Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella had its world premiere during the Hot Docs festival on May 1. Directed by Arts & Science alum Barry Avrich, the documentary chronicles the life of Rosalie Abella, another graduate of A&S.
“Reaction has been phenomenal, better than I ever expected,” Avrich says. “I think people just fall in love with Abella on the screen.”
Abella, who earned her bachelor of arts in 1967 while at University College, was the third woman to become a Canadian Supreme Court justice. She was also the first Jewish woman, the first refugee and, at the age of 29, the youngest appointee. During her tenure, she became a passionate champion of human rights for all. Abella retired from the bench in 2021.
“If there's a Mount Rushmore of famous Canadians, she's on that mountain,” Avrich says.
Avrich, who earned his bachelor of arts in 1985 while at Woodsworth College, is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker. He met Abella while working on his film Prosecuting Evil, an account of the life of Ben Ferencz, the last surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor who died recently at age 103. While shooting Abella for the film, Avrich noted her story was also deserving of a documentary.
“Rosalie Abella’s story is accessible to many,” Avrich says. “She’s a survivor. Her parents were in the Holocaust. She comes here with nothing and creates a spectacular life and career for herself. That's pure Hollywood. It's just that Hollywood didn't know who she was yet.”
The stories of Abella and her late husband Irving Abella — who from 1963 to 1969 completed his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees with A&S — are tied closely to U of T, Toronto and the city’s Jewish community.
“You can't tell the story of the history of the postwar immigration of Jews in Toronto without mentioning Rosalie Abella and Irving Abella, her late husband, a great academic and historian,” Avrich says. “They're intrinsically linked forever.”
Without Precedent will make an appearance in the Toronto Jewish Film Festival on June 6. The documentary’s national release in movie theatres will be June 9. Finally, the film will be shown on CBC beginning in Fall 2023.