Harvey Lalonde — a member of Canada's cinema community recognized for his work and volunteer efforts at film events and festivals in Toronto and beyond — has died. News of Lalonde's passing broke in Canadian film circles earlier this week (February 13) following an early February report from Toronto's Reel Asian International Film Festival that Lalonde had been admitted to hospital following a stroke. He was 60.
"We are heartbroken to hear that Harvey Lalonde has passed. He was a dedicated volunteer for over 20 years and we are proud to be among the first festivals to offer him paid work in 2008," Reel Asian wrote. "His familiar face was just one more way we welcomed back our in-person audiences for the first time last November. We are absolutely gutted that it will be the last time. Rest easy, Harvey - you will be so dearly missed."
Further tributes have come from film community members and organizers of festivals Lalonde dedicated his time to, including horror, sci-fi and action event Toronto After Dark, who called the late figure "Toronto's biggest hearted volunteer, who donated so much time to dozens of festivals in our city, including our own."
Montreal-set Fantasia International Film Festival organizers called Lalonde "a star volunteer" in commending his work for their event, and festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Blood in the Snow and Toronto After Dark. The Canadian Film Fest shared of Lalonde, "He was always first in line to help us and we're eternally grateful for his generosity, smile and amazingly positive attitude. He volunteered because he genuinely loved helping audiences and our filmmakers and loved being around people who loved film as much as he did."
Peter Kuplowsky, programmer of TIFF's Midnight Madness section, called Lalonde "a great connector champion of people from all corners of art communities — especially film. He supported me so much on my journey and I always tried to return the support and let him know how much it meant to be his friend."
Lalonde's impact was felt beyond the big screen. Bay Street Video, one of Toronto's lone remaining video stores, wrote, "If you loved film and lived in Toronto, you've crossed paths with him. He loved helping people and he loved the movies, and film festivals won't be the same without him. Our condolences to his loved ones. May his memory be a blessing."
A 2008 profile by BlogTO characterizes the young adulthood of Lalonde, born and raised in Etobicoke, as one "spent ducking in and out of matinees at classic Toronto cinemas." In 1995, he applied to volunteer at TIFF, recalling to BlogTO, "I wanted to know what the other side felt like. The ushers, the managers, the ticket takers. I met a woman who was doing nine or ten festivals a year; she got me interested. I do way more than that now."
The profile also notes how Lalonde parlayed his expertise into working at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in Utah — a dream realized following four previous application attempts. He told BlogTO, "It took me a while to get the funds together, to get my passport sorted out. There were a lot of firsts on that trip; my first time out of Ontario, my first plane ride... my first time looking out of a plane window. I'm getting over a fear of heights."
Per a 2009 profile in The Globe and Mail, Lalonde previously "worked as a restaurant attendant, video-store clerk and [Canadian National Exhibition] cleaner" prior to becoming a festival mainstay, who "clocks upwards of eighty hours of service, subsisting on free popcorn and volunteer lunches and catching up on sleep during the two-hour commute to his home near Pearson airport."
The profile notes how Lalonde was due to be the subject of a documentary titled You Know Harvey from director Linda Matarasso. The filmmaker met Lalonde while volunteering at the ReelWorld Film Festival in 2003, and got to know him better upon casting him in her 2008 film Urban Zombies.
Matarasso's film — which follows Lalonde in his element and features interviews with colleagues, per a rough cut trailer — was ultimately not completed, though the director has since expressed interest in completing the project following Lalonde's passing: "I know Harvey wanted me to finish the film."
In July 2020, Toronto's film community rallied to support Lalonde, who faced homelessness following eviction from his home in the city. A GoFundMe campaign launched by Kelly Michael Stewart, founder of Blood in the Snow, raised over $25,000 to help Lalonde secure housing.
"Harvey Lalonde has been an indispensable part of film festivals in Toronto for decades. He has volunteered for hundreds of film events and film festivals over the years. If you have been to any major film event you have likely seen Harvey's smiling face tearing your ticket, giving directions or guiding crowds into screenings," Stewart wrote for the campaign. "This isn't charity for Harvey. This is a thank you and a helping hand for someone that means so much to all of us."
Find tributes to Lalonde from Toronto's film community below.
"We are heartbroken to hear that Harvey Lalonde has passed. He was a dedicated volunteer for over 20 years and we are proud to be among the first festivals to offer him paid work in 2008," Reel Asian wrote. "His familiar face was just one more way we welcomed back our in-person audiences for the first time last November. We are absolutely gutted that it will be the last time. Rest easy, Harvey - you will be so dearly missed."
Further tributes have come from film community members and organizers of festivals Lalonde dedicated his time to, including horror, sci-fi and action event Toronto After Dark, who called the late figure "Toronto's biggest hearted volunteer, who donated so much time to dozens of festivals in our city, including our own."
Montreal-set Fantasia International Film Festival organizers called Lalonde "a star volunteer" in commending his work for their event, and festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Blood in the Snow and Toronto After Dark. The Canadian Film Fest shared of Lalonde, "He was always first in line to help us and we're eternally grateful for his generosity, smile and amazingly positive attitude. He volunteered because he genuinely loved helping audiences and our filmmakers and loved being around people who loved film as much as he did."
Peter Kuplowsky, programmer of TIFF's Midnight Madness section, called Lalonde "a great connector champion of people from all corners of art communities — especially film. He supported me so much on my journey and I always tried to return the support and let him know how much it meant to be his friend."
Lalonde's impact was felt beyond the big screen. Bay Street Video, one of Toronto's lone remaining video stores, wrote, "If you loved film and lived in Toronto, you've crossed paths with him. He loved helping people and he loved the movies, and film festivals won't be the same without him. Our condolences to his loved ones. May his memory be a blessing."
A 2008 profile by BlogTO characterizes the young adulthood of Lalonde, born and raised in Etobicoke, as one "spent ducking in and out of matinees at classic Toronto cinemas." In 1995, he applied to volunteer at TIFF, recalling to BlogTO, "I wanted to know what the other side felt like. The ushers, the managers, the ticket takers. I met a woman who was doing nine or ten festivals a year; she got me interested. I do way more than that now."
The profile also notes how Lalonde parlayed his expertise into working at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in Utah — a dream realized following four previous application attempts. He told BlogTO, "It took me a while to get the funds together, to get my passport sorted out. There were a lot of firsts on that trip; my first time out of Ontario, my first plane ride... my first time looking out of a plane window. I'm getting over a fear of heights."
Per a 2009 profile in The Globe and Mail, Lalonde previously "worked as a restaurant attendant, video-store clerk and [Canadian National Exhibition] cleaner" prior to becoming a festival mainstay, who "clocks upwards of eighty hours of service, subsisting on free popcorn and volunteer lunches and catching up on sleep during the two-hour commute to his home near Pearson airport."
The profile notes how Lalonde was due to be the subject of a documentary titled You Know Harvey from director Linda Matarasso. The filmmaker met Lalonde while volunteering at the ReelWorld Film Festival in 2003, and got to know him better upon casting him in her 2008 film Urban Zombies.
Matarasso's film — which follows Lalonde in his element and features interviews with colleagues, per a rough cut trailer — was ultimately not completed, though the director has since expressed interest in completing the project following Lalonde's passing: "I know Harvey wanted me to finish the film."
In July 2020, Toronto's film community rallied to support Lalonde, who faced homelessness following eviction from his home in the city. A GoFundMe campaign launched by Kelly Michael Stewart, founder of Blood in the Snow, raised over $25,000 to help Lalonde secure housing.
"Harvey Lalonde has been an indispensable part of film festivals in Toronto for decades. He has volunteered for hundreds of film events and film festivals over the years. If you have been to any major film event you have likely seen Harvey's smiling face tearing your ticket, giving directions or guiding crowds into screenings," Stewart wrote for the campaign. "This isn't charity for Harvey. This is a thank you and a helping hand for someone that means so much to all of us."
Find tributes to Lalonde from Toronto's film community below.
He was always first in line to help us and we're eternally grateful for his generosity, smile and amazingly positive attitude. He volunteered because he genuinely loved helping audiences and our filmmakers and loved being around people who loved film as much as he did.
— Canadian Film Fest (@CanFilmFest) February 14, 2023
2/3
He knew everyone's names, never forgot a face and actively followed filmmakers' careers.
— Canadian Film Fest (@CanFilmFest) February 14, 2023
What a great guy and a shining example for all of us.
We'll miss you, Harvey
3/3
I'm thinking about it. Going to talk to a friend this week who was a friend of Harveys as well. I know Harvey wanted me to finish the film
— Linda Matarasso (@LindaMatarasso) February 14, 2023