| The Sparky Book | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mary Lewis |
| Written by | Mary Lewis |
| Produced by | Annette Clarke |
| Starring | Maggie Hickey Joel Thomas Hynes Leah Lewis Gordon Pinsent |
| Cinematography | Eli M. Yonova |
| Edited by | Lawrence Jackman Mary Lewis |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 14 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $CAD274,000 (estimated) |
The Sparky Book is a 2006 animated/live-action short film by Newfoundland filmmaker Mary Lewis, about the near-death of a young girl who undergoes heart transplant surgery, and the death of her beloved pet dog, Sparky.[1]
The story is based on the experiences of the director's own sister, Leah, who had two kidney transplants as a child. Michael Winter wrote a short story The Sparky Book after their dog had died. Director Lewis then loosely based her film on the short story. The film is narrated by a goldfish, voiced by Gordon Pinsent, with voice of Sparky by Joel Thomas Hynes. Leah Lewis appears in the film as "Bridget," a character based upon herself.[2][3]
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, the film received the Golden Sheaf Award for best experimental film and the Bill Boyle Award for Excellence in Screenwriting at Flicks: Saskatchewan International Youth Film Festival.[4] In 2008, The Sparky Book was the sole film from Newfoundland and Labrador to be selected for CBC TV's "Short Film Faceoff", a six-part series showcasing films from Atlantic Canada.[2][3]