Passchendaele Paul Gross, Canada
World Premiere
Passchendaele, written, directed and produced by celebrated Canadian filmmaker Paul Gross. Co-produced by Niv Fichman, Frank Siracusa and Francis Damberger, Passchendaele stars Gross (Men with Brooms, “Due South,” “Slings & Arrows”), Caroline Dhavernas (Hollywoodland, Breach, Niagara Motel), Gil Bellows (The Shawshank Redemption, “Ally McBeal”) and Joe Dinicol (George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead, “Train 48”).Set during the height of the First World War, Passchendaele tells the story of Sgt. Michael Dunne (Gross), a soldier who is brutally wounded in France and returns home to Calgary emotionally and physically scarred. While in the military hospital in Calgary, he meets Sarah (Dhavernas), a mysterious and attractive nurse with whom he falls passionately in love. When Sarah’s younger brother David (Dinicol) – despite suffering from severe asthma – signs up to fight in Europe, Michael is compelled to return to the battlefield to protect him. Alongside thousands of other courageous Canadians, David and Michael are sent to fight in the third battle of Ypres. Commonly known as “Passchendaele,” it is a battle against impossible odds.
