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Scorn (film)

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Scorn
GenreDrama
Based onSuch a Good Boy by Lisa Hobbs Birnie
Written byAndrew Rai Berzins
Directed bySturla Gunnarsson
StarringEric Johnson
Brendan Fletcher
Bill Switzer
Theme music composerJonathan Goldsmith
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersChristian Bruyère
Laszlo Barna
Maryke McEwen
CinematographyTony Westman
EditorJeff Warren
Running time96 minutes
Production companiesAlliance Atlantis
Barna-Alper Productions
Original release
NetworkCBC
ReleaseSeptember 24, 2000 (2000-09-24)

Scorn is a Canadian dramatic television film directed by Sturla Gunnarsson.[1] It dramatizes the true story of Darren Huenemann, a gay teenager from Victoria, British Columbia, who manipulated his classmates Derik Lord and David Muir into murdering his mother Sharon and grandmother Doris in his grandmothers's Tsawwassen home in 1990.[2]

The film stars Eric Johnson as Huenemann, Brendan Fletcher as Lord, Bill Switzer as Muir, Kelly Rowan as Sharon and Pam Hyatt as Doris, as well as Emily Hampshire, Michael Hogan, Jesse Cadotte, Jerry Wasserman, Bill Dow and Hrothgar Mathews in supporting roles.

The film premiered theatrically at the 2000 Vancouver International Film Festival,[3] and received a followup theatrical screening at the 2001 Victoria Film Festival,[4] before being broadcast by CBC Television on March 18, 2001.[5]

Production

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The film was based in part on Lisa Hobbs Birnie's non-fiction book Such a Good Boy, as well as direct personal interviews of Huenemann by screenwriter Andrew Rai Berzins at Stony Mountain Penitentiary.[6]

Around the time of the film's premiere, Atom Egoyan revealed that he had considered making his own film about Huenemann, but had decided against it because as a former resident of Victoria who personally knew many of the locations tied to the story, he felt like he couldn't distance himself enough from it to view it objectively.[7]

It faced minor controversy for a scene which briefly depicted Huenemann and his boyfriend Matt (Cadotte) in bed together, with their nude buttocks visible but no private parts.[8] The CBC permitted the nude scene to be broadcast, but required Gunnarsson to remove usages of the word "fuck" from the dialogue.[8] Both theatrical screenings were also picketed by Lord's parents, who were still proclaiming their son's innocence of the murder, but no legal injunctions were sought or given against the film's distribution.[9]

Awards

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Award Date of Ceremony Category Nominees Result Reference
Gemini Awards October 29, 2001 Best Television Movie Christian Bruyère, Laszlo Barna, Maryke McEwen Won [10]
Best Actor in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries Eric Johnson Nominated [11]
Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series Sturla Gunnarsson Nominated
Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries Andrew Rai Berzins Nominated
Best Original Music Score for a Program or Mini-Series Jonathan Goldsmith Nominated
Best Sound Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series Devan Kraushar, Cam Wagner, Jacqueline Cristianini, Kirby Jinnah Nominated
Writers Guild of Canada 2001 WGC Screenwriting Award Andrew Rai Berzins Won [12]

References

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  1. ^ Alison Cunningham-McMillan, "Bad boys: Scorn delivers an eerie, chilling tale of manipulation and murder". Edmonton Journal, March 16, 2001.
  2. ^ Cori Howard, "Director says he wanted to get inside teen killer's head: Scorn offers fictionalized account of the Huenemann murders". National Post, March 5, 2001.
  3. ^ Glen Schaefer, "Painful memories for B.C.". Vancouver Sun, September 24, 2000.
  4. ^ Michael D. Reid, "Huenemann case revisited". Victoria Times-Colonist, February 2, 2001.
  5. ^ John McKay, "Delving into the twisted psyche of a mother killer". Welland Tribune, March 17, 2001.
  6. ^ Michael D. Reid, "Murder for Reel: Celebrated Huenemann case takes spotlight in new film"]. Victoria Times-Colonist, September 23, 2000.
  7. ^ Michael D. Reid, "Egoyan had considered Scorn project". Victoria Times-Colonist, October 4, 2000.
  8. ^ a b "And now the 8 o'clock nudes". Toronto Star, March 13, 2001.
  9. ^ Dana Gee, "Scorn paints terrifying picture: CBC movie riveting in exposing teen's unspeakable crime". The Province, March 18, 2001.
  10. ^ Michael Posner, "Da Vinci wins another Gemini". The Globe and Mail, October 30, 2001.
  11. ^ Alex Strachan, "Geminis tip hat to B.C. productions: Local shows Da Vinci's Inquest, Outer Limits and Cold Squad score big; Nuremburg [sic] trials miniseries garners 12 nominations". Vancouver Sun, September 18, 2001.
  12. ^ "Da Vinci, Made In Canada writers win awards". Telegraph-Journal, April 10, 2001.
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