Thom Fitzgerald

Thom Fitzgerald (born July 8, 1968) is an American-Canadian film director.

Fitzgerald was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York. His parents divorced when Fitzgerald was five years old, and his mother moved Thom and his brother Tim to Bergenfield, New Jersey, where he was raised and graduated Bergenfield High School. He is cited in his 1986 Year Book as "Class Artist", "Class Writer", "Class Actor" and "Most School Spirited". 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.

In Canada, he worked extensively as a trio with performance artists Renee Penney and Michael Weir for several years, before he launched his career in film, releasing his debut feature, "The Hanging Garden", in 1997 starring Troy Veinotte, Chris Leavins and Kerry Fox. That film won several Genie Awards, including acting nods for Peter MacNeill and Seana McKenna, and a screenplay trophy 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 high-profile awards.

His second project, which was actually in progress prior to "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. But the movie was too racy for North American television in 1999, and was released theatrically by Strand instead. 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. "Beefcake' enjoys a long-running cult status on DVD.

The director's father Timothy Fitzgerald had purchased tickets to see "Beefcake" at its commercial opening in New York City, but died as a result of a very mild auto mishap when he drove over a pot hole. The elder Fitzgerald's unexpected passing was a heartbreak for his son, who retreated into a depression for most of the following year, backing out of a pending film project and declining all other offers.

"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 acclaimed 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" (2002) is a digital video-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 (Fitzgerald). The film also stars Rachel Blanchard, Marcel Ungureanu, Visinel Burcea and Alberta Watson. "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" (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. The ultra-low budget film debuted at Sundance and garnered praise and many awards including the Siegessäule Reader's Award at the oft the Teddy Award at Berlin International Film Festival, an ACTRA Supporting Actor Award for Rejean Cournoyer, the Outfest Jury Prize for Best Actress for Olympia 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" (2005) tells three short stories about the global HIV pandemic. In the first, Lucy Liu stars as a Chinese blood smuggler who unleashes havoc on a farmer's family (Tanabadee Chokpikultong, Sook-Yin Lee, Yoyo Chorkreaw). In the second story, a second rate porn actor in Montreal (Shawn Ashmore) hides his HIV status from his mother (Stockard Channing), and in the third, Christian missionaries Chloë Sevigny, Olympia Dukakis and Sandra Oh barter with a South African plantation owner (Ian Roberts) to help a family of orphans (Mabel Adams, Anele Solwandle). The film has won awards for Tom Harting's Cinematography as well as Fitzgerald's Direction at the Atlantic Film Festival, and garnered Fitzgerald a Director's Guild nomination for Best Direction of a Feature Film. The director was surprised to receive promotional support from the United Nations Global Media AIDS initiative, and the film was released December 1, 2006, which is World AIDS Day, in selected theaters and on Showtime Network.

Fitzgerald continues to reside in Nova Scotia. He has described himself as a "struggling Catholic".cite news | last =Wearring| first =Myles| coauthors=| title =The Other Side of AIDS| pages=| publisher =Sydney Star Observer| date =2006-11-30 | url =http://www.ssonet.com.au/display.asp?ArticleID=6024| accessdate =2006-11-30 ]

Filmography

* "The Hanging Garden", 1997
* "Beefcake", 1999
* "Wolf Girl", 2001
* "The Wild Dogs, 2002
* "The Event", 2003
* "The Young Astronomer", 2004
* "3 Needles", 2005

Awards

* Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Ribbon of Hope Award, "3 Needles
* ACCTV Genie Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Screenplay, "The Hanging Garden
* ACCTV Genie Award (nom) - T. Fitzgerald, L. Garfield, A. Gelbart, Best Picture, "The Hanging Garden
* ACCTV Genie Award (nom) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Achievement in Direction, "The Hanging Garden
* 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 Direction, "3 Needles"
* Berlin International Film Festival, Reader Jury of the "Siegessäule" Award, Thom Fitzgerald, "The Event"
* Claude Jutra Award - Thom Fitzgerald, "The Hanging Garden
* Directors Guild of Canada Award (nom) - Thom Fitzgerald, Outstanding Direction Feature, "3 Needles"
* Golden Trailer Awards (nom) - Golden Trailer, Best Independent, "The Event"
* GLAAD Media Awards (nom) - Outstanding Film (Limited Release), "The Hanging Garden
* Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival - Audience Award, Best Overall Film, Thom Fitzgerald, "The Event"
* Mar del Plata Film Festival Best Screenplay - Thom Fitzgerald, "The Hanging Garden
* New York AIDS Film Festival, Bertha Meka's Award, "3 Needles"
* Seattle International Film Festival Emerging Master Showcase Award - "The Event" and "The Wild Dogs
* Sudbury Cinefest Best Canadian Film Award - Thom Fitzgerald, "The Hanging Garden
* Taos Talking Picture 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
* Verzaubert - International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival - Rosebud (nom) - Thom Fitzgerald, "Beefcake"

External links

* [http://www.3-needles.com/ "3 Needles"] – official movie website
* [http://www.tvguide.com/movies/hanging-garden/review/133249 TV Guide Review of The Hanging Garden]
* [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C01E2DC1430F930A25753C1A96F958260 NewYork Times Review of Beefcake]
* [http://www.movietome.com/pages/tracking/index.php?ref_id=309713&tid=1 Los Angeles Times Review of The Event]
* [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/television/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=8477 Hollywood Reporter Review of 3 Needles]
* [http://www.artfilmtalk.com/19-thom-fitzgerald/ Art Film Talk #19 Thom Fitzgerald, 3 Needles] – interview with Thom Fitzgerald on "3 Needles" (audio)
* [http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/reviews/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000698277 Film Journal International Review of The Hanging Garden]
* [http://www.tvguide.com/movies/event/review/136975 TV Guide Review of The Event]
* [http://www.indiewire.com/movies/2006/11/review_bad_bloo.html Bad Blood: Thom Fitzgeralds "3 Needles"] - indieWIRE Review
* [http://www.iofilm.co.uk/fm/h/hanging_garden_1997.shtml Inside Out UK Review of The Hanging Garden ]
* [http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/22/hanginggarden.html Bright Lights Film Jornal Review of The Hanging Garden]
* [http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/the_hanging_garden The New Yorker Review of The Hanging Garden]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_n759/ai_20830610 The Advocate Review of The Hanging Garden]

Footnotes