Heart of the Sun

Heart of the Sun
Directed byFrancis Damberger
Written byKim Hogan
Based onJennie's Story by Betty Lambert
Produced byJohn Danylkiw
Kim Hogan
StarringChristianne Hirt
Shaun Johnston
Michael Riley
CinematographyPeter Wunstorf
Edited byLenka Svab
Music bySimon Kendall
Production
company
Dancing Stones Film Production
Release date
  • August 30, 1998 (1998-08-30) (MWFF)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Heart of the Sun is a Canadian drama film, directed by Francis Damberger and released in 1998.[1] Based on the play Jennie's Story by Betty Lambert, the film explores the controversial Sexual Sterilization Act of Alberta through the story of Jennie (Christianne Hirt), a woman trying to have a baby with her husband Harry (Shaun Johnston) who learns that she was forcibly sterilized as a teenager.[2]

The film premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival in 1998.[3]

Hirt won the award for Best Actress at the Alberta Film and Television Awards in 1999,[4] and screenwriter Kim Hogan was nominated for the Genie Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 20th Genie Awards.[5]

  1. ^ "HEART of the SUN: Calgary actress is touching, compelling as woman haunted by her past". Calgary Herald, June 4, 1999.
  2. ^ "Nothing much new under this Sun: Drama about Alberta's enforced-sterilization policies hampered by pedestrian direction". The Globe and Mail, May 31, 1999.
  3. ^ "Here is today's World Film Festival lineup". Montreal Gazette, August 30, 1998.
  4. ^ "Calgarians win 15 TV, film awards". Calgary Herald, April 25, 1999.
  5. ^ "Made in Canada?: Less stringent rules for qualification have brought more foreign names and co-productions on to the nominations list, but this year's Genie Awards still feature a strong, very Canadian field of contenders". Vancouver Sun, December 8, 1999.