Directed and Produced by: Mark and Stephanie Morgenstern
Screenwriter: Stephanie Morgenstern
Director of Photography: Mark Morgenstern
Art Direction and Costumes by: James Cameron
Editor: Mark and Stephanie Morgenstern
Curtains (French version: Rideau)
12 min 57 sec. Shot in 16mm Cinemascope at the Monument National Theatre in Montreal.
A darkly comic rant from a heartbroken actress, raging against love stories, theatre, and anyone who still believes in either.
CAST: Claire - Stephanie Morgenstern
Michelle - Maxim Roy
Kenny - Andrew Tarbet
Carol - Cary Lawrence
Vincent - Eric Bernier
Simon - Neil Kroetsch
Louis - Glenn Roy
Full Cast & Crew at IMDB
Reviews
"Curtains is that rare film where everything -- script, acting, style and direction -- hums together in perfect harmony. A highly impressive achievement.” — Geoff Pevere, independent film critic
“Elegant... a subtle search for truth about the meaning and purpose of romance.” — David Vereschagin, Xtra Magazine
"The Morgensterns' directing debut is a tender, thoughtful film that connects a theatre actor's broken heart with the slow death of a long-running production. [Stephanie] Morgenstern demonstrates an awful lot of talent... and she stands out as an up-and-coming actor/writer/director." — Ingrid Randoja, Now Magazine
Gemma's Picks — Watch This: "Stephanie and Mark Morgenstern's insight into the utterly ephemeral joy and pain of live theatre is so accurate it's scary." — Gemma Files, Eye Magazine
"For several, the uncontested stars of the [Golden Sheaf Awards] evening were Stephanie and Mark Morgenstern... Their film Curtains [is] a rare jewel..." – Michèle Boies, Eau Vive
"A thoroughly modern and resonant film....The risk of delivering a sentimental cliché is rigourously avoided through the film's challenging structure, exquisite design and the poignant observations of the camera... [It] has so much to say, visually and literarily, in 12 short minutes." — Janet Hethrington, The Storefront Paper
"The film chronicles the life of a stage actor, brilliantly played by Stephanie herself... Shot in anamorphic 16mm by Mark Morgenstern for that wide screen look, the film is gorgeous to look at with incredible attention to detail and colour in the art direction. Best of all, the story provides a dramatic arc which is satisfying and complete which I find rare in many short films. I can hardly wait until the two move into feature filmmaking." — Jason Romilly, LIFT Magazine
“Cleverly photographed, this is a film that looks at theatre from both sides of the stage, and at love from its hopeful beginnings to its bitter, final moments." — Marc Horton, Edmonton Journal
"The Morgensterns' elegant method of looking at the ugly side of human nature is central to the film's brilliance... wonderfully photographed... It is a great film, not only because of its subject and presentation, but also for its role as a testament to the strength and sincerity found in modern Canadian filmmaking.” — James Missen, Excalibur
Awards and Distinctions
Genie (Canadian Academy) Award Nominee - Best Short Live Action Film, 1996
Winner of the Palme d'Or Festival du cinema de courts metrages in Huy, Belgium
Multiple Golden Sheaf Award Winner at the Yorktown Festival:
Best Art Direction (all categories)
Best Script (all categories)
Best Direction (all categories)
and was also nominated for
Best Cinematography (all categories)
Best Drama (Under 30 minutes)
Festival Appearances:
Le Festival des films du monde (Montréal)
The Toronto International Film Festival (Toronto)
Cinéfest International Film Festival (Sudbury)
re.Visions: Winnipeg Int'l Women's Film and Video Festival
Le festival mondial du cinéma de court métrage (Huy, Belgium)
Le festival international du court métrage de Namur (Belgium)
Les Rendez-vous du cinéma Québécois (Montréal & Vancouver)
Local Heroes: Declarations of Independents (Edmonton)
Women in the Director's Chair (Chicago)
Festival international du court métrage de Montréal
Images Festival of Independent Film & Video (Toronto)
Inside/Out Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Festival of Toronto
Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival
Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival
New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (NYC)
Brisbane International Film Festival (Australia)
Breckenridge Festival of Film (Colorado)
Fest. Int'l du cinéma de francophonie en Acadie (Moncton)
Atlantic Film Festival (Halifax)
Festival Cinémental (Winnipeg)
International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg (Germany)