''Paint Cans'' is a 1994 Canadian comedy film written, produced and directed by Paul Donovan and based on his book of the same name. A satire of Canadian film and television production, the film stars

Chas Lawther Charles "Chas" Lawther is a British-born Canadian actor, comedian and writer. Lawther came to local prominence in Toronto when in the 1980s he created the character of Chuck The Security Guard for CFMT-TV's '' The All-Night Show'', on the ostens ...

as Wick Burns, a bureaucrat in the Film Finance Office of Canada (a parody of

Telefilm Canada Telefilm Canada is a Canadian Crown corporation that supports Canada's audiovisual industry. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm Canada provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in Vancouver, British Colu ...

) who is trying to help secure funding for ''Paint Cans'', the directorial debut of his film school classmate Vittorio Russo (

Bruce Greenwood Stuart Bruce Greenwood (born August 12, 1956) is a Canadian actor and producer. He has starred in five films by Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan and has been nominated for three Canadian Screen Awards, once for Best Actor for '' Elephant Song'' ...

), while simultaneously trying to navigate a new romantic relationship with Arundel Merton (

Robyn Stevan Robyn Stevan is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role in the film '' Bye Bye Blues'', for which she won the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 11th Genie Awards in 1990.Elizabeth Aird, "Jesus of Montreal in near sweep: ...

), a journalist he met at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

Gerald Pratley Gerald Arthur Pratley (September 3, 1923 – March 14, 2011) was a Canadian film critic and historian. Piers Handling"Gerald Arthur Pratley" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', September 18, 2011. A longtime film critic for the Canadian Broadcasting Cor ...

, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 164. Production on the film began in 1993, although some filming had to be postponed to early 1994 after Stevan broke her collarbone in a fall from a scooter. The film premiered in the Perspective Canada program at the

1994 Toronto International Film Festival The 19th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 17, 1994. '' Whale Music'' by Richard J. Lewis was selected as the opening film. The festival's name changed from ''Festiv ...

. It was subsequently screened at the 1994

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 won the awards for Best Direction and Best Writing in an Atlantic Canadian Film.Ian Johnston, "Paint Cans satire sweeps top Atlantic film awards". ''

Halifax Daily News ''The Daily News'' was a tabloid newspaper in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that was published from 1974 until ceasing operations in February 2008. History ''The Daily News'' owed its existence to David Bentley, who, along with his wife Diana and Patr ...

'', September 22, 1994.

Cast

as Wick Burns *

as Arundel Merton *

as Vittorio Musso *

Nigel Bennett Nigel Bennett (born 19 November 1949) is an English-born Canadian actor, director and writer. He is best known for playing the vampire patriarch Lucien LaCroix in the TV series ''Forever Knight'', for which he won the Canadian Gemini Award for b ...

as Bryson Vautour *

Don Francks Don Harvey Francks (February 28, 1932 – April 3, 2016), also known by his stage name Iron Buffalo, was a Canadian actor, musician and singer. Early life Don Harvey Francks was born on February 28, 1932, and was adopted shortly after his bir ...

as Maitland Burns * Andy Jones as Neville Lewis *

Paul Gross Paul Michael Gross (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian actor, film and television director, screenwriter, playwright, and producer. He rose to fame for his lead role as RCMP Constable Benton Fraser on the popular Canadian television series '' ...

as Morton Ridgewell *

Ann-Marie MacDonald Ann-Marie MacDonald (born October 29, 1958) is a Canadian playwright, author, actress, and broadcast host who lives in Toronto, Ontario. Life and career MacDonald is the daughter of a member of Canada's military; she was born at an air force ...

as Inge Von Nerthus *

Neve Campbell Neve Adrianne Campbell (; born October 3, 1973) is a Canadian actress. After working in Canadian and American television, Campbell emerged as a scream queen for her starring roles in horror and thriller films. She has also appeared in blockbu ...

as Tristesse

References

External links

* * 1994 films 1994 comedy films Canadian comedy films English-language Canadian films Films based on Canadian novels Films directed by Paul Donovan 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films {{1990s-Canada-film-stub