Out of the shadowy world of Vancouver’s Gastown, street artist Ken Foster emerges as an enigmatic figure. A prolific painter, Foster is known as much for his beautifully distorted renditions of iconic cityscapes as he is for peddling them on the street to support a serious crack habit and subdue a schizophrenic mind. Inside Ken’s squalid hotel room, we are privy to an intimate look at life in the city’s most unforgiving neighborhood - and Foster’s fragmented approach to both his relationships, and his work. When Ken’s considerable talent is put to the test in Vancouver’s Art Battle competition, what emerges is a gut-wrenching portrait of a man caught in conflict between ambition, ego and the desperation of needing his next fix. Even broken can be beautiful....

Director Josh Laner and Ken Foster will be on-hand following the screening for a Q&A.

Shot over the course of a year, director Josh Laner spent countless hours following Ken Foster through the streets of Vancouver and documenting both his hustle and creative process. The film was largely shot with a two man crew. This allowed the film makers complete freedom to venture into the seedy dark world of Ken’s drugs addiction and the methods he uses to sustain it. His art. The result is some of the most stark, raw and visceral footage to ever come out of Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside. This is a bio pic through and through. It offers a unfiltered and uncensored look inside the mind of a schizophrenic man, the one’s he loves, and the life he leads. This documentary features a interviews, interactions, and the rabbit hole that is the creative process of a broken, drug addicted artist.

Tuesday, May 15
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm
Tickets $10 advance | $12 at the door

*Minors welcome in the balcony! (Parental discretion advised.) Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK! Please redeem at the door.

KEN FOSTER (Josh Laner, 2018 / 14A / 90 mins) On the mean streets of Vancouver's notorious downtown eastside, iconic street artist turned drug addict Ken Foster makes killer art to keep himself alive.