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MY FATHER, JOE

After arriving penniless on the streets of Montreal after World War II, a young boy's image of his father is shattered when he learns a painful secret.

  • Nikila Cole
    Director
    Intimacies, Wanderings: A Journey to Connect, Paul's Piece of Sky, In a Closed Room
  • Nikki Cole
    Writer
    See above
  • Jack Engelhard
    Writer
    Indecent Proposal
  • Ray Sager
    Producer
    Guns, Eleventh Hour, Anne of Green Gables
  • Jamie Mayers
    Key Cast
    "Jacov"
    VENUS, ASSASSINS CREED, GAME ON
  • Michelle Heisler
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
    SONS OF GOD, THIS LIFE, IT'S CARLA! YOUR AGENT! BEING HUMAN
  • Elan Kunin
    Key Cast
    "Joe"
    UNDYING LOVE, TREE WEEKS, JEWISH SPARKS, STEALING PARADISE
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 30, 2010
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English, French, Yiddish
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • World Fest Houston
    Houston
    United States
    September 14, 2012
    Special Jury Remi Award
  • Shamrock Film Festival
    Minneapolis, MN
    United States
    Best Foreign Film
  • Honolulu Film Awards
    Honolulu
    United States
    Best Family Film
  • World Fest Houston
    Houston
    United States
    Special Jury Remi AWard
  • Davinci Film Festival
    Corvalis, Oregon
    United States
    Best Dramatic Short
Distribution Information
  • Shorts International
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Nikila Cole

Nikki (Nikila) Cole has established an international reputation as an award-winning writer, producer, and director. Formerly a critically acclaimed choreographer and theater director, she transitioned into film production and continued circling the globe with her 11-year old daughter Sarah for three years. They created a PBS and Vision TV documentary WANDERINGS: A JOURNEY TO CONNECT, as they explored strange and unusual Jewish communities from Korea to Iceland to India. She was the Series Producer/director of You…Me & the Kids for WTN and also produced audio-visual materials for Vancouver’s Pacific Space Centre, the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and was production manager for several English and foreign language Motion Simulator Ride films including MARS and SEATREK for SimEx Inc.

Her other documentaries and dance films include PAUL’S PIECE OF SKY (PBS) about a struggling African American Dance Company and INTIMACIES about Michael Kearns, Hollywood’s first openly HIV+ actor. (Bravo, Audience Vote: Best Documentary, Palm Springs Int’l Film Fest).

Now, after an extensive career as a writer/producer/director/story producer of over 15 factual series including THE SHOPPING BAGS, TAKE THIS HOUSE & SELL IT, TILL DEBT DO US PART, FOUR WEDDINGS, STORAGE WARS CANADA, and ICE ROAD TRUCKERS, she’s expanded into scripted entertainment with a dramatic BravoFACT short, MY FATHER, JOE adapted from a story by Jack Engelhard (INDECENT PROPOSAL). After winning five international awards including the Special Jury Remi Award at WorldFest Houston, it was well-received in the Cannes Marche, broadcast on The Movie Channel and released on iTunes. Her pilot script for the historical fiction series Serpent Queen won Best Pilot Screenplay at the Oaxaca Film Festival and The Bride’s Wedding won Best Screenplay at the Jogja Int’l Film Festival in Indonesia. She recently directed 2 episodes of THE NEXT STEP for BBC Kids.

She directed the Canadian Screen Awards nominated TESSA and SCOTT about Canada’s Olympic ice dancing champions for the W Network, as well the CSA nominated KEEPING CANADA ALIVE, and CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON for the CBC. She was the showrunner for a CBC pilot. ANYTHING BUT AVERAGE, exploring the real-life stories behind Canada’s statistics.

She also works with an East African village, educating girls and boys and providing solar cookers to the village.
www.tonembee.com

REVIEWS

"The show's final performance was captured on film and melded with the HIV-positive actor's own life story to create Intimacies; a powerful piece of cinema verite that charts the emotional landscape of AIDS in far greater detail than anything churned out by Hollywood." - Portland Weekly

"A heroic film"! - LA Times

“May bring a lump to the throat or two. Plus you gotta love the brief inclusion of a bagel bakery for an authentic 1940’s Montreal Jewish feel” – Georgia Straight

“A supremely touching film”, editor, columnist Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

"A film name to watch for!" - New York Filmmakers

REPRESENTATION:

Factual: Kristin Peace, Kaplan Stahler Agency, 8383 Wilshire Blvd.,
Ste. 923
Beverly Hills CA 90211,
323-653-4483

Scripted: Sohrab Merchant, Characters Talent Agency, Toronto,
416-964-8522 Ext. 271

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When I read Jack Engelhard (INDECENT PROPOSAL)'s short story My Father, Joe from his book Escape from Mt. Moriah, I was totally astonished to read the incredible account of his family's escape from the Nazis in France and what happened after they arrived in Canada. It was not only an up-close and personal father/son story of love, betrayal, and redemption that I hadn't heard before, but it also rings so true of everything that today's immigrants have to face once they finally make it to a safe country.

I was thrilled to bring this poignant story to the screen and happy to know that even after being in distribution for several years, people are still buying it online, watching it in airplanes, and still responding well.

I hope it will give you a sample of what I'm capable of as a director whose love of storytelling, ability to work with actors of all ages and various languages, and determination to get through a project on time and on budget will shine through for HBO.

Thank you for your consideration,
Nikki