Film director Cavan Campbell will return to the Island in September for the Maritime premiere of his film “Hangnail” at the Prince Edward Island International Film Festival. Campbell, formerly of Clear Springs, was previously a community film reviewer for CBC’s “Mainstreet”. “Hangnail” will screen in Charlottetown, and in Souris, down the road from Campbell’s former high school.
“Hangnail”, a haunting 12-minute drama photographed entirely in one unbroken shot, pulls back the skin of parched love, revealing the layers of decay between two aging lovers.
The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in January, since playing to strong reviews nationally and abroad. Campbell will have just returned from the São Paulo International Short Film Festival in Brazil when he arrives in Charlottetown for the festival.
One of the film’s most notable supporters is Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis (2005’s “Crash”, and last year’s “The Next Three Days”). Haggis describes “Hangnail” as “very powerful, wonderful filmmaking”.
“Hangnail” was nominated for Best Dramatic Short Cinematography by the Canadian Society of Cinematographers, and Campbell has been nominated for a number of awards for his work on “Hangnail”.
The film’s nominated cinematography also holds an Island connection as director of photography, Daniel Grant, is the son of P.E.I. vascular surgeon, Kenneth Grant, and Heather Grant, daughter of late Island MP and former federal Minister of Veterans Affairs, Dan MacDonald.
“Hangnail” screens on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at The Guild in Charlottetown, and on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Souris Showhall in Souris. Tickets are available through the festival box office at www.peifilmfest.com
More information about “Hangnail” may be found at www.hangnailmovie.com.
