Hookers on Davie

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This special limited edition spot gloss slipcover (designed by Sister Hyde) is limited to 2,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.

From arthouse to Canuxploitation, Canadian International Pictures (CIP) is devoted to resurrecting vital, distinctive, and overlooked triumphs of Canadian cinema. This label is focused on the country’s original cinematic boom years – spanning the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s – occasionally venturing past that period (and the country’s borders) to highlight the films of Canada’s most inspired actors and filmmakers. Vinegar Syndrome’s sister company, OCN Distribution, is thrilled to be representing CIP's brand new line of home video releases!

40th Anniversary Special Edition

At the height of the 1980s, following their breakthrough documentary P4W: Prison for Women, filmmakers Janis Cole and Holly Dale turned their lens on Vancouver’s Davie Street neighborhood, a bustling, neon-soaked hub for both trans and cisgender sex workers informally known as “the prostitution capital of Canada.” The result was Hookers on Davie, a landmark document combining candid interviews with a group of instantly memorable subjects and vivid location footage of their street work, surreptitiously captured with hidden cameras. An indelible community portrait, the film culminates in the group’s collective efforts to challenge and overcome legislative oppression.

Much lauded upon its release in 1984 and no less potent – or engrossing – 40 years later, Hookers on Davie showcases Cole and Dale’s deeply humanist approach, bringing care and compassion to subjects often represented in more reductively moralistic terms. CIP is proud to present this groundbreaking classic in a new 4K restoration that confirms its place among the greatest non-fiction films ever produced in Canada.

directed by: Janis Cole, Holly Dale
starring: various
1984 / 89 min / 1.37:1 / English DTS-HD MA 2.0

Additional info:

4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray Set
4K UHD presented in High-Dynamic-Range
Newly scanned and restored in 4K from the original 16mm A/B negatives by Canadian International Pictures with sound transferred from the original 16mm magnetic final mix
New audio commentary featuring directors Janis Cole and Holly Dale
New audio commentary featuring multi-disciplinary artist and curator Jordan King
New introduction to Hookers on Davie by Cole
Directors on Davie (2024, 23 min.) – New interview with Cole
Before Davie (2024, 12 min.) – Cole on her early films with Holly Dale
Mardi on Tiggy (2024, 14 min.) – Trans elder Mardi Pieronek’s tribute to her friend Tiggy
Video report on The West End Sex Workers Memorial fundraiser (2009, 7 min.)
Toronto Arts Awards tribute to Cole and Dale (1994, 4 min.)
CBC interview (1984, 8 min.) – Barbara Frum in conversation with Cole and Dale
Citytv interview (1984, 3 min.) – Jeanne Beker in conversation with Cole and Dale
Hookers on Davie home movies (1983, 34 min.)
Afterword featuring Cole and Dale (2024, 8 min.)
Cream Soda (1975, 13 min.) – New 2K scan of Cole and Dale’s first short
Minimum Charge No Cover (1976, 11 min.) – New 2K scan of Cole and Dale’s second short
New introductions to both shorts by Cole
New audio commentaries for both shorts featuring Cole and Dale
New audio commentaries for both shorts featuring King
Hookers on Davie archival press gallery
Booklet featuring essays by Kay Armatage, Adrian Rui Hung, and Cayley James
Reversible cover artwork
English SDH subtitles