Contact: Director/Producer; Bruce Sweeney Kingsway [email protected] TIFF Publicist; Producer; Tracy Major Press Kit Ingrid Hamilton - GAT PR [email protected], 604-908-0863 [email protected]. 416-731-3034 Synopsis
Kingsway is a romantic comedy about suicide, infidelity, and in-laws.
Jess (42), a single car mechanic who lives with her mother, Marion, suspects her sister in law Lori (33), is having an affair. Her fragile brother Matt (38), a semiotics professor (who doesn’t pick up the signs) has no idea. Lori, an amateur singer, acts innocent but Jess and Marion scrutinize her, check up on her story, and confront her. Under their pressure Lori confesses she’s pregnant and with Matt’s best friend’s (Sean) kid. It blows up. Jess snaps, chokes Lori. Matt, depressed, anxious, attempts suicide. Jess is shaken by Matt’s attempt on his life. She feels betrayed, affronted Matt would do that to her. Making matters worse Marion and Matt both act as if nothing happened. They want to move on. But Jess can’t move on. She’s stuck. It’s as if her world’s been shaken up, and she can’t make sense of it. At Marion’s suggestion, Jess (who’s not a therapy kind of person) sees Matt’s therapist Sara (45). Initially, Jess scolds Sara, blows her off, but she settles down, lets her guard down, and confides to Sara. Listens to Sara. And comes to a new understanding of mental illness and her brother’s actions.
Five months later Lori is back living with her mother Carol. Seven months in to an uneasy pregnancy, Lori rediscovers her feelings for Matt. She attempts a reconciliation. Matt, coming out of a depression, is eager as well. Yet Jess, who now dates co-worker Megan (36), gives Matt bad advice and it goes sideways. Marion does damage control, plots with Carol to get Lori and Matt back together. Matt accuses Jess of meddling. Jess erupts, goes off on Matt, yet this inadvertently ignites him. Finally, Matt shows up unannounced at Lori’s show, and guitar in hand, walks on stage. Lori hauls Matt off, scolds him. Yet Matt throws it back in her face, and in that moment Lori sees he man she first fell for. They finish the show, back together. Director’s Statement
I wanted to make a film about love and suicide. Yet make it accessible, not some heavy thing. I chose the romantic comedy/romantic drama genre for this reason. For me, theme is a big deal, and the theme of Kingsway is about the nature and fragility of familial and intimate relationships. I wanted every scene to refer to this in some way. The story follows the love lives of a contemporary middle class single parent family, the Horvat’s: Marion 65, she wants love but is more focused on keeping the status quo, keeping her family together; Jessica 42, an alpha female, middle aged and stuck, needs to prove her womanhood; Matt 38, a semiotics professor, wants to overcome a deficiency in order to save his marriage. In terms of tone, I wanted a lived experience sense to it. That is, I wanted to concentrate on how suicide attempts affect family members. I wanted a sense that suicide is something any family could go through. I chose a cinematic style that wasn’t showy and focused on the performances. The actors and I workshopped the script and their input and ideas added a layer of authenticity that I couldn’t have achieved by myself.
- Bruce Sweeney Bruce Sweeney (director/producer)
Bruce Sweeney was born in Sarnia, Ontario. He received a B.A. in visual art from SFU and an M. F. A. in film production from UBC. He won best Canadian feature film for Live Bait (TIFF ’95).
His subsequent features include:
● Dirty (Sundance, Berlin; Best Canadian Film VIFF ’98) ● Last Wedding (Opening Night Gala Film TIFF ’01) ● Excited (TIFF ’09) ● Crimes of Mike Recket (TIFF ’12) ● The Dick Knost Show (TIFF ’13) Starring Camille Sullivan as Jessica
Sullivan played Detective Rosati in season 2 of Rookie Blue. Camille was nominated for Canadian Television Gemini Award for her portrayal of Detective Amy Lynch on the series Shattered for Global Television, opposite Callum Keith Rennie. She also garnered a Gemini nomination for her portrayal of Francine Reardon, the volatile cocaine and alcohol addicted ex-wife of a west coast crime boss in the critically acclaimed Intelligence, a television series from DaVinci's Inquest creator Chris Haddock. She played a lead role in Mistresses. Other television credits include three seasons of DaVinci's Inquest, recurring roles on Hellcats, Reunion and Taken.
Past film projects include Carl Bessai’s multiple award winning dramatic feature film, Normal. Camille’s performance in Normal won her a Leo Award for Best Actress in a Feature Length Film. Other starring roles include Mount Pleasant, written and directed by Ross Weber, as well as, Mothers and Daughters and Sisters & Brothers, two improvised films directed by Carl Bessai, for which she earned Leo nominations. Jeff Gladstone as Matt
Jeff Gladstone is from Calgary where he earned BFA in Drama at U of C, and was a member of the world-renowned Improvisation theatre, the Loose Moose Theatre Company. Based in Vancouver, Jeff is best known as a senior mainstage performer with Vancouver TheatreSports, and now with his fourth season at Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival.
His feature film debut was playing John D Rockefeller III in the American indie Drawing Home (MYRA) directed by Markus Rupprecht. Jeff was an actor/producer on Keith Johnstone's The Life Game (CBC Radio), and appears in Stan Douglas’ interactive new media project CIRCA 1948 (NFB). Television roles include The Killing, iZombie, Motive & Second Chance.
Select theatre credits include the premiere of Blanche: The Bittersweet Life of a Wild Prairie Dame (New York Musical Theatre Festival/High Performance Rodeo), the Canadian tour of The Wars (Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse), Back To You: The Life and Music of Lucille Starr (Firehall Arts Centre/PTE), Kill Your Lovers (Fresh Fruit Festival NY, Rhubarb Festival Toronto), Malcolm in Macbeth (directed by Chris Abraham), Queen Dionyza in the Jessie Award winning Pericles (Bard on the Beach). Jeff is one of few registered improv teachers with the International TheatreSports Institute. Gabrielle Rose as Marion
Gabrielle Rose is an accomplished Canadian actress. She has an extensive resume that include multiple nominations for Genie Awards and Gemini Awards. She has worked with director Atom Egoyan on many films including Where the Truth Lies, The Sweet Hereafter, Speaking Parts, Family Viewing and The Adjuster and director Bruce Sweeney on the film Excited, for which she won the Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama. Other appearances include the films In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, The Five Senses and On the Other Hand, Death and recurring roles in such TV shows as Rising Damp, Dark Angel and Robson Arms. She has also done voice work for the Heritage Minute segment about the Terrace massacre. Agam Darshi as Megan
Born in England and raised all over Canada, Agam Darshi is an award winning actor, writer and filmmaker currently splitting her time between Canada and Los Angeles, California.
In 2012 she won a Leo Award for best supporting actress for her role as Jasleen Recket in Bruce Sweeney’s crime drama Crimes of Mike Reckett, which premiered at TIFF. Agam has acted in numerous TV series such as Played (CTV), Santuarary (SYFY), Dan for Major (CTV), County (NBC), Normal (LIFETIME), You Me Her (DIRECT TV), and Dirk Gently the Holistic Agent (BBCA). She also appears in the critically acclaimed feature film Brain on Fire, which premiered at TIFF last year.
Colleen Rennison as Lori
Canadian actress known for Unforgettable (1996), Bootcamp (2008) and Down River (2013).
When she’s not acting in movies and television, Colleen’s busy singing. She was known as the lead singer of No Sinner, the raucous Vancouver band whose legendary songs gave her the chance to holler, belt and shimmy like a church on fire. Her debut solo album is ‘See The Sky About To Rain’. Paul Skrudland Jillian Fargey Kevin McNulty Jennifer Mclean as as as as Sean Carol Jim Sara Credits
Carkner Films Inc. Director of Photography: David Pelletier Written & Directed by: Bruce Sweeney Composer: Starring: James Jandrisch Camille Sullivan Jeff Gladstone Gabrielle Rose Editor: Colleen Rennison Rafi Spivak Paul Skrudland Jillian Fargey Jennifer McLean Sound Recordist: Agam Darshi Jeff Carter Kevin McNulty
Producers: Tracy Major Bruce Sweeney Jeff Gladstone Rafi Spivak David Pelletier