Thom Fitzgerald - Misplaced Pages

American film director

Thom Fitzgerald

Born	Thomas Fitzgerald (1968-07-08) July 8, 1968 (age 56) New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Film director, film producer, screenwriter, playwright
Years active	1997–present

Thomas "Thom" Fitzgerald (born July 8, 1968) is an American-Canadian film and theatre director, screenwriter, playwright and producer.

Life

Fitzgerald was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York. 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 from 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".

Career

In Canada, Fitzgerald worked extensively as a trio with performance artists Renee Penney and Michael Weir for several years as the Charlatan Theatre Collective.

The Hanging Garden

Main article: The Hanging Garden (film)

He launched his career in film, releasing his debut feature The Hanging Garden in 1997. It starred Troy Veinotte, Chris Leavins and Kerry Fox. That film won several Genie Awards, including acting awards for Peter MacNeill and Seana McKenna, and a screenplay award 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 awards. The film made its U.S. debut at the Sundance Film Festival.

Beefcake

Main article: Beefcake (film)

His second project, which was in progress before The Hanging Garden, 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. However, the movie was too racy for North American television in 1999, and instead was released theatrically by Strand Releasing. 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.

Wolf Girl

Main article: Wolf Girl (2001 film)

Wolf Girl (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 novelist Lori Lansens, the story spins the werewolf genre in reverse, as cosmetic treatments render a furry side-show performer (Sanchez) progressively more psychotic.

The Wild Dogs

Main article: The Wild Dogs

The Wild Dogs (2002) is a digitally 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.

The Event

Main article: The Event (2003 film)

The Event (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. Thom appeared in the film as Vagimar Director. 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 actress Joan Orenstein.

3 Needles

Main article: 3 Needles

3 Needles (2005) tells three short stories about the global HIV pandemic. In the first, Lucy Liu stars as a 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 it 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.

Cloudburst

Main article: Cloudburst (2011 film)

In 2010, Fitzgerald's first full-length play Cloudburst 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. It won a Best Canadian Film Award at Victoria Film Festival. It won a Grand Jury Prize at the Atlanta Film Festival. Cloudburst won film festival prizes worldwide, including audience awards in Copenhagen, Barcelona, Hannover, Waterloo and other cities.

Splinters

Main article: Splinters (2018 film)

The 2018 film Splinters, an adaptation of the play by Lee-Anne Poole, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Stage Mother

Main article: Stage Mother (2020 film)

Filmography

Year	Film (Director)
1997	The Hanging Garden
1999	Beefcake
2001	Wolf Girl
2002	The Wild Dogs
2003	The Event
2005	3 Needles
2011	Cloudburst
2018	Splinters
2020	Stage Mother

Year	Television
2010	The Gospel According to the Blues
2013	Forgive Me
2013	Sex & Violence
2021	Cam Boy
2022	Sugar Highs

Year	Film (Producer/Executive Producer)
2008	Growing Op
2012	Blackbird
2015	North Mountain
2021	Shush
2024	To the Moon

Quotes

"Writing and directing is simply about recreating 2,000 little moments from life that you observed."
"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 Sciences, Ribbon of Hope Award, 3 Needles
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Genie Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Screenplay, The Hanging Garden
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Genie Award (nom), T. Fitzgerald, L. Garfield, A. Gelbart, Best Picture, The Hanging Garden
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Genie Award (nom), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Achievement in Direction, The Hanging Garden
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Canadian Screen Award (nom), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Writing in a Dramatic Series, Forgive Me
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Canadian Screen Award (nom), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Direction in a Dramatic Series, Sex & Violence
Athens Outview Film Festival, Jury Award, Thom Fitzgerald, Best Film, Cloudburst
Atlanta Film Festival Pink Peach Feature Grand Jury Prize, Cloudburst]]
Atlanta Out on Film Festival Audience Award for Best Overall Feature, Cloudburst
Atlanta Out on Film Jury Award for Best Film, Cloudburst
Atlanta Out on Film Jury Award for Best Actress, Olympia Dukakis
Atlantic Film Festival, Goldstar Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Most Promising Filmmaker, The Movie of the Week
Atlantic Film Festival, Atlantic Canadian Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Editing The Movie of the Week
Atlantic Film Festival, Atlantic Canadian Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Special Effects, The Movie of the Week
Atlantic Film Festival, Audience Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Film, The Hanging Garden
Atlantic Film Festival, Canadian Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Canadian Film, The Hanging Garden
Atlantic Film Festival, Atlantic Canadian Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Direction The Hanging Garden
Atlantic Film Festival, Best Atlantic Film Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
Atlantic Film Festival, Atlantic Canadian Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Direction, The Wild Dogs
Atlantic Film Festival, Canadian Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Canadian Film, The Wild Dogs
Atlantic Film Festival, Atlantic Canadian Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Direction, The Event
Atlantic Film Festival, Atlantic Canadian Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Screenplay, The Event
Atlantic Film Festival, Atlantic Canadian Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Direction, 3 Needles
Atlantic Film Festival, Atlantic Canadian Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Screenplay, Cloudburst
Atlantic Film Festival, Audience Award (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Best Film, Cloudburst
Atlantic Fringe Festival, Fringe Hit! Award, Charlatan Theatre Collective, Bed and (Maybe) Breakfast
Atlantic Fringe Festival, Fringe Hit! Hot Ticket Award, Plutonium Playhouse, The Barnacle's Tale
Atlantic Fringe Festival, Jury Award for Fringiest Fringe Show, Plutonium Playhouse, The Barnacle's Tale
Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Audience Award for Best Film, Cloudburst
Berlin International Film Festival, Reader Jury of the "Siegessäule" Award, Thom Fitzgerald, The Event
Birmingham UK Shout Festival Audience Award for Best Film, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, Audience Choice Award for Best Film (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Claude Jutra Award, Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
CNKY Cincinnati Kentucky BLGT Film Festival Best Feature Film Award, Cloudburst
Copenhagen MIX Copenhagen Film Festival Audience Award for Best Film, Cloudburst
Directors Guild of Canada Award (nom, Thom Fitzgerald, Outstanding Direction Feature, 3 Needles
Edmonton International Film Festival, Audience Choice Award for Best Canadian Film (win), Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Golden Trailer Awards (nom), Golden Trailer, Best Independent, The Event
GLAAD Media Awards (nom), Outstanding Film (Limited Release), The Hanging Garden
Hannover, Germany Queer Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Film, Cloudburst
Image+Nation Montreal GLBT Film Festival, Best Feature Film Award, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival, Audience Award, Best Overall Film, Thom Fitzgerald, The Event
Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Lesbian Film, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Kingston Reelout Film Festival, Audience Award, Best Narrative Feature, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Mar del Plata Film Festival Best Screenplay, Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
Mix Milano Film Festival Grand Jury Award for Best Film, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
New York AIDS Film Festival, Bertha Meka's Award, 3 Needles
New Zealand Out Takes Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Feature, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Audience Award for Best Feature, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Philadelphia QFest Audience Award for Best Feature Film, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Portia White Prize Shortlist, 2011
Portia White Prize, 2012
Rainbow Reels Film Festival People's Choice Award for Best Feature, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
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
Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Film, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
San Diego FilmOut, Audience Award for Best Feature Film, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
San Diego FilmOut, Jury Award for Best Feature Film, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
San Diego FilmOut, Jury Award for Best Direction, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
San Francisco Frameline Festival Audience Award for Best Film, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Seattle International Film Festival Emerging Master Showcase Award, The Event and The Wild Dogs
Screen Nova Scotia Award nomination for Best TV Series, Thom Fitzgerald, Doug Pettigrew, Forgive Me
Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Audience Award for Best Feature, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
St. Louis QFest, Audience Award for Best Film, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Sudbury Cinefest Best Canadian Film Award, Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
Taos Talking Pictures Film Festival, Taos Land Grant Award (nom), Thom Fitzgerald, The Wild Dogs
Toronto International Film Festival, People's Choice Award, Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
Toronto International Film Festival, Best Canadian Feature Film, Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
Troia International Film Festival, FIPRESCI Prize, Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
Troia International Film Festival, Prize of the City of Grandola, Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
Vancouver International Film Festival, Most Popular Canadian Film, Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
Vancouver International Film Festival Best Canadian Screenplay, Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
Vancouver International Film Festival Audience Choice Top Ten Canadian Films, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Verzaubert International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Rosebud (nom), Thom Fitzgerald, Beefcake
Victoria Film Festival, Best Canadian Film, Thom Fitzgerald, Cloudburst
Writers Guild of Canada, award nomination, Thom Fitzgerald, Sex & Violence for the episode "Surface Scars"

References

Thom Fitzgerald Archived 2018-08-03 at the Wayback Machine at the Canadian Film Encyclopedia.
"Thom Fitzgerald Bio". Tribute. Tribute Entertainment Media Group. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
Lucas, Ralph. "Thom Fitzgerald". Canadian Movie Database. Northern Stars. Archived from the original on 2012-11-15. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
"Thom Fitzgerald". Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
Wearring, Myles (2006-11-30). "The Other Side of AIDS". Sydney Star Observer. Archived from the original on September 3, 2007. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
Melnyk, George (2007). Great Canadian Film Directors. University of Alberta Press. pp. 330. ISBN 9780888644794. charlatan theatre collective.
"internet movie database". IMDb. Retrieved 26 Sep 2011.
"The Hanging Garden". Sundance Archives. Sundance Institute. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
"Beefcake". Sundance Archives. Sundance Institute. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
"The Event". Sundance Archives. Sundance Institute. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
"The Event". imdb.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
"Theatre Review: Cloudburst, A Knockout". Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
"Halifax's theatre community throws a Merritt party | Art Attack". Archived from the original on 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
Kuburas, Melita. "Cloudburst rakes in the festival love". Playback Daily. Playback. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
"Cloudburst on Winning Streak". Canadian Movie News. Northern Stars. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
Knegt, Peter (4 October 2011). "Thom Fitzgerald's "Cloudburst" Wins Awards Across Canadian Festival Circuit". Indiewire. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
Hawrysh, Michael. "Cloudburst and acclaimed docs snag prizes at Image + Nation". 2B Online. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
"Behind the Scenes: Victoria". Victoria Film Festival Official Website. Victoria Film Festival. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ "ATLFF Grand Jury Winners". Atlanta Film Festival Official Website. Atlanta Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
"Peoples' Choice Awards". Rainbow Reels Festival Official Website. Rainbow Reels Festival. Archived from the original on 2013-02-17. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ Swedko, Pam (17 November 1997). "The 1997 Genie Awards: Fitzgerald honored with Jutra Award". Playback. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
"F".
Nash, Cara. "Road Trip Romance". Film Ink. Archived from the original on 2012-03-30. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
"Ribbon of Hope Honors HIV/AIDS Awareness Work". Official Website. Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
Wise, Wyndham. "The Hanging Garden". The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Historica Dominion. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
^ "Awards for Thom Fitzgerald". Internet Movie Database. imdb.com. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
"Canadian Screen Awards 2015 Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-24.
"2015 Canadian Screen Awards Television Nominations" (PDF). Official Website Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
^ Eldridge, Richard. "Ron Gant's Good Day Atlanta debut, Cee Lo spotted!, Out on Film winners". Atlanta Magazine. Out on Film. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
"Official Website". Festival Internacional de Cinema Gai i Lesbic de Barcelona. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
Reid, Michael D. "Belgian crime thriller takes top honours at Victoria Film Festival". The Victoria Times Colonist. Canwest Publishing. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
Soares, Andre. "Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival Awards: Elderly Lesbian Lovers on the Run, Interracial Gay Romantic Comedy". Alt Film Guide. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
"Finalists named for Provincial Arts Prizes". Canada Views. Archived from the original on 2016-01-16. Retrieved 23 Oct 2011.
"emerging masters". Official Website. Seattle International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2011-01-06. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
"Screen Nova Scotia announces nominees". The Chronicle Herald. The Chronicle Herald. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
"10TH ANNUAL SOUTHWEST GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS!". Official Website Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Closet Cinema. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
"WGC SCREENWRITING AWARD NOMINEES ANNOUNCED". TV, eh?. Retrieved 3 May 2015.

External links

Thom Fitzgerald at IMDb

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