Out In The Cold [Short]
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Synopsis [top]
On a night so cold it hurts to breathe, ‘Soft as Snow’ and ‘Cold as Ice’ meet Thomas, a young man in a drunken stupor who has been dumped on the outskirts of town by the cops. When Thomas suggests the two men should walk back to the city with him, they persuade him to stay the night. Each man has a different motive: ‘Cold as Ice’ wants Thomas to die and join them; ‘Soft as Snow’ wants Thomas to survive the night and return to the city to tell their story.
The poignant and sometimes humorous drama is rich in metaphor while exploring themes of memory and disregard. The script was inspired by the freezing deaths of several First Nations men in Saskatoon, allegedly as a result of a “starlight tour,” the non-sanctioned police practice of taking individuals to an isolated edge of town and abandoning them to the elements. In 2001, Amnesty International included the freezing deaths in their report of international human rights abuses, marking the first time Canada joined the list.
Production Credits [top]
Director
Colleen Murphy
Producer
Sarah Abbott
Screenplay
Cheryl Jack
Director's Notes [top]
Writers often talk to the dead through their work, but sometimes it is better to let the dead talk. It was this notion that drew me to Cheryl Jack’s script. What makes Cheryl’s small drama so compelling is her absolute refusal to vilify, redeem, or judge. Instead, the author imagines how it might feel to be inside the situation of men who have been left to die on an icy field. Never sentimental, always emotionally truthful, Cheryl’s script is wholly original.
While doing a one-year Playwriting Residency at the University of Regina, I was privileged to direct this film; to work with talented students and local professionals, to work on 16mm film, to work in minus 20 degree temperatures and to work on a story that was meaningful to the actual ground I was standing on. Out In The Cold is a metaphor for the blinding disregard Canadians continue to demonstrate towards the First Nations people in this country.
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Sales Info [top]
For sales or other enquiries related to Out In The Cold, please contact André Bennett at sales@cinemalumiere.com.