''Danny'' is a 2014

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

documentary film about former Newfoundland and Labrador premier Danny Williams, co-directed by Justin Simms and

William D. MacGillivray William D. MacGillivray (born May 24, 1946, in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Dominion of Newfoundland, Newfoundland) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. Career MacGillivray studied art and design at NSCAD Universi ...

, and produced by Annette Clarke. The film took three years to produce, combining photos, archival footage, dramatic re-enactments and interviews with Williams, key staffers, his mother Teresita Galway Williams, and Newfoundland celebrities including Greg Malone. The film documents Williams' seven years as premier, including his clash with Prime Minister

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

over

equalization payments Equalization payments are cash payments made in some federal systems of government from the federal government to subnational governments with the objective of offsetting differences in available revenue or in the cost of providing services. Many fe ...

and his subsequent

Anything But Conservative Anything But Conservative (french: À bas les conservateurs or ''N'importe quoi d'autre que conservateur''), also known as the ABC campaign and Vote ABC, is a political campaign which aims to defeat the Conservative Party of Canada, Conservativ ...

campaign during the

Canadian federal election This article provides a summary of results for Canadian general elections (where all seats are contested) to the House of Commons, the elected lower half of Canada's federal bicameral legislative body, the Parliament of Canada. The number of s ...

. ''Danny'' also documents Williams' early years, which coincided with Newfoundland's entry into the

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

, his career as a criminal lawyer as well as his success in business as the founder of

Cable Atlantic Cable Atlantic was a cable television provider serving much of the population of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The company's primary owner throughout its history was Danny Williams, although ownership was shared with other i ...

, before entering politics. Williams also pokes fun at himself in the film, appearing in a '' Godfather'' parody with Newfoundland actor

Gordon Pinsent Gordon Edward Pinsent (born July 12, 1930) is a Canadian actor, writer, director, and singer. He is known for his roles in numerous productions, including ''Away from Her'', ''The Rowdyman'', ''John and the Missus'', ''A Gift to Last'', '' Due So ...

. Co-director Simms has stated that their intention was not only to make a biographical documentary, "but to frame it within Newfoundland’s very up and down post-confederation relationship with Canada."

Release

The 84-minute film premiered in Halifax on September 13, 2014, at the

Atlantic Film Festival FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival (known as The Atlantic International Film Festival until 2017) is a major international film festival held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada since 1980. FIN is the largest Canadian film festival eas ...

. It then screened at Arts and Culture Centres across Newfoundland and Labrador, starting November 10, 2014. The film was selected to the 2015

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June ...

, screening as part of its Big Ideas Series, with Williams in attendance.

References

External links

* * 2014 films 2014 documentary films National Film Board of Canada documentaries Documentary films about Canadian politicians Politics of Newfoundland and Labrador Films set in Newfoundland and Labrador Films shot in Newfoundland and Labrador Films directed by William D. MacGillivray Films directed by Justin Simms 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films {{2010s-Canada-documentary-film-stub