Experiencing Interruptions?

The Secret Lives of Public Servants - Episode 1, The Radical Artist

By day, Marc Adornato works in the public service. By night, he burns, shreds, and smashes stuff to pieces and exhibits it in museums and galleries across the National Capital. He's best known for his gas masks and antler sculptures and can be seen cycling the city of Ottawa in a suit and gas mask.

  • Amen Jafri
    Director
  • Amen Jafri
    Producer
  • Marc Adornato
    Key Cast
  • Hingman Leung
    Editor
  • Derek Price
    Director of Photography
  • Julien Desormeaux
    Sound
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Web / New Media, Other
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Web Series
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 13, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    1,183 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Brooklyn Web Fest
    Brooklyn, New York
    United States
    October 6, 2017
    U.S. Premiere
    Best Cinematography and Best Reality/Documentary Series (nominated)
  • The Secret Lives of Public Servants Screening Party
    Ottawa
    Canada
    October 21, 2017
    Local premiere
  • Pilot Light TV Festival
    Manchester
    United Kingdom
    May 6, 2018
    UK Premiere
    Official Selection
  • die Seriale
    Giessen
    Germany
    German Premiere
    Nominated Best Series and Best Documentary Series
  • Stareable Daily Pick
    Online
Director Biography - Amen Jafri

Amen Jafri spent 10 years in communications and HR in the federal public service, before pivoting into film and television production. She got her start on the feature thriller Penthouse North before working on Radio Canada's Toi et moi: malgré tout and in Acquisitions at the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. Her first film, The City That Fun Forgot?, was made without any prior experience and it had a sold-out premiere in 2014, garnering local and national media coverage. Since then, her other works have been shortlisted for the TVO Short Doc Contest and screened for TVO, the American Documentary Film Festival and more. Her latest project, The Secret Lives of Public Servants, is currently on the festival circuit and she is directing a Wingd/Bell Media documentary series on entrepreneurship. She is a 2018 fellow for Hot Docs' Doc Accelerator Emerging Filmmaker Lab.

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Director Statement

Paper pushers. Suits. Lazy. It's always the same story when it comes to public servants. This documentary web series exposes you to the other side. We take a look at the unusual side hobbies and incredible side careers: from comic book creators to cosplayers, to (as seen in this pilot episode) radical artists.