John Woods
When James Downey returns home to Newfoundland for his mother’s funeral, he is faced with all the haunting family issues he thought he had left behind. He channeled his own inner demons from an abusive father into being a police officer but his cousin Danny’s childhood trauma has exploded into a cycle of drugs, crime and violence. James must confront his tortured past, decide who he really is, and deal with his cousin before it’s too late.
Bill
The story of Ruby, 13, determined to grow up fast after her mother runs away to become a movie star, leaving Ruby with her hopelessly rural father.
Commissioned by the Toronto International Film Festival to mark the event's 25th anniversary in September 2000, the "Preludes" program consisted of ten short films by Canadian directors which were inspired in some way by the festival. Each film screened as a prelude to a feature film in the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival program. The full "Preludes" anthology was screened on the web in November 2000, and was given theatrical retrospectives at the TIFF Lightbox in the subsequent years.
Writer
Faustus is a clerk in the St. Johns, Newfoundland department of education. He dreams of becoming ruler of Newfoundland and staging a secession from Canada. Back in the real world, Faustus' boss Robert Joy plans to indoctrinate the citizenry of Newfoundland with a cultish geometric theory known as Total Education, but Joy may be foiled at any minute by the revelation of his earlier career as a flamenco dancer.
Director
Faustus is a clerk in the St. Johns, Newfoundland department of education. He dreams of becoming ruler of Newfoundland and staging a secession from Canada. Back in the real world, Faustus' boss Robert Joy plans to indoctrinate the citizenry of Newfoundland with a cultish geometric theory known as Total Education, but Joy may be foiled at any minute by the revelation of his earlier career as a flamenco dancer.
