| A Little Fellow from Gambo: The Joey Smallwood Story | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Julian Biggs |
| Written by | Julian Biggs |
| Produced by | Julian Biggs |
| Starring | Joey Smallwood |
| Narrated by | Budd Knapp |
| Cinematography | Paul Leach |
| Edited by | Bud Neate Ken Page (sound) |
| Music by | Eldon Rathburn |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 56 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
A Little Fellow from Gambo: The Joey Smallwood Story is a 1970 documentary film directed by Julian Biggs for the National Film Board of Canada in 1970.[1]
The film is a lively portrait of Joey Smallwood, the first premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, a controversial and powerful politician who became known as the "last living Father of Confederation" for his role in negotiating the admission of Newfoundland and Labrador as a Canadian province in 1949.[2] Following Smallwood during a two-and-a-half-month period that included a stormy Liberal leadership convention, the film reveals a man misunderstood even by his close associates.[3]
The film, which was screened at the 1971 Stratford Film Festival,[4] won three Canadian Film Awards at the 22nd Canadian Film Awards, for Best Public Affairs Film, Best Direction in a Non-Feature (Biggs) and Best Actor in a Non-Feature (Smallwood).[5]
The choice of Smallwood, who was simply being himself in a documentary film, as the recipient of an acting award was justified by the award organizers on the grounds that Smallwood's flamboyant and charismatic personality made him a "distinguished natural actor".[5]