Splinters is a 2018 Canadian drama film written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald.[1] An adaptation of the theatrical play by Lee-Anne Poole,[2] the film stars Sofia Banzhaf as Belle, a woman whose relationship with her mother Nancy (Shelley Thompson) has been strained since she came out as lesbian, but who now faces the prospect of coming out all over again as she now identifies as bisexual and is dating Rob (Callum Dunphy).[2]

Splinters
Film poster
Directed byThom Fitzgerald
Written byThom Fitzgerald
Based onSplinters
by Lee-Anne Poole
Produced byThom Fitzgerald
Doug Pettigrew
Starring
CinematographyLuc Montpellier
Edited byThom Fitzgerald
Music byStewart Legere
Production
company
Emotion Pictures
Release date
  • 8 September 2018 (2018-09-08) (TIFF)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The film's cast also includes Mary-Colin Chisholm, Deb Allen, Hugh Thompson, Bailey Maughan and Stewart Legere.

The film premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.[3]

Reviewing the film for the National Post, Chris Knight noted some thematic similarities with Fitzgerald's debut film The Hanging Garden, and concluded that the film "may try to cram one too many revelations into its brief, 87-minute runtime. And it doesn’t always transcend its stagey origins. But it’s a beautiful homegrown tale, and deserves all the recognition it can muster in these times."[4]

Awards and honors

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  • ACTRA Award, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Female Role, Shelley Thompson
  • ACTRA Award, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Male Role, Bailey Maughan
  • ACTRA Award nomination, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Male Role, Callum Dunphy[5]
  • Atlantic Film Festival Joan Orenstein Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress, Shelley Thompson
  • Screen Nova Scotia Award, Best Feature Film

References

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  1. ^ Peter Knegt, "Coming home-o: Thom Fitzgerald returns to queer rural Nova Scotia with TIFF must-see Splinters". CBC Arts, September 5, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Lee-Anne Poole Splinters off". The Coast, July 7, 2010.
  3. ^ "TIFF 2018: Rob Stewart, Denys Arcand, Jennifer Baichwal films among Canadian titles". Now, August 1, 2018.
  4. ^ Chris Knight, "Strong characters enliven a Nova Scotia story of love, loss and family". National Post, October 2, 2020.
  5. ^ David, Greg (15 April 2019). "Screen Nova Scotia Announces 2019 Award Nominees". TV, eh?. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
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