''Doomstown'' 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 ...

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

, which aired in 2006 on CTV. Set in the Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown neighbourhood in the

Rexdale Rexdale is a neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located north-west of the central core, in the district of Etobicoke. Rexdale defines an area of several official neighbourhoods north of Highway 401 and east of Highway 427. Rexdale was ori ...

area of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, the film explores the issue of

gang violence A gang is a group or society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collecti ...

in Rexdale. ''Doomstown'' was written and directed by

Sudz Sutherland David "Sudz" Sutherland is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. His credits include the films '' Doomstown'', ''Love, Sex and Eating the Bones'', ''Guns'', ''Speakers for the Dead'' and '' Home Again'', as well as episodes of ''Drop the Beat ...

. Its cast includes K. C. Collins who played Kevin 'Jedi' Barrows, Mark Taylor who played Mike "Twist" Twistleton, Genelle Williams who played Monica,

Clé Bennett Clé Bennett (born July 13, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He voiced DJ, Beardo, Leonard, and Chef Hatchet from ''Total Drama'', and has portrayed Lemar Hoskins in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries '' The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''. Ear ...

played Money,

Shakura S'Aida Shakura S'Aida is a Canadian blues vocalist, songwriter and actress. She is sometimes credited Shakura. History Shakura S'Aida was born in Brooklyn and lived in Switzerland before moving to Canada. S'Aida was lead singer of the 13-piece world ...

Yanna McIntosh Yanna McIntosh (born 1970), sometimes credited as Yanna MacIntosh, is a Jamaican-born Canadian television, movie and theatrical actress. Early life McIntosh attended the University of Toronto and the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Ha ...

played Pat Barrows, Shawn Singleton, Zainab Musa and

Kristin Fairlie Kristin Louise Fairlie (born ) is a Canadian actress. In 1998, she won a Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble for her lead role in the Showtime original movie ''The Sweetest Gift''. As a voice actress, Fairlie has voiced the roles of the title ...

who played Kelly.

Plot

The film explores many social issues like drug dealing, the search for respect and power, the roles of mothers and fathers in low-income or minority based communities, and violence. Kevin 'Jedi' Barrows is the lead actor who is a 20-year-old male that ultimately learns through tragedy.

Cast

* K.C. Collins as Kevin "Jeddi" Barrows * Mark Taylor as Mike "Twist" Twistleton * Genelle Williams as Monica *

as "Money" *

as Kelly *

as Pat Barrows *

as Karen Twistleton * Shawn Singleton as Ashcroft * Zainab Musa as Constance Barrows * Quincy Nanatakyi as Sean * Suzanne Coy as Marva *

Mpho Koaho Mpho Koaho () (born 22 April 1979) is a Canadian actor. He portrayed Anthony on the TNT science fiction series ''Falling Skies'' (2011–2015) and was also a series regular on the Teletoon action adventure '' MetaJets'' (2011) and the BBC Amer ...

as Paul "Countryman" Blackhall * Whitney Turner as Eric "Eric D" * Jazzmeyn Barnett as Asia

Critical reception

A very real and authentic representation of the struggle that individuals and groups in low-income or minority based communities go through to get by on a day-to-day basis. Using local and Canadian actors, many viewers found a connection that made this film more enjoyable to watch. As mentioned in most reviews, Doomstown is a great teaching film that can be used for educational purposes in both a school/classroom setting and/or in homes. The storyline or plot was not overdone, and really "hit home" to the people of Toronto or individuals that were familiar with the city and its local news that contained the problems presented.

Awards

Doomstown won three

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in th ...

in 2007 according to IMDb and World News/Variety.com:{{Cite web, url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000272/2007/1/, title=Gemini Awards Crown 'Doomstown', last=Kelly, first=Brendan, date=October 18, 2007, access-date=April 1, 2018 *2007 Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series: Doomstown, Sudz Sutherland *2007 Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series: Won by Yanna McIntosh for her role as Pat Barrows *2007 Gemini Award for Best TV Movie: Pierre Sarrazin, Suzette Couture, Susan Murdoch

References

External links

''Doomstown'' at IMDb
2006 films 2006 television films Canadian drama television films Films directed by Sudz Sutherland English-language Canadian films Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Television Film or Miniseries winners 2000s Canadian films CTV Television Network original films