Downie performed the album in a concert at Roy Thomson Hall on October 21, 2016, which was his last full concert performance in his lifetime and was attended by members of the Wenjack family. The concert was aired by CBC Television in October 2017 following Downie's death. The project was further followed in 2018 by Finding the Secret Path, a documentary film by Downie's brother Mike Downie about the creation of the original project.[5]
All other instrumentation by Kevin Drew and Dave Hamelin
Produced and Mixed by Kevin Drew and Dave Hamelin
Additional personnel:
Engineered by Nyles Spencer
Mastered by Eric Boulanger, The Bakery, Culver City, California, USA[1]
Live performances
Downie performed the album in a concert at Roy Thomson Hall on October 21, 2016, attended by members of the Wenjack family. The concert was filmed for an hour-long special, Gord Downie's Secret Path in Concert, which also featured backstage footage and scenes from the animated film. Downie and his collaborators performed the album, again with members of the Wenjack family, in Halifax's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on November 29, 2016.[6] This proved to be Downie's last performance. The special aired on October 22, 2017, on CBC Television, following Downie's death earlier that week.[7]
The graphic novel, also titled Secret Path, was written by Gord Downie, illustrated by Jeff Lemire, and published by Simon & Schuster.[2] It was released on October 18, 2016, concurrently with the album.[3]
As with the album itself, all proceeds from the book are being donated to the University of Manitoba's National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.[3]
Film
The animated film, also titled The Secret Path, adapts Downie's album and Lemire's graphic novel. It is divided into ten chapters, according to the ten songs from Downie's album.[1]
It was executive produced by Gord Downie, along with Mike Downie, Patrick Downie, and Sarah Polley. The film was produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Canadian Film or Video Production tax credit.[1]
The Secret Path was broadcast by CBC in an hour-long television special on October 23, 2016.[1]
Reception and impact
The project was widely adopted by many Canadian schools as a teaching tool in indigenous history lessons on the residential school system,[8] and led to the creation of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund to support efforts in indigenous reconciliation.[9]
At the 6th Canadian Screen Awards, the television film received nominations for the Donald Brittain Award and Best Music in a Non-Fiction Program. It won the Best Music award at the non-fiction programming event on March 6, 2017,[13] and the Donald Brittain Award at the broadcast gala on March 11.[14]
At the 7th Canadian Screen Awards, the concert special won two awards, for best variety or entertainment special and best sound in a non-fiction program.[15]
At the 8th Canadian Screen Awards, Finding the Secret Path won the awards for Biography or Arts Documentary Program or Series and Best Direction in a Documentary Program (Mike Downie).[16]
