Gavin Heffernan
Gavin Heffernan (born April 2, 1980 in Oakville, Ontario) is a Canadian independent filmmaker, known primarily for his microbudget feature Expiration, his award-winning experimental films, and most recently, his involvement with the film of The Doors co-founder Ray Manzarek's book "The Poet in Exile", a tale of rock legend Jim Morrison faking his death and returning to the limelight thirty years later. Heffernan is an alumnus of McGill University and the American Film Institute. While attending McGill, he wrote, directed, and acted in two feature films,The Steaks (2000) and Expiration (2004), both filmed primarily in Montreal, Quebec. The unique D.I.Y production of The Steaks was the subject of a section titled "The $800 Movie" in the 2002 edition of the Barnes & Noble Writer's Guide to Hollywood.[1]
His next feature Expiration received a 78% average ranking on Rotten Tomatoes[2] and was awarded the Grand Jury Prize in Toronto at the 2004 Canadian Filmmakers' Festival. Though Budgeted at $10,000, Expiration benefited from a strong internet presence fueled by acclaim from publications Variety, Ain't it Cool News and Film Festival Today. Would later be referred to by The Film Journal as "the first major work of the student digital New Wave." Following the independent success of Expiration, Heffernan moved to Los Angeles in 2004 to pursue an MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute.
Heffernan's spiritual 2007 American Film Institute Thesis Film Santa Croce [1] was distributed Worldwide December 2007 through iTunes and Shorts International. The 35mm film has since been used as a presentational tool in some educational institutions, including the 2008 Duke University course, The Cult of the Virgin Mary (26S-03).[3] After graduating from AFI in 2007, Heffernan co-founded The Film Summit [2], an event dedicated to the examination and preservation of film relations between Hollywood and Canada, featuring works from Canadian Film Centre and the American Film Institute, presented at the University of Toronto campus.
Premiering at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival, his unconventional anti-war documentary Grand Wheel (2008) played more than forty domestic festivals leading up to the U.S. Presidential Elections. The film also had a significant international presence, screening in over twenty countries worldwide. Presented with the Silver Bear at the 37th Festival of Nations in Austria, as well as Best Cinematography at the 2008 Canadian Filmmakers' Festival and Best Experimental Film at the 2009 Oxford Film Festival.
Ventured into the Horror genre through longtime associate Tim Sullivan (director) and his New Rebellion Entertainment banner in 2010. Served as a Co-Producer and Editor on 2011 Horror Anthology Chillerama, Associate Producer on the psychothriller "Cut/Print" (2011) and Producer on Stephen King's Salem's Lot sequel "One For the Road", from the author’s iconic Night Shift horror compilation. Also announced to be collaborating with Sullivan (as co-writer and producer) on The Poet In Exile [3], the upcoming 2012 film about The Doors legendary frontman Jim Morrison faking his death and resurfacing thirty years later.
Heffernan's collection of experimental HD Short Films titled Devolution (2010) premiered at the 2010 Florida Film Festival, with a Los Angeles debut at the 2010 Hollyshorts Film Festival in August, where it won an Audience Choice Award. The Canadian Premiere was held at the 39th Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal in October 2010. A Sci-Fi follow-up, Devolution Reckoning (2011), centering upon UFOs attacking Earth, premiered in April 2011 at the 38th Athens International Film and Video Festival (Ohio). It won Bronze at the 23rd Golden Diana Film Festival in Austria. Canadian Premiere held at 40th Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in October 2011.
Production Company Sunchaser Pictures based in Hollywood, CA and Toronto, ON.
[edit] External links
- Gavin Heffernan at the Internet Movie Database
- Sunchaser Pictures Official Site
- Twitter @GavinHeffernan
- VARIETY "Manzarek sets up Morrison tale"
- Cut/Print Unleashed Fearnet Article.
- Sullivan to Produce Stephen King Project Dread Central Exclusive
[edit] Notes
- ^ Skip Press, The Writer's Guide to Hollywood, Vol. 3, pg. 71-72. Barnes and Noble Books, 2002.
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/expiration/
- ^ http://www.aas.duke.edu/reg/synopsis/view.cgi?term=1260&subj=ENGLISH&course=26S&s=03
