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Deep Dive: Hookers on Davie (1984)

Film Lens

Hookers on Davie
Hookers on Davie is a Canadian documentary directed by Janis Cole and Holly Dale, released in 1984. The film presents a portrait of women, both cisgender and transgender, who work as prostitutes on Davie Street in Vancouver, British Columbia. It captures their lives against the backdrop of the early campaign to 'clean up' the street during the tenure of Mayor Mike Harcourt. The documentary premiered at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto on April 5, 1984. It received a Genie Award nomination for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 6th Genie Awards in 1985 and won the award for Best Documentary at the 1984 Chicago International Film Festival.

Why Watch

  • •Meet women working on Davie Street in 1984.
  • •See the impact of Mayor Mike Harcourt's cleanup campaign.
  • •Find out about the lives of both cisgender and transgender sex workers.

Did You Know

•The film premiered on April 5, 1984, at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto.
•Hookers on Davie was nominated for a Genie Award in 1985.
•It won Best Documentary at the 1984 Chicago International Film Festival.
•The documentary has a duration of 88 minutes.

Perfect For

Documentary enthusiastsLGBTQ+ historyUrban studies