place and its history, and how our presence is changing the landscape. For me, this is also a story that honours the generations that came before. My grandfather was also an artist, of the same generation as Hughes, and also served in WWII.

Exploring the lived experience of past generations helps us appreciate what we have and how we got here. This film is imbued with reverence for archivists, writers and knowledge keepers, as I believe these roles are undervalued and essential to the preservation of culture.

Surrounded by climate emergencies and polarized politics, I’ve tried to create a film that reminds us to slow down and tune in to beauty, to appreciate the smile of a neighbour, to enjoy and protect the places we love. A film that shows that in spite of our noisy, social media-oriented world— one person working humbly in quiet solitude can touch many lives.

- Jenn Strom

Jenn Strom

Jenn Strom is a Vancouver-based documentary filmmaker, editor and mixed-media animator who has been creating films for over two decades. 

As a director, Jenn’s mixed media shorts have screened at film festivals around the world and on TV across Canada. Her most recent short, A Golden Voice, made in collaboration with Haida filmmaker Patrick Shannon, told the origin story of iconic Haida artist Bill Reid. 

Her work is featured in the Gemini-nominated arts documentary 12 Takes, and her hand-painted film, Assembly, produced by the NFB, was given the Kodak Images Award for Artistic Achievement by Women in Film Vancouver and screened at Hot Docs, VIFF and internationally. 

Her previous feature documentary editor credits include back home directed by Nisha Platzer (VIFF 2022), Stuffed directed by Erin Durham (SXSW VIFF 2019), and Marie Clements’ musical documentary The Road Forward (Hot Docs 2017) which won the Leo Award for Best Editing in a Feature Length Documentary.

Biographical notes provided by the film production team 

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