The Ladies of Laurel Canyon

  • Format Feature Documentary
  • Status Financing
  • Genre Drama | Historical
  • Audience Adults
  • Rating M
  • Synopsis

    Four ladies, all lightning rods of the LA late sixties music scene, singers, scene makers, wives and groupies. Old friends and love rivals, the four haven't been together since 1972, the week of their old friend Savvy's funeral.

    Mary-Jane, iconic Cali-Rock musician, emails everyone calling for a weekend reunion to be held at her Laurel Canyon house. She is surprised when they all say they'll attend. The ladies, pack their suitcases full of anticipation, wonder and a little dread. All of them have led different lives, changed in unexpected ways. When they meet, despite the years, they don't seem at all like strangers. They have tales to tell, revelations and unlocked secrets.

    Flashbacks throughout to their younger selves, the story deconstructs the past and we see their lives unfold as they were in the 60’s. They all have encountered tragedy in their lives (with one still to come) but over that weekend, scars seem to heal... for the most, anyway.

    On returning home to their respective lives they all have much to contemplate. Within a month of the reunion, Mary-Jane has died, taken by a terminal illness.

    Slim her partner/best friend carried out her final wishes: no funeral, no formalities, no fuss. Her ashes, borne on the Santa Ana winds, blowing down the hill towards Sunset Boulevard while Joni Mitchell's Ladies of the Canyon plays out.

Synopsis

Four old friends and love rivals get together after 40 years - what could possibly go wrong?

Four ladies, all lightning rods of the LA late sixties music scene, singers, scene makers, wives and groupies. Old friends and love rivals, the four haven't been together since 1972, the week of their old friend Savvy's funeral.

Mary-Jane, iconic Cali-Rock musician, emails everyone calling for a weekend reunion to be held at her Laurel Canyon house. She is surprised when they all say they'll attend. The ladies, pack their suitcases full of anticipation, wonder and a little dread. All of them have led different lives, changed in unexpected ways. When they meet, despite the years, they don't seem at all like strangers. They have tales to tell, revelations and unlocked secrets.

Flashbacks throughout to their younger selves, the story deconstructs the past and we see their lives unfold as they were in the 60’s. They all have encountered tragedy in their lives (with one still to come) but over that weekend, scars seem to heal... for the most, anyway.

On returning home to their respective lives they all have much to contemplate. Within a month of the reunion, Mary-Jane has died, taken by a terminal illness.

Slim her partner/best friend carried out her final wishes: no funeral, no formalities, no fuss. Her ashes, borne on the Santa Ana winds, blowing down the hill towards Sunset Boulevard while Joni Mitchell's Ladies of the Canyon plays out.

  • Director Laura Archibald

    Laura Archibald is the CEO of Red Jasper Films, a film production company focusing on historic and biographically oriented feature films and documentaries. Their eclectic catalogue includes films that cover the history of music in the 60’s, Negro league baseball in the 40’s and the political and social history of Cuba through the eyes of an outsider.
  • Co-Producer Sacha Rodríguez

    A producer who is passionate about making films, Sacha Rodriguez joins Gabriel Beristain, and together, they lay the foundations for Vedado’s filmed entertainment division, produce a feature length documentary and the feature film "Havana Kyrie" starring Franco Nero and Ron Perlman - and embark on development of a new slate of screen titles including the upcoming feature film "The House of Abraham Phillips", in collaboration with The Lan Film Company in Wales.
  • Executive Producer Suzanne Lyons Suzanne Lyons is president/producer of Snowfall Films, Inc. and to date has produced or executive produced twelve feature films, ranging from comedy (Undertaking Betty) to drama (The Calling, Jericho Mansions) to cult classics (Candy Stripers).
  • Documents
    The Ladies of Laurel Canyon - Pitch Deck
    18/07/2020    		 Download