E-DAY CANADA: When Voter Suppression Came Calling
The Canadian General Election of 2011 why its outcome was placed under suspicion. How a few determined Canadians exposed a national voter suppression campaign that otherwise could have been disregarded.
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Project Type:Documentary
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Runtime:1 hour 35 minutes 30 seconds
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Completion Date:September 1, 2019
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Production Budget:68,600 USD
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Country of Origin:Canada
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Country of Filming:Canada
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Salt Spring Island Film Festival 2020Salt Spring Island, B.C.
Canada
March 1, 2020
North American Premiere
Official Selection
Born in Montreal to Polish immigrants Peter started telling stories in his teens. During his high school years Peter became a self-taught and accomplished b/w photographer. In his final year he created a big screen multi-media documentary on the Vietnam War to capacity student crowds in the high school auditorium.
His passion for blue collar adventure was evident as a young man; a hired-hand on western cattle ranches, an Alberta Northlands pipeline surveyor, CNR brakeman running freight trains through the Rocky Mountains out of Jasper, Alta. just to name a few.
After attending Montreal’s Loyola University he launched his professional career as the producer/writer/director of a 16mm doc short titled “Being Old” for CBC’s Montreal’s Critical Path.
Peter would go to work as a researcher/writer and chase producer for CBC NEWS and eventually as field producer and on camera broadcaster in sports, entertainment and lifestyle programming in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Charlottetown, Ottawa, Regina and Vancouver.
During the 1990’s Peter travelled between Los Angeles and Vancouver as a long form screenwriter represented by Preferred Artists Talent Agency. He was commissioned to pen screenplays for such established Hollywood producers as William Wilson III (Santa Clause, George Of The Jungle) and Gerry Abrams (Black and Blue).
During his time in Vancouver Peter worked in the script department of Disney Channel’s family episodic “So Weird” and for the CBC as field sports producer.
But his first love is the documentary.
In 2008 Peter was commissioned as a documentary field director, and traveled to an American training base in Germany where for 21 days he turned his cameras on U.S. Stryker Brigades training for the war in Afghanistan. Peter’s work ethic and genuine compassion for his subject material resulted in being presented with the 20th Battalion 5th Infantry Command Sergeant Major’s Award For Excellence. An honour he cherishes above and beyond industry recognitions.
Peter no longer works as a film director as he once did creating and directing broadcast projects. Peter was deemed technical deaf due to autoimmune attack in 2014. Yet he continued on with his latest documentary, editing the film himself.
“E-Day Canada: When Voter Suppression Came Calling” is his solo effort as a filmmaker to tell the story of a national voter suppression campaign in his own country.. Peter is producer, writer and director of the E-Day film and whose photo work is a mainstay of the film.
Peter often works under the pseudonym F.W. Samms. Peter is presently writing/producing a documentary on the stigma of going deaf late in life. A self-admitted tennis freak, Peter lives with his wife in Ottawa, Canada.
Nothing is more sacred, more powerful or definitive in a democracy than the fundamental right of a citizen to vote. So much so, this simple concept of one citizen one vote strikes such fear in some that no expense will be spared, no stone unturned, no law perverted, to suppress a man or woman's right to vote. And, it will always be the way.