''Public Domain'' is a 2003 Canadian film about

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...

. It was directed by Kris Lefcoe and stars

Nicole de Boer Nicole de Boer (born 20 December 1970) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for starring in the cult film ''Cube (1997 film), Cube'' as Joan Leaven, playing Ezri Dax on the final season of ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1998–1999), and as ...

, Mike Beaver, Lindy Booth and

Dov Tiefenbach Dov Yosef Tiefenbach (born December 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor and musician. Life and career Tiefenbach was born on December 8, 1981, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is of Jewish background. He began his acting career at the age of 12, startin ...

. The film is openly critical of reality TV and portrays the hosts and producers as cruel and heartless people.

Plot synopsis

''Public Domain'' is a

game show in which the producers infiltrate the contestants' homes without their knowledge and place them under surveillance for the world to see. In a

Big Brother Big Brother may refer to: * a brother senior in birth order Literature * Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four''), a character from George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' * ''Big Brother'' (magazine), a skateboarding culture magazine * ' ...

-style twist, viewers vote for who they think is the funniest and most dysfunctional contestant, and the top three based on these votes are chosen as the finalists.Public Domain (2003)
-

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 ...

. Retrieved May 31, 2009.

Cast

as Bonnie *

Don McKellar Don McKellar (born August 17, 1963) is a Canadian actor, writer, playwright, and filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. He is known for directing and writing th ...

as Host *

Nadia Litz Nadia Litz (born December 26, 1976) is a Canadian actress and director. Early life Litz was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A former child actor, she has described herself as somewhat ambitious. She is of Russian, Polish and British descent. She t ...

as Terry * Mike Beaver as Peter * Lindy Booth as Monica *

as Tommy *

Salvatore Antonio Salvatore Antonio is a Canadian actor and playwright. Early life He was born Salvatore Antonio Alessandro Migliore in Toronto, Ontario. He attended an enriched Arts programme at Unionville High School, and upon graduating he was one of 10 stu ...

as Don *

Jamie Johnston James Michael Johnston (born July 7, 1989) is a Canadian actor and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his role as Peter Stone on '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''. Personal life and career Johnston was born July 7, 1989, in Toronto, Ont ...

as Ian * Krista Sutton as Anchor

Critical reception

''Public Domain'' received mostly positive reviews, although many critics did not choose to review the movie. For example, the movie scored 57% at

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

but only received seven reviews.Public Domain Movie Reviews
-

. Retrieved May 31, 2009. Dennis Harvey from Variety did not give the movie a score, however the text of the review was borderline positive.Public Domain (Canada)

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

. Retrieved May 31, 2009. However, Stephen Cole from ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' gave ''Public Domain'' a negative review, saying that all characters but

''seem trapped in a mean, deadening satire'' and Ed Gonzalez from

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

gave it 1.5 stars out of 5 - comparing it to

and saying ''its muddled intent and miscalculated presentation gets at nothing''.Public Domain - Film Reviews
Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 31, 2009. ''Public Domain'' premiered at

Resfest RESFEST (1996–2006) is a defunct American film festival. It was by the 2000s the most prominent digital film festivals, digital film festival in North America. History RESFest was a leading global showcase of new digital filmmakers alongsi ...

Toronto in October 2003, before touring the

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

s of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The film won the Best Feature award at the

Beverly Hills Film Festival The Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF) is a film festival in the United States founded in 2001 by independent filmmaker Nino Simone. The festival is an international competition dedicated to "showcasing the art and talent of emerging filmmakers ...

2004.Public Domain Official Site
. Retrieved May 31, 2009.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Public Domain (Film) 2003 films Canadian drama films 2003 drama films English-language Canadian films 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films