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Film festival spotlight shines on NC grad, prof Christopher Bessette

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Trade of Innocents nominated for Best Picture

Writer/ director Christopher Bessette has a new reason to believe in second chances, with several new award nominations announced for his 2012 film Trade of Innocents.

The film – which raises awareness of child exploitation through human trafficking, starring  Academy Award-winning actor Mira Sorvino and Dermot Mulroney – has been nominated for Best Picture at the  Canadian International Faith and Family Film Festival (CIFF), which will take place in Toronto between September 14 and 16 – and that’s not all. Bessette, who is a Broadcasting graduate of Niagara College as well as a current part-time faculty member, has been nominated for Best Director for the film. Two cast members have also earned nomination for roles in the film, including Mira Sorvino (Best Lead Actress) and Trieu Tran (Best Supporting Actor).

Bessette will also take the stage as part of a festival panel discussion, along with Star Wars Academy Award winner Roger Christian, producer Cindy Bond of Mission Pictures International, TV executive Isaac Hernandez of UpLiftTV/Parables, producer and film historian Paul Burford, and screenwriter John Patus of Left Behind.

Christopher Bessette (photo by Robert Nowell)

The film’s resurgence at the festival came as a surprise to Bessette, who has built up a career as a multiple-award winning filmmaker, motion picture writer/director/producer, and author since graduating from NC’s Broadcasting program in 1984, and has been a part-time faculty member at the College since 2013.

“I am not entirely sure why this happened after all these years but I am grateful because of the subject the movie represents and all of the passion and hard work every single crew and cast member poured into it,” said Bessette.

“I am excited about the nomination. The significance is slowly setting in,” he said. “There are a lot of great new films at the festival and we are in the mix. It is extraordinary.”

Trade of Innocents has won awards in the past. Bessette received Best Director and Best Drama award for the film at the 2012 Breckenridge film Festival in Colorado and the film was the focus of a symposium on human trafficking at Yale University.

Besides raising awareness about human trafficking, the film which has itself become an instrument to save lives. At one of the only public screenings in Canada, it raised $43,000 to rescue girls from human traffic trade in one night. “800 people showed up and the organization that promoted it was hoping to raise $12,000 to rescue 10 girls from the human traffic trade,” he said. “What do you think happened? $43K was donated in one night!  Money kept rolling in and by the end of the month a total of $76,000 was received.”

The festival is “a wonderful way to see the movie on the big screen,” he noted.

Trade of Innocents plays at the festival on September 15 at 4 p.m. Bessette is scheduled for a Q& A following the movie. On September 16 at 2 p.m., he will participate in the industry panel. For tickets visit filmfreeway.com/cifflix/tickets

The second annual Canadian International Faith and Family Film Festival (CIFF) takes place at Innis College, University of Toronto September 14-16 and is making its mark with an over the top group of nominated films from around the world. Visit www.cifflix.com

About Bessette

Bessette grew up in Thorold on his family’s 200-acre farm where he currently resides today. He first became interested in a career in the film industry while he was a Broadcasting student at Niagara College during the early 1980s. Since his College graduation, Bessette built an international career in the television and film industry which has led him cross Canada, the U.S.and Europe, as well to Central America, Russia and Southeast Asia.

In addition to Trade of Innocents (2012) which he directed and wrote, his feature films include and The Enemy God (2008) which he directed, that spans 50 years of an Amazonian tribe. He also wrote, directed and produced the documentary Niagara: Thunder of the Waters (2016). His novel The Mythamohre was published in 2013.

Bessette has won two Best Director awards and 10 Best Picture Awards and his work has been seen on screens around the world. In 2012, he was nominated by Niagara College for a Premier’s Award in Creative Arts and Design.

Bessette has been passing on his valuable skills and experience to the next generation of film and television industry professionals at Niagara College since 2013. He currently teaches two courses: Dramatic Scriptwriting, and Directing for the Screen.

For info visit his website at christopherbessette.com

Related articles

Prof Christopher Bessette’s new doc to air Dec. 7 (December 2016)

March grad spotlight: Filmmaker, author Christopher Bessette (March 2014)

Chapters to host Bessette book-signing event Jan. 25 (January 2014)

Niagara College nominates five outstanding alumni for Premier’s Awards (November 2012)

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