Christian Sparkes is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

film director and screenwriter from St. John's,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

. He is most noted for his film '' Cast No Shadow'', which was a

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nominee for

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at the

3rd Canadian Screen Awards The 3rd Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 1, 2015, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2014.Canadian Film Centre The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization founded in 1988 by filmmaker Norman Jewison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally launched as a film school, today it provides training, development and advancement opportunities for ...

, Sparkes directed a number of short films before releasing ''Cast No Shadow'' as his feature debut in 2014. The film premiered at the 2014

Atlantic Film Festival The Atlantic International Film Festival is a major international film festival held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada since 1980. AIFF is the largest Canadian film festival east of Montreal, regularly premiering the region's top films of ...

, where it received awards from the festival for Best Atlantic Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Cinematography. His second feature film, ''

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'', premiered at the 2019

Whistler Film Festival The Whistler Film Festival (WFF) is an annual film festival held in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 2001, the festival is held the first weekend of December and includes juried competitive sections, the Borsos Awards, and the Pand ...

before going into commercial release in 2020. His third feature film, ''

The King Tide ''The King Tide'' is a 2023 Canadian drama thriller film, directed by Christian Sparkes.John Hazelton"Toronto unveils 2023 Platform line-up; ‘Dream Scenario’ with Nicolas Cage to open" ''Screen Daily'', August 2, 2023. The film is set in a ...

'', was shot in 2022, and premiered in the

Platform Prize The Platform Prize is an annual film award, presented by the Toronto International Film Festival to films of "high artistic merit that also demonstrate a strong directorial vision."2023 Toronto International Film Festival The 48th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 7 to 17, 2023.Victoria Ahearn"TIFF reveals new programmers and other 2023 festival details" '' Playback'', April 20, 2023. The most noted change from past years was tha ...

.John Hazelton
"Toronto unveils 2023 Platform line-up; ‘Dream Scenario’ with Nicolas Cage to open"
''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

'', August 2, 2023. In 2020 he was announced as the director of a film adaptation of

Michael Crummey Michael Crummey (born November 18, 1965) is a Canadian poet and a writer of historical fiction. His writing often draws on the history and landscape of Newfoundland and Labrador. He won the 2025 International Dublin Literary Award. Life and educ ...

's novel ''Sweetland''. The completed film, '' Sweetland'', premiered at the 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival."Atlantic International Film Festival returns to Halifax Sept. 14-21"
''

SaltWire Network SaltWire Network Inc. was a Canadian newspaper publishing company. The company was formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia on April 13, 2017, via its purchase of 27 newspapers from Transcontinental (company), Transcontinental. The company owned 23 daily a ...

'', August 16, 2023.

Filmography

Features

*'' Cast No Shadow'' - 2014 *''

'' - 2019 *''

'' - 2023 *'' Sweetland'' - 2023

Short films

*''A Foot of Rope'' - 2005 *''Ten Days'' - 2009 *''Black Clouds'' - 2010 *''A River in the Woods'' - 2011 *''The Offering'' - 2012

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sparkes, Christian 21st-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male screenwriters Canadian Film Centre alumni Film directors from Newfoundland and Labrador Film producers from Newfoundland and Labrador Writers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Screenwriters from Newfoundland and Labrador