Hot Docs is showing a documentary called Thank You for Playing about the making of the game That Dragon, Cancer. The game is an autobiographical work exploring the feelings of a family with a child with cancer.

The filmmakers shared an advance screener with us and it’s an excellent film — heart-wrenching without being manipulative, and a revealing document of a particularly poignant creative collaboration. It’s screening on Tues. Apr 28th, 29th, and May 2nd. Watch the trailer here, and buy tickets here.

We will be presenting an event immediately after the Canadian premiere down the street, where we’ll have several installations of the game to play.

The filmmakers and gamemakers will be in attendance.

Tuesday April 28th, 8:30pm-10:30pm
Elephant and Castle
212 King St W, Windsor Room (Simcoe Street entrance)
Free
RSVP on Facebook

We have a pair of tickets to give away for each of the screenings. Tweet an anecdote with the hashtag #agamemademecry before noon on Friday Apr. 24 for a chance to win.

From the Hot Docs description of Thank You for Playing:

When his four-year-old son is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ryan Green, an indie video game developer, begins work on “That Dragon, Cancer,” an unusual and poetic game designed to communicate the experience of his son’s diagnosis. The result is uniquely beautiful, and often very sad. Why would someone choose to duplicate their tragedy and then let strangers participate in it? Green himself doesn’t even always know. At one point, Green attempts to explain, “I could just choose not to love him, because maybe that would be easier,” and we come to understand the bravery of staying present in life’s most challenging moments. Directors David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall understand this almost intuitively, providing an unobtrusive space for this kind of honesty: a place to honour Green’s work and the life of his son. It becomes clear that this is not a game about cancer or a film about games; both are about love.