Thom Fitzgerald
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Thom" Fitzgerald (born July 8, 1968) is an award winning American
-Canadian
film director as well live theater director.
. His parents divorced when he was five years old. He moved with his mother and brother, Timothy Jr., to Bergenfield, New Jersey
, where he was raised and graduated Bergenfield High School
. While pursuing his university degree in Manhattan at the Cooper Union
for the Advancement of Science and Art, he spent a semester as an exchange student at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and permanently moved to Halifax
after completing his studies.
Fitzgerald continues to reside in Nova Scotia. He has described himself as a "struggling Catholic
".
, in 1997 starring Troy Veinotte, Chris Leavins
and Kerry Fox
. That film won several Genie Award
s, including acting nods for Peter MacNeill
and Seana McKenna
, and a screenplay trophy for Fitzgerald. It also garnered Fitzgerald the Claude Jutra Award
for best feature film by a first-time director, the FIPRESCI European Critics Prize, Best Canadian Film Prize at the Atlantic Film Festival, Best Canadian Film at the Vancouver Film Festival, Best Screenplay at the Mar del Plata Festival, and a number of other high-profile awards. The film made its U.S. debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
, was the muscle magazine docu-comedy Beefcake
(1999). The story of fitness photographer Bob Mizer (played by Daniel MacIvor
) and the wave of fitness magazines in the 1950s, it was commissioned for television by Channel 4
in the UK and Arte
in France
and Germany
. But the movie was too racy for North American television in 1999, and was released theatrically by Strand Releasing
instead. The film debuted at Sundance
and garnered four Genie Award
nominations. Jonathan Torrens
won the Best Supporting Actor Award from ACTRA
, the Canadian equivalent of SAG. Beefcake
enjoys a long-running cult status on DVD.
(2001) was a Halloween special for the USA Network
starring Tim Curry
, Victoria Sanchez
, Lesley Ann Warren
, Darlene Cates
, Grace Jones
, Shelby Fenner and Shawn Ashmore
. Penned by acclaimed novelist Lori Lansens
, the story spins the werewolf genre in reverse, as cosmetic treatments render a furry side-show performer (Sanchez) progressively more psychotic.
(2002) is a digital video-shot ensemble drama set in contemporary Bucharest
. The stories involve a reluctant dogcatcher (Mihai Calota), a diplomat with prostate cancer (David Hayman
), and a touring pornographer (played by Thom Fitzgerald). Rachel Blanchard
and Alberta Watson
co-star. The Wild Dogs debuted at the Toronto Film Festival. Along with three Genie nominations including Best Supporting Actor for Hayman, The Wild Dogs won the Best Canadian Film Award at the Atlantic Film Festival
and the Emerging Master Award at the Seattle International Film Festival
.
(2003), tells the story of Matt, a New Yorker with AIDS
(Don McKellar
) who has died mysteriously. Parker Posey
plays an attorney who takes her investigation personally, pushing his family (Olympia Dukakis
, Sarah Polley
, Dick Latessa
) and friends (Brent Carver
, Rejean Cournoyer
, Jane Leeves
) into stark confessions about the reality of Matt's demise. The low-budget film debuted at Sundance Film Festival
, opening to praise. It received numerous awards, including the Siegessäule Reader's Award, the Teddy Award
at the Berlin International Film Festival
, an ACTRA Supporting Actor Award for Rejean Cournoyer, the Outfest Jury Prize for Best Actress for Dukakis, a Best Supporting Actress Genie nomination for Dukakis, and Atlantic Film Festival Awards for Fitzgerald, writers Tim Marback and Steven Hillyer, and veteran actress Joan Orenstein
.
(2005) tells three short stories about the global HIV
pandemic. In the first, Lucy Liu
stars as a Chinese blood smuggler who unleashes havoc on a farmer's family. In the second story, a second rate porn actor in Montreal (Shawn Ashmore
), hides his HIV status from his mother (Stockard Channing
). In the third story, three Christian missionaries (Chloë Sevigny
, Olympia Dukakis
and Sandra Oh
) barter with a South African plantation owner (Ian Roberts
) to help a family of orphans. The film has won awards for cinematographer Tom Harting as well as Fitzgerald's Direction at the Atlantic Film Festival, and garnered Fitzgerald a Director's Guild nomination for Best Direction of a Feature Film. The director received promotional support from the United Nations
' Global Media AIDS initiative, and the film was released on December 1 (World AIDS Day
), 2006, in selected theaters and on Showtime Network.
debuted in Halifax at Plutonium Playhouse. Critics called the play "a knock-out" and "the best thing to happen to the Halifax theatre scene in a decade" Cloudburst won the 2011 Merritt Award for Best New Play. Fitzgerald shot a film version of Cloudburst in 2011 starring Olympia Dukakis
, Brenda Fricker
and Ryan Doucette. The film debuted at the 2011 Atlantic Film Festival
and won an Atlantic Canada Award for Best Screenplay and the People's Choice Audience Award for Best Film of the Festival. It also won the Audience Award for Best Film at Cinéfest
Sudbury International Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Canadian Indie Film at Edmonton International Film Festival
, Top Ten Canadian Film at Vancouver International Film Festival
, and Best Film at Image+Nation Montreal Film Festival.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
film director as well live theater director.
Life
Fitzgerald was born and raised in New Rochelle, New YorkNew Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
. His parents divorced when he was five years old. He moved with his mother and brother, Timothy Jr., to Bergenfield, New Jersey
Bergenfield, New Jersey
Bergenfield is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,764.Bergenfield was formed on the basis of a referendum held on June 25, 1894, from portions of Englewood Township and Palisades Township at the height of the...
, where he was raised and graduated Bergenfield High School
Bergenfield High School
Bergenfield High School is a four-year, comprehensive public high school serving students from Bergenfield, in Bergen County, New Jersey, operating as part of the Bergenfield Public Schools...
. While pursuing his university degree in Manhattan at the Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
for the Advancement of Science and Art, he spent a semester as an exchange student at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and permanently moved to Halifax
Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Regional Municipality had a 2006 census population of 372,679, while the metropolitan area had a 2010 estimated population of 403,188, and the urban area of Halifax had a population of 282,924...
after completing his studies.
Fitzgerald continues to reside in Nova Scotia. He has described himself as a "struggling Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
".
The Hanging Garden
In Canada, he worked extensively as a trio with performance artists Renee Penney and Michael Weir for several years, before he launched his career in film, releasing his debut feature, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden
The Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes....
, in 1997 starring Troy Veinotte, Chris Leavins
Chris Leavins
Chris Leavins is a Canadian actor and writer based in Los Angeles, USA. He has appeared in a number of successful Canadian television shows and been nominated for two Gemini Awards...
and Kerry Fox
Kerry Fox
Kerry Fox is a New Zealand actress. She came to prominence playing author Janet Frame in the movie An Angel at My Table directed by Jane Campion, which gained her a Best Actress Award from the New Zealand Film and Television Awards....
. That film won several Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
s, including acting nods for Peter MacNeill
Peter MacNeill
Peter MacNeill is a Canadian film and television actor who has starred in several TV shows and movies.His film credits have included The Hanging Garden , Geraldine's Fortune, Giant Mine, Lives of Girls and Women, The Events Leading Up to My Death, Dog Park, Something Beneath and A...
and Seana McKenna
Seana McKenna
Seana McKenna is a Canadian actress primarily associated with stage roles at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.-Background:Seana Mckenna was raised in Etobicoke, west of Toronto, Ontario...
, and a screenplay trophy for Fitzgerald. It also garnered Fitzgerald the Claude Jutra Award
Claude Jutra Award
The Claude Jutra Award is a special Canadian film award, presented at the annual Genie Award ceremony to the year's best feature film by a first-time film director...
for best feature film by a first-time director, the FIPRESCI European Critics Prize, Best Canadian Film Prize at the Atlantic Film Festival, Best Canadian Film at the Vancouver Film Festival, Best Screenplay at the Mar del Plata Festival, and a number of other high-profile awards. The film made its U.S. debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
Beefcake
His second project, which was actually in progress prior to The Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden
The Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes....
, was the muscle magazine docu-comedy Beefcake
Beefcake (film)
Beefcake is a docu-drama homage to the muscle magazines of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s—in particular, Physique Pictorial magazine, published by Bob Mizer of the Athletic Model Guild. It was inspired by a picture book by F...
(1999). The story of fitness photographer Bob Mizer (played by Daniel MacIvor
Daniel MacIvor
Daniel MacIvor is a Canadian actor, playwright, theatre director and film director. He was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia and educated at Dalhousie University in Halifax, and then at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario....
) and the wave of fitness magazines in the 1950s, it was commissioned for television by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the UK and Arte
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. But the movie was too racy for North American television in 1999, and was released theatrically by Strand Releasing
Strand Releasing
Strand Releasing is a theatrical distribution company founded in 1989 and is based in Culver City, California. The company has distributed over 300 auteur driven titles from acclaimed international and American directors such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Gregg Araki, Francois Ozon, Jean Luc...
instead. The film debuted at Sundance
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and garnered four Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
nominations. Jonathan Torrens
Jonathan Torrens
Jonathan Ormond Torrens is a Canadian actor and television personality best known for his co-hosting of Street Cents, his talk show Jonovision, and his role as "J-Roc" in the popular Canadian mockumentary Trailer Park Boys...
won the Best Supporting Actor Award from ACTRA
ACTRA
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists is a Canadian labour union representing performers in English-language media. It has 22,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media....
, the Canadian equivalent of SAG. Beefcake
Beefcake (film)
Beefcake is a docu-drama homage to the muscle magazines of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s—in particular, Physique Pictorial magazine, published by Bob Mizer of the Athletic Model Guild. It was inspired by a picture book by F...
enjoys a long-running cult status on DVD.
Wolf Girl
Wolf GirlWolf Girl
Wolf Girl is a 2001 Canadian/American horror thriller about a girl who travels with a freak show because of her rare genetic disorder, hypertrichosis.-Plot:...
(2001) was a Halloween special for the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
starring Tim Curry
Tim Curry
Timothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
, Victoria Sanchez
Victoria Sanchez
Victoria Sanchez is a Canadian actress. She is well known for her role as Grace Vasquez on the Canadian series Student Bodies, which aired from 1997 to 1999. She left the cast in the second season...
, Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren is an American actress and singer. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Emmy Awards and five times for Golden Globe, winning one....
, Darlene Cates
Darlene Cates
-Background:Rita Darlene Guthrie was born in Borger, Texas to Dorothy Ann and Truman Madison Guthrie. She made her feature film debut in Lasse Hallström's What's Eating Gilbert Grape, alongside Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio, in which she played the title character's housebound...
, Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
, Shelby Fenner and Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore is a Canadian film and television actor, perhaps best known for his role as Jake in the Animorphs television series and Iceman in the X-Men films. He is the twin brother of actor Aaron Ashmore.-Early life:...
. Penned by acclaimed novelist Lori Lansens
Lori Lansens
Lori Lansens is a bestselling, internationally acclaimed novelist. Her first three books - "Rush Home Road", "The Girls", and "The Wife's Tale", have won acclaim throughout the world, and been translated into dozens of languages....
, the story spins the werewolf genre in reverse, as cosmetic treatments render a furry side-show performer (Sanchez) progressively more psychotic.
The Wild Dogs
The Wild DogsThe Wild Dogs
- Plot :Set in the city of Bucharest, Romania, the action is confined to a week in the life of the various characters. Alberta Watson plays the bored wife of a diplomat. Director and screenwriter Thom Fitzgerald plays a Canadian pornographer...
(2002) is a digital video-shot ensemble drama set in contemporary Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. The stories involve a reluctant dogcatcher (Mihai Calota), a diplomat with prostate cancer (David Hayman
David Hayman
David Hayman is a Scottish film and television actor and director, best known for his role as DCS Mike Walker in ITV drama Trial and Retribution. He also a prominent supporter of the SNP's call for Scottish independence....
), and a touring pornographer (played by Thom Fitzgerald). Rachel Blanchard
Rachel Blanchard
Rachel Elise Blanchard is a Canadian actress.-Early life:Blanchard was born in Toronto, Ontario, and graduated from Havergal College in Toronto, going on to Queen's University.-Career:...
and Alberta Watson
Alberta Watson
Faith Susan Alberta Watson , known professionally as Alberta Watson, is a Canadian movie and television series actress.-Early life:...
co-star. The Wild Dogs debuted at the Toronto Film Festival. Along with three Genie nominations including Best Supporting Actor for Hayman, The Wild Dogs won the Best Canadian Film Award at the Atlantic Film Festival
Atlantic Film Festival
The Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
and the Emerging Master Award at the Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
.
The Event
The EventThe Event (film)
The Event is a 2003 drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. It tells the story of Matt Shapiro who has died in Manhattan, resulting in an aborted 9-1-1 call...
(2003), tells the story of Matt, a New Yorker with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
(Don McKellar
Don McKellar
-Personal life:McKellar was born in Toronto, Ontario to a lawyer father and teacher mother. He attended Glenview Senior Public School, Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute and later studied English at the University of Toronto's Victoria College...
) who has died mysteriously. Parker Posey
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
plays an attorney who takes her investigation personally, pushing his family (Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
, Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley is a Canadian actress, singer, film director, and screenwriter. Polley first attained notice in her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series, Road to Avonlea...
, Dick Latessa
Dick Latessa
Richard Robert "Dick" Latessa is an American actor.Latessa was born in Cleveland, Ohio to a mother who was an automotive upholstery maker. Latessa made his Broadway debut in The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N in 1968...
) and friends (Brent Carver
Brent Carver
Brent Carver is a Canadian actor.Carver is known for a variety of stage and film roles, including The Wars, Kronborg: 1582, Lilies, Larry's Party, Elizabeth Rex, Millennium, Shadow Dancing, and Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love...
, Rejean Cournoyer
Rejean Cournoyer
Réjean Cournoyer is a Canadian actor and singer, and was raised in a bilingual, Mormon home. After graduating from Mount Saint Vincent University with a degree in public relations, and leaving Mormonism, he began working at the Charlottetown Festival, then made his way to Toronto in 1995 to...
, Jane Leeves
Jane Leeves
Jane Leeves is an English film, stage, and television actress, comedienne and dancer.Leeves made her screen debut with a small role in the 1983 popular British comedy television show The Benny Hill Show. Leeves moved to the United States, where she performed in small roles until she secured a...
) into stark confessions about the reality of Matt's demise. The low-budget film debuted at Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, opening to praise. It received numerous awards, including the Siegessäule Reader's Award, the Teddy Award
Teddy Award
The Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival . Here, an "independent jury" implies that its members are not officially selected by the committee of the Berlinale...
at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, an ACTRA Supporting Actor Award for Rejean Cournoyer, the Outfest Jury Prize for Best Actress for Dukakis, a Best Supporting Actress Genie nomination for Dukakis, and Atlantic Film Festival Awards for Fitzgerald, writers Tim Marback and Steven Hillyer, and veteran actress Joan Orenstein
Joan Orenstein
Joan Orenstein was a British-born Canadian actress, primarily on stage, although she performed in other media...
.
3 Needles
3 Needles3 Needles
3 Needles is a 2005 Canadian drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. The title, refers to the three main characters who make a deal with the Devil in order to survive a global epidemic...
(2005) tells three short stories about the global HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
pandemic. In the first, Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
stars as a Chinese blood smuggler who unleashes havoc on a farmer's family. In the second story, a second rate porn actor in Montreal (Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore is a Canadian film and television actor, perhaps best known for his role as Jake in the Animorphs television series and Iceman in the X-Men films. He is the twin brother of actor Aaron Ashmore.-Early life:...
), hides his HIV status from his mother (Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing is an American stage, film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing; for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease; and for her role as Ouisa Kittredge in the play Six Degrees of Separation and its...
). In the third story, three Christian missionaries (Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Stevens Sevigny is an American film actress, fashion designer and former model. Sevigny gained reputation for her eclectic fashion sense and developed a broad career in the fashion industry in the mid 1990s, both for modeling and for her work at New York's Sassy magazine, which labeled her...
, Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
and Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh is a Canadian actress. She is best known for the role of Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, for which she has won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award. She also played notable roles in the feature films Under the Tuscan Sun and Sideways, and had a supporting role on the...
) barter with a South African plantation owner (Ian Roberts
Ian Roberts (South African actor)
Ian Roberts is a South African actor, playwright and singer. A native English speaker, he is also fluent in Afrikaans and Xhosa.-Early life:...
) to help a family of orphans. The film has won awards for cinematographer Tom Harting as well as Fitzgerald's Direction at the Atlantic Film Festival, and garnered Fitzgerald a Director's Guild nomination for Best Direction of a Feature Film. The director received promotional support from the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
' Global Media AIDS initiative, and the film was released on December 1 (World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
), 2006, in selected theaters and on Showtime Network.
Cloudburst
In 2010 Fitzgerald's first full-length play CloudburstCloudburst (2011 film)
Cloudburst is a film by Canadian writer and director Thom Fitzgerald, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 16, 2011...
debuted in Halifax at Plutonium Playhouse. Critics called the play "a knock-out" and "the best thing to happen to the Halifax theatre scene in a decade" Cloudburst won the 2011 Merritt Award for Best New Play. Fitzgerald shot a film version of Cloudburst in 2011 starring Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
, Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker is an Irish actress of theatre, film and television. She had appeared in more than 30 films and television roles...
and Ryan Doucette. The film debuted at the 2011 Atlantic Film Festival
Atlantic Film Festival
The Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
and won an Atlantic Canada Award for Best Screenplay and the People's Choice Audience Award for Best Film of the Festival. It also won the Audience Award for Best Film at Cinéfest
Cinéfest
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, also known as Cinéfest is an annual film festival in Sudbury, Ontario. It is the fourth largest film festival in Canada....
Sudbury International Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Canadian Indie Film at Edmonton International Film Festival
Edmonton International Film Festival
The Edmonton International Film Festival is a nine-day film festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, hosted at Empire Theatres at Edmonton City Centre....
, Top Ten Canadian Film at Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
The Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
, and Best Film at Image+Nation Montreal Film Festival.
Filmography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1997 | The Hanging Garden The Hanging Garden The Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... |
| 1999 | Beefcake Beefcake (film) Beefcake is a docu-drama homage to the muscle magazines of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s—in particular, Physique Pictorial magazine, published by Bob Mizer of the Athletic Model Guild. It was inspired by a picture book by F... |
| 2001 | Wolf Girl Wolf Girl Wolf Girl is a 2001 Canadian/American horror thriller about a girl who travels with a freak show because of her rare genetic disorder, hypertrichosis.-Plot:... |
| 2002 | The Wild Dogs The Wild Dogs - Plot :Set in the city of Bucharest, Romania, the action is confined to a week in the life of the various characters. Alberta Watson plays the bored wife of a diplomat. Director and screenwriter Thom Fitzgerald plays a Canadian pornographer... |
| 2003 | The Event The Event (film) The Event is a 2003 drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. It tells the story of Matt Shapiro who has died in Manhattan, resulting in an aborted 9-1-1 call... |
| 2004 | "The Young Astronomer" |
| 2005 | 3 Needles 3 Needles 3 Needles is a 2005 Canadian drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. The title, refers to the three main characters who make a deal with the Devil in order to survive a global epidemic... |
| 2010 | The Gospel According to the Blues The Gospel According to the Blues The Gospel According to the Blues is a television drama. It originally aired on Vision TV in Canada. It is based on on the stage play Gideon's Blues by George Elroy Boyd and adapted for screen by Thom Fitzgerald... (TV) |
| 2011 | Cloudburst Cloudburst (2011 film) Cloudburst is a film by Canadian writer and director Thom Fitzgerald, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 16, 2011... |
Quotes
- "I'm not at a fork in the road, I'm at an eggbeater in the road."
- "I see comedy everywhere, that's how I live day to day. I try to laugh and see the ironies and hopefulness in life. Even in the saddest things. They're one and the same, in their extremes. If you've ever seen someone truly happy, ecstatically happy, it is indistinguishable from grief."
Awards
- Academy of Television Arts and SciencesAcademy of Television Arts and SciencesThe Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946, just one month after network television was born. It is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry...
, Ribbon of Hope Award, 3 Needles3 Needles3 Needles is a 2005 Canadian drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. The title, refers to the three main characters who make a deal with the Devil in order to survive a global epidemic... - ACCTV Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Screenplay, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - ACCTV Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(nom) - T. Fitzgerald, L. Garfield, A. Gelbart, Best Picture, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - ACCTV Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(nom) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Achievement in Direction, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Goldstar Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Most Promising Filmmaker, The Movie of the Week - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Editing The Movie of the Week - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Special Effects, The Movie of the Week - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Audience Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Film, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Canadian Film, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Direction The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Best Atlantic Film Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Direction, The Wild DogsThe Wild Dogs- Plot :Set in the city of Bucharest, Romania, the action is confined to a week in the life of the various characters. Alberta Watson plays the bored wife of a diplomat. Director and screenwriter Thom Fitzgerald plays a Canadian pornographer... - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Canadian Film, The Wild DogsThe Wild Dogs- Plot :Set in the city of Bucharest, Romania, the action is confined to a week in the life of the various characters. Alberta Watson plays the bored wife of a diplomat. Director and screenwriter Thom Fitzgerald plays a Canadian pornographer... - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Direction, The EventThe Event (film)The Event is a 2003 drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. It tells the story of Matt Shapiro who has died in Manhattan, resulting in an aborted 9-1-1 call... - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Screenplay, The EventThe Event (film)The Event is a 2003 drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. It tells the story of Matt Shapiro who has died in Manhattan, resulting in an aborted 9-1-1 call...
' - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Direction, 3 Needles3 Needles3 Needles is a 2005 Canadian drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. The title, refers to the three main characters who make a deal with the Devil in order to survive a global epidemic... - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Screenplay, CloudburstCloudburst (2011 film)Cloudburst is a film by Canadian writer and director Thom Fitzgerald, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 16, 2011... - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Audience Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Film, CloudburstCloudburst (2011 film)Cloudburst is a film by Canadian writer and director Thom Fitzgerald, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 16, 2011... - Atlantic Fringe FestivalAtlantic Fringe FestivalThe Atlantic Fringe Festival is held annually inlate August / early September in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since 1991, the festival has been a showcase for non-mainstreamtheatre...
, Fringe Hit! Award, Charlatan Theatre Collective, "Bed and (maybe) Breakfast" - Atlantic Fringe FestivalAtlantic Fringe FestivalThe Atlantic Fringe Festival is held annually inlate August / early September in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since 1991, the festival has been a showcase for non-mainstreamtheatre...
, Fringe Hit! Hot Ticket Award, Plutonium Playhouse, "The Barnacle's Tale" - Atlantic Fringe FestivalAtlantic Fringe FestivalThe Atlantic Fringe Festival is held annually inlate August / early September in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since 1991, the festival has been a showcase for non-mainstreamtheatre...
, Jury Award for Fringiest Fringe Show, Plutonium Playhouse, "The Barnacle's Tale" - Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalThe Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, Reader Jury of the "Siegessäule" Award, Thom Fitzgerald, The EventThe Event (film)The Event is a 2003 drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. It tells the story of Matt Shapiro who has died in Manhattan, resulting in an aborted 9-1-1 call... - CinéfestCinéfestCinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, also known as Cinéfest is an annual film festival in Sudbury, Ontario. It is the fourth largest film festival in Canada....
Sudbury International Film Festival, Audience Choice Award for Best Film (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, CloudburstCloudburst (2011 film)Cloudburst is a film by Canadian writer and director Thom Fitzgerald, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 16, 2011... - Claude Jutra AwardClaude Jutra AwardThe Claude Jutra Award is a special Canadian film award, presented at the annual Genie Award ceremony to the year's best feature film by a first-time film director...
- Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Directors Guild of CanadaDirectors Guild of CanadaThe Directors Guild of Canada is a Canadian labour union, founded in 1962, which represents more than 3,700 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. The DGC represents directors, assistant directors, location managers, production assistants and...
Award (nom) - Thom Fitzgerald, Outstanding Direction Feature, 3 Needles3 Needles3 Needles is a 2005 Canadian drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. The title, refers to the three main characters who make a deal with the Devil in order to survive a global epidemic... - Edmonton International Film FestivalEdmonton International Film FestivalThe Edmonton International Film Festival is a nine-day film festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, hosted at Empire Theatres at Edmonton City Centre....
, Audience Choice Award for Best Canadian Film (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, CloudburstCloudburst (2011 film)Cloudburst is a film by Canadian writer and director Thom Fitzgerald, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 16, 2011... - Golden Trailer AwardsGolden Trailer AwardsThe Golden Trailer Awards is an annual awards show that honors achievements in motion picture marketing, including film trailers, posters and television advertisements.- Overview :...
(nom) - Golden Trailer, Best Independent, The EventThe Event (film)The Event is a 2003 drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. It tells the story of Matt Shapiro who has died in Manhattan, resulting in an aborted 9-1-1 call... - GLAAD Media AwardsGLAAD Media AwardsThe GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
(nom) - Outstanding Film (Limited Release), The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Image+Nation Montreal GLBT Film Festival - Best Feature Film Award, Thom Fitzgerald, CloudburstCloudburst (2011 film)Cloudburst is a film by Canadian writer and director Thom Fitzgerald, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 16, 2011...
- Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival - Audience Award, Best Overall Film, Thom Fitzgerald, The EventThe Event (film)The Event is a 2003 drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. It tells the story of Matt Shapiro who has died in Manhattan, resulting in an aborted 9-1-1 call...
- Mar del Plata Film FestivalMar del Plata Film FestivalThe Mar del Plata International Film Festival is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina...
Best Screenplay - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - New York AIDS Film Festival, Bertha Meka's Award, 3 Needles3 Needles3 Needles is a 2005 Canadian drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. The title, refers to the three main characters who make a deal with the Devil in order to survive a global epidemic...
- Portia WhitePortia WhitePortia May White , was a singer who achieved international fame because of her voice and stage presence. As a Black Canadian, her popularity helped to open previously closed doors for talented blacks who followed....
Award Shortlist, 2011 - Robert Merritt Award for Best New Play - Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
- Robert Merritt Award (nom) for Outstanding Production - Plutonium Playhouse, Cloudburst
- Robert Merritt Award (nom) for Outstanding Set Design - Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
- Seattle International Film FestivalSeattle International Film FestivalThe Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
Emerging Master Showcase Award - The EventThe Event (film)The Event is a 2003 drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. It tells the story of Matt Shapiro who has died in Manhattan, resulting in an aborted 9-1-1 call...
and The Wild DogsThe Wild Dogs- Plot :Set in the city of Bucharest, Romania, the action is confined to a week in the life of the various characters. Alberta Watson plays the bored wife of a diplomat. Director and screenwriter Thom Fitzgerald plays a Canadian pornographer... - Sudbury Cinefest Best Canadian Film Award - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes....
- Taos Talking Picture Festival, Taos Land Grant Award (nom) - Thom Fitzgerald, The Wild DogsThe Wild Dogs- Plot :Set in the city of Bucharest, Romania, the action is confined to a week in the life of the various characters. Alberta Watson plays the bored wife of a diplomat. Director and screenwriter Thom Fitzgerald plays a Canadian pornographer...
- Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
People's Choice Award - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
Best Canadian Feature Film - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Troia International Film Festival, FIPRESCI Prize - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes....
- Troia International Film Festival, Prize of the City of Grandola - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes....
- Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver International Film FestivalThe Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
Most Popular Canadian Film - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver International Film FestivalThe Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
Best Canadian Screenplay - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging GardenThe Hanging GardenThe Hanging Garden is a 1997 British/Canadian movie written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.... - Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver International Film FestivalThe Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
Audience Choice Top Ten Canadian Films - Thom Fitzgerald, CloudburstCloudburst (2011 film)Cloudburst is a film by Canadian writer and director Thom Fitzgerald, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 16, 2011... - Verzaubert - International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival - Rosebud (nom) - Thom Fitzgerald, BeefcakeBeefcake (film)Beefcake is a docu-drama homage to the muscle magazines of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s—in particular, Physique Pictorial magazine, published by Bob Mizer of the Athletic Model Guild. It was inspired by a picture book by F...