91 minutes – Drama
Festival release date: June 24, 2017 (Oakville Film Festival)
Release date: September 27, 2019 (Toronto)
Production company: NORTHFILM
Canadian distributor: IndieCan Entertainment

A hard working, talented but starving musician, Finn Faber (Tyler Shaw) gets a temporary job as a therapeutic clown at a Hospital entertaining sick kids. His father has given him 6 months for his music to take off. If he fails he will be forced to attend law school. Finn would rather pursue his dreams and what he’s good at, than fall into a monotonous 9 to 5 job that he hates. First day on the job as “Pilot Pete” the clown, Finn is assigned to a 9-year old leukaemia patient, Sophia Hill (Sadie Munroe). After trying the whole clown, fake voice and singing thing, and after many failed attempts to get Sophia to interact with him, he decides to do something unconventional that could get him fired from the Hospital: be himself. He drops his clown persona when he’s around Sophia, which wins her respect and their relationship starts to flourish. She admits to Finn her dreams of being an artist like her father. Finn comes up with the idea that every Wednesday they will both work towards their goals together.

The Meaning of Life had its World Premiere at the Dances with Films Festival in Los Angeles and won the Audience Choice Award for Feature Film or Documentary following its Canadian Premiere at the 2017 Oakville Film Festival.