The red carpet was rolled out at the Windsor International Film Festival on Monday night at the Chrysler Theatre. It was a special event: the Canadian premiere of a documentary celebrating the iconic and internationally acclaimed film Goodfellas. The documentary, As Far Back as I Can Remember, tells the story of the making of the iconic 1990 Martin Scorsese film. Goodfellas was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning one for best supporting actor for Joe Pesci. The film is critically acclaimed and widely regarded as one of the greatest movies in American cinema history. It has been praised for its storytelling, direction, ensemble cast, cinematography, production design and editing, among other attributes. The documentary took six years of research, interviews, filming and production to complete. It was co-directed and produced by husband-and-wife team Ashley Pugh and Lisa Downs. The pair attended the special screening, along with Goodfellas alumna Welker White and Academy Award-nominated production designer Kristi Zea. Guest of honour Lorraine Bracco, who received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress in Goodfellas, attended the documentary’s debut screening and received the WIFF Spotlight Award. For Bracco, the evening was both a personal honour and a celebration of cinematic history and the story behind the film’s creation. “We had, you know, Marty [Scorsese]. He gathered the best of the best in New York for his vision,” Bracco said. “It was an exciting shoot, but no one expected this. Ash and Lisa are incredible. They made an adorable film. It’s exciting. I’m very happy for them.”
