Sam Grana Canadian film producer
Saverio "Sam" Grana
Born Saverio Grana
Italy
Notable work Train of Dreams and The Boys of St. Vincent
Saverio "Sam " Grana is a Canadian television and film producer and screenwriter,[ 1] most noted for the film Train of Dreams [ 2] and the television miniseries The Boys of St. Vincent .[ 3]
Career
For much of his career he was associated with the National Film Board of Canada , for whom he was one of the originators alongside directors Giles Walker and John N. Smith of the studio's 1980s foray into "alternative drama" docufiction filmmaking.[ 1] He was also a producer of Smith's Academy Award -nominated short film First Winter .[ 4]
He left the NFB in the 1990s and was briefly executive director of Film NB, the provincial filmmaking agency in New Brunswick , from March 1997 until resigning in August 1998.[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] He then formed his own production firm, Grana Productions, for which his projects included the documentary television series Eastern Tide , and the films Geraldine's Fortune and Black Eyed Dog .[ 8]
At the 9th Genie Awards in 1988, Train of Dreams was a nominee for Best Picture , and Grana was a nominee alongside Smith and Sally Bochner for Best Screenplay .[ 9] At the 8th Gemini Awards in 1994, Grana, Smith and Des Walsh won the Gemini Award for Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries for The Boys of St. Vincent .[ 10]
He has also had a small number of acting roles,[ 1] most notably as Alex Rossi in Walker's docufiction trilogy The Masculine Mystique , 90 Days [ 11] and The Last Straw .[ 12] He also appeared in The Boys of St. Vincent , in the minor role of Monsignor Forucco.[ 13]
References
1 2 3 "Producer finds a new act in front of the cameras". Toronto Star , October 8, 1987.
↑ "'Guerrilla cinema' tells of hope; NFB film highlights caring correctional system for young offenders". Ottawa Citizen , June 15, 1988.
↑ "Filmmaker aims for truth in preparing Newfoundland drama". Ottawa Citizen , May 19, 1992.
↑ Ian MacLeod, "Roughing it with Valley settlers" . Ottawa Citizen , March 22, 1980.
↑ Swedko, Pam (24 August 1998). "Grana exits Film NB" . Playback . Brunico Communications. Retrieved 4 February 2017 .
↑ "New Brunswick may rival Vancouver as the new film capital". Vancouver Sun , July 11, 1997.
↑ "Film NB boss quits". Telegraph-Journal , August 19, 1998.
↑ "Fargo with a Miramichi accent; Producer Sam Grana says film could be a breakthrough for New Brunswick talent". Telegraph-Journal , October 25, 2005.
↑ "Quebec film picks up 14 nominations: Zoo paces race for Genies". The Globe and Mail , February 17, 1988.
↑ "CBC's Boys of St. Vincent wins two more Geminis". Montreal Gazette , March 6, 1994.
↑ "90 Days is an exception to the NFB rule". Montreal Gazette , September 13, 1985.
↑ "90 Days sequel set for Cannes". Ottawa Citizen , July 12, 1986.
↑ "An emotionally corrosive tour de force". The Globe and Mail , December 7, 1992.
↑ "Genie films are coming on strong". Toronto Star , February 14, 1986.