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Closet Monster

Director Stephen Dunn
Year 2015
Run Time 90min
Genre Drama

The coming-of-age story gets an imaginative makeover with Stephen Dunn’s debut feature, which mixes affecting drama with whimsical fantasy to tell the story of high school senior Oscar (Connor Jessup), a young man who is struggling with his identity and a turbulent volatile home life with his increasingly volatile father.

Oscar finds an escape from his troubled home life in a passion for special effects and fantasy makeup that he shares with his best friend Gemma (Sofia Banzhaf) and hopes to pursue in college. At home, he creates a different fantasy world, sharing a close bond with the pet hamster (voiced by Isabella Rosellini) who has talked to him since his childhood.

When Oscar meets the cool, handsome Wilder (Aliocha Schneider), he finally starts coming to terms with his own sexuality, which he has repressed since witnessing a terrible act of homophobic violence as a child.

Closet Monster premiered at the Toronto International FIlm Festival, winning the award for Best Canadian Feature Film and was named one of Canada’s Top Ten films of 2015.

Director

Stephen Dunn

Writer

Stephen Dunn

Cast

Connor Jessup, Isabella Rossellini, Aaron Abrams, Aliocha Schneider, Joanne Kelly

Producers

Fraser Ash, Kevin Krikst, Edward J. Martin

Genre

Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, LGBTQ2S+

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Elevation Pictures

John and the Missus

Director Gordon Pinsent
Year 1987
Run Time 100min
Genre Drama
The residents of a small town in Newfoundland are devastated when the local mine — their close-knit community’s only source of work — is closed. The government wants the workers to relocate, and without many other options to choose from, most accept the settlement they’re offered and prepare to move.

But one obstinate miner (Pinsent) refuses to accept this fate — or the meagre government payout — and with the support of his “Missus” (Burroughs), decides to dig in his heels and stay behind in a seemingly futile attempt to save his town… and his home.

Unfolding slowly with deep affection for life in this remote town, John and the Missus is a true Canadian classic and features a tour-de-force performance from Pinsent, who won a Genie Award for the role.

Director

Gordon Pinsent

Writer

Gordon Pinsent

Cast

Gordon Pinsent, Jackie Burroughs, Roland Hewgill

Producers

Jonathon M.B. Hunter, Peter O'Brian

Genre

Drama

Interest

Classics

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Cinema Group

You Are Here: A Come From Away Story

Director Moze Mossanen
Year 2018
Run Time 83min
Genre Documentary

What would you do if 6,600 people unexpectedly landed in your small town with no place to stay? For the 11,000 people of Gander, Newfoundland, this incredible event happened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, when nearly 40 planes are rerouted and grounded there.

This documentary shows how this town in Newfoundland came together to feed, shelter and support all of the stranded airline passengers for 6 days.

With interviews from a selection of airline passengers and residents of the town, this emotional and inspirational documentary tells the incredible true story that inspired the smash-hit musical Come From Away.

Director

Moze Mossanen

Moze Mossanen is a director, writer and producer who has created a body of popular and critically acclaimed work that have included a unique blend of drama, documentary, music and performance. These films include Dance for Modern Times, Year of the Lion, Roxana, and Nureyev. His 2013 doc, Unsung, won the Canadian Screen Award in 2015. His most recent feature doc, You Are Here: A Come From Away Story, was released on HBO Canada in September 2018 and won two CSA Awards including Best Documentary in March 2019. The film was also released in over 800 theatres across the United States in September 2019.  

Writer

Moze Mossanen

Producer

Peter Gentile

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, ESL, History

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Bell Media

The Boys of St. Vincent

Director John N. Smith
Year 1992
Run Time 186min
Genre Drama
This hard-hitting miniseries was based on real events that took place at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in Canada’s largest sexual abuse scandal.

At the heart of this powerful film is a remarkable performance by Henry Czerny as Brother Peter Lavin, who transformed his own difficult childhood into a cycle of abuse and pain for others in his charge. Director John N. Smith grapples with this difficult subject with remarkable sensitivity and honesty, turning a dark chapter in Canada’s history into a thoughtful and affecting docudrama.

Director

John N. Smith

Smith’s credits include award-winning TV docudramas such as The Boys of St. Vincent, Dieppe and Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, as well as numerous feature films, including Dangerous Minds, A Cool Dry Place, Geraldine’s Fortune and Love & Savagery among others. Sitting in Limbo won the Best Canadian Feature Film award at TIFF 1986.

Writers

Sam Grana, John N. Smith, Des Walsh

Cast

Henry Czerny, Johnny Morina, Brian Dooley

Producers

Claudio Luca, Sam Grana

Genre

Drama

Interests

Classics, History, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

English

Language Version

EN CC

Canadian Distributor

eOne

Crackie

Director Sherry White
Year 2009
Run Time 94min
Genre Drama

Life on the Rock has never been easy, but for teen Mitsy (Greeley) it is especially tough. Her goal of becoming a hairdresser seems like nothing more than a daydream, and she is desperate for deeper emotional connections with her absentee mother and the grandmother (Walsh) who raised her. When life gets difficult, Mitsy escapes into a loving relationship with Sparky, the adorable “crackie” mutt that she tries her best to love and cherish on her own.


Crackie is an inspiring and wryly funny coming-of-age drama about a young woman struggling to come to terms with her past and carve out a better future.

Director

Sherry White

Writer

Sherry White

Cast

Mary Walsh, Meghan Greeley, Cheryl Wells, Joel Thomas Hynes

Producers

Sherry White, Jennice Ripley, Rhonda Buckley

Genre

Drama

Interest

Female Filmmaker

Original Language

English

Canadian Distributor

Shoreline Entertainment

The Grand Seduction

Director Don McKellar
Year 2013
Run Time 113min
Genre Comedy, Drama
A funny and fresh English-language adaptation of the 2003 Quebecois comedy La grande séduction, this film tells the tale of a small fishing village in Newfoundland that must secure a new doctor in order to keep the community alive.

When city doctor Paul Lewis (Kitsch) arrives for a court-ordered trial residence, the townsfolk rally to charm and hoodwink him into staying. Under the guidance of an unemployed fisherman (Gleeson), they go to hilarious lengths to fabricate all the amenities of the big city and make it seem as though their sleepy town has everything Dr. Lewis could possibly want. Will the good doc fall for their tricks, or will he see through them to the truth about small town life?

Director

Don McKellar

McKellar is a prolific filmmaker and actor whose work has garnered numerous awards. He wrote Highway 61, The Red Violin and Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, and wrote, directed and starred in Last Night (which won the Prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes film festival), and Childstar, and has directed several other films. He recently starred in Meditation Park, Crimes of the Future, and directed Sensitive Skin. Currently, he is writing episodes for Park Chan-wook’s The Sympathizer, which he is also executive producing.

Writers

Michael Dowse, Ken Scott

Cast

Taylor Kitsch, Brendan Gleeson, Gordon Pinsent, Liane Balaban

Producers

Barbara Doran, Roger Frappier

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Interest

ESL

Original Language

English

Language Versions

EN CC, FR Dub, FR Subtitles

Canadian Distributor

eOne