Vancouver director Teresa Alfeld’s documentary Hearse Chasing debuts at VIFF Centre, May 10
The poignant film focuses on Vancouver singer-songwriter Cassidy Waring as she delves into an unresolved family tragedy
Cassidy Waring in Hearse Chasing
Hearse Chasing shows at the VIFF Centre on May 10 at 7:30 p.m., followed by a live performance by Cassidy Waring and her band, as part of the VIFF Live series
TERESA ALFELD, the East Van–raised filmmaker whose Doug and the Slugs and Me caught attention in 2022, is set to premiere another documentary.
This time out, she focuses on another Vancouver musical talent—but with a completely different kind of story to tell.
The documentary follows singer-songwriter Cassidy Waring as she returns to her hometown of Calgary with her brother Cooper to confront an unresolved family tragedy. The mix of intimate conversations, archival home movies, and scenes of the songwriter in her creative process explores themes of loss, grief, and healing.
The screening marks Mother’s Day, an occasion that ties in poignantly with the film as it attempts to gain a better understanding of a mother’s death, leading to a deeper reckoning that digs into long-buried memories.
After the special screening, Hearse Chasing will premiere on May 13 on TELUS Optik TV Video on Demand channel 8 and TELUS Stream+, as well as on the TELUS originals YouTube channel at 7 p.m. on the same day, and will run until May 31 as part of Mental Health Awareness Month. As covered in the film, Waring pursued therapy and received a diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) while processing what happened within her family.
As part of VIFF Live programming, the May 10 VIFF Centre screening includes an intimate musical performance by Waring and her band. 
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