STORY films are 10-15 minute shorts from directors, producers and editors in the Norman Jewison Film Program at the Canadian Film Centre. The films are professionally produced in the fall, edited before the New Year, and submitted to the international festival circuit. Recent STORY films have premiered at TIFF, VIFF, CIFF, Fantasia and many more! This is a chance for actors to connect with Canada’s most exciting emerging talent, both on and off screen, and to collaborate with writer/directors on a piece that supports a feature film in development.
All booked cast will be invited to an Industry Screening in December.
Director's Bio
Giran Findlay Liu is a Chinese-Canadian writer-director based in Toronto. His work is characterized by intimate character studies exploring identity, alienation, and the desire to be understood, often blurring boundaries between social realism and the surreal. His films are about people who desperately want to connect, and that emotional distance is formalized through silence, ellipses, in order to create tension and mystery.
His films have screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, Palm Springs Shortfest, Hainan Island International Film Festival, Atlantic International Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival, and the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. His short film Year of the Dragon earned two Canadian Screen Award wins for Best Live Action Short and Best Performance in Live Action Short. He is currently developing his first feature In the Winter of Breaking and Entering.
Daniel and Claire, a young couple who have recently moved into a new house, are surprised when an elderly couple arrives claiming to be its former owners. Having lived in the house for fifty years, John and Laura ask if they can come inside for a nostalgic look around. Much to Daniel’s dismay, Claire lets them in. As John and Laura wander through the house, reminiscing about the life they built there, their tenderness begins to affect Daniel and Claire.
As the afternoon progresses, the boundaries between the two couples, and past and present, begin to dissolve. When John and Laura reveal a secret room hidden beneath the house, Daniel and Claire discover something that forces them to confront their lack of intimacy, exposing something dormant in their own relationship.
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | DANIEL | Male 30 - 40 Years old |
Description Male, 30-40 years old, any ethnicity. Daniel is reserved and pragmatic, skeptical about the strange encounter with John and Laura. He doesn't understand why Claire has invited the elderly couple inside and becomes increasingly uncomfortable as they move further into the house. He’d rather continue with the quiet privacy of their day and dislikes having their routine interrupted. At the same time, he finds it difficult to assert himself in the moment, partly because he doesn't want to undermine Claire's generosity.
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