WRITER
As Weird Sex & Snow Shoes* explained, there's something distinctly Canadian about finding humor in the macabre sexual exploits of an outsider. Being a fan of both dark, body-horror and absurd comedy, Dan's writing tends to dance the line between the two, often unsure of which to lean on most. Needless to say, he's a fan of Cronenberg.
His first produced work was PURG (2008), a short film about being stuck in purgatory. His other, a real labor of love, was the web series CUBED (2012), which he collaborated on with Jon Dubsky. Dan is currently working on the tentatively-titled Forest, developing the project for theatrical release.
Dan recently developed Red Island in the Praxis Screenwriter's Lab at the 2014 Whistler Film Fest. He had the priviledge of working with Michael Miner (Robocop) with the aim of producing a script ready for production.
CUBED
comedy - web series
CUBED is a new comedy web series about being in nothingness, only without the deep philosophical subtext. The show revolves around three young men (Peter, Winston and Richard), in their continued quest to find jobs and stave off adulthood for as long as possible. Season 2 is currently in pre-production, heading 'hopefully' for a fall 2013 release.
Web Series launched in 2012. Click here to check it out.
THE FOREST
thriller - feature
THE FOREST opens with the death of five Dartmouth College students in Hanover, NH; each one, an apparent suicide. One student, however, is still missing.
Wracked with guilt, their mentor, Dr. Francis, start deeper into their final days, hoping to find the missing student before it's too late. However, the deeper she goes, the more she uncovers about her own involvement, and the closer she comes to understanding their true cause of death: a quick-developing, wholly debilitating illness.
Script available upon request.
PLAY WITH ME
thriller - feature
PLAY WITH ME is a dark comedy centering on 2 friends who push moral and legal boundaries of drug abuse. Their game? Giving hallucinogens to strangers in classrooms and coffee shops.
To Adam, it's a search for a higher meaning and purpose; an inner journey through outward means. To David, however, it's a game, with ever-rising stakes.
Script available upon request.
FINN'S NIGHT OUT
dark comedy - feature
Imagine if Ferris Bueller grew up to be a drug dealer. FINN'S NIGHT OUT chronicles a young pot dealer's journey through the dive bars of Montreal frequented by the 'Red Square' Quebec students protesters.
Over the course of one night, Finn travels from bar to bar, transcending space and time, while also avoiding his own dealer in process. As the night goes on, the 'temporal setting' shifts to different moments over the course of the summer of protests. As the night develops, Finn's ( and the Students') tension rises at the ever-approaching reality of a no-win situation. A real 'angry young man film', but with a sense of humor about it.
Treatment available upon request.
RED ISLAND
thriller - feature
PEI FROZEN follows a young man, drifting back home to PEI after his father's suicide; his hope - to try and piece together the lost moments of his father's life, eventually leading up to his death. Little by little, he uncovers a greater conspiracy surrounding his father's work, ultimately leading him to question whether or not he's dealing with a murder. But in a small city like Charlottetown most things are deceptive, and difficult to unravel.
Treatment available upon request.
* A great read and interesting take on Canadian pop culture. Monk, Catherine. Weird Sex & Snow Shoes. Raincoast Books. 2001.