Screenwriting C.V. & Selected Credits

PAUL QUARRINGTON
AUTHOR / SCREENWRITER / DIRECTOR / STORY EDITOR

Representation

Sarah Cooper
The Saint Agency
416-944-8200
sarah@thesaintagency.com

Paul Quarrington is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker. He has written ten novels. King Leary won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and Canada Reads 2008; Whale Music was given the Governor General?s Award for Fiction. Whale Music was also made into a feature film, directed by Richard J. Lewis and starring Maury Chaykin. Quarrington?s other novels include the cult favourite Home Game, Civilization and The Spirit Cabinet. Galveston, about people who like to get in the way of extreme weather, was published in 2004 by Random House Canada to great acclaim, and was shortlisted for the prestigious Giller Prize. The Ravine was published by Random House in March 2008.

Quarrington has also published four books of non-fiction: Hometown Heroes, Fishing With My Old Guy and The Boy On The Back of the Turtle, and a collection of angling essays, From the Far Side of the River. His next, The Song, is due from Greystone Books in 2009.

Quarrington?s works for the stage include two musicals for children (So You Think You?re Mozart, music by Louis Applebaum, and Heavenfields, music by Glenn Buhr), two one-acts (Checkout Time, The Heart in the Bottle) as well as the full-length plays The Second, The Invention of Poetry and Dying Is Easy.

Quarrington has written or contributed to five theatrical screenplays: Men with Brooms (story, dir. Paul Gross), the afore-mentioned Whale Music, Camilla (directed by Deepa Mehta, starring Jessica Tandy and Bridget Fonda), Perfectly Normal (dir: Yves Simoneau, co-written with Eugene Lipinsky), winner of the Genie for Best Screenplay, and Giant Steps (dir: Richard Rose). He has also directed three short films: Mump and Smoot in ?The Princess Who Wouldn?t Smile?, Moon and Mann and A Man?s Life, which was awarded a Golden Sheaf Award in 2002 for Best Comedy.

Quarrington has also written for television. His credits include Due South, John Woo?s Once a Thief, Power Play (writer & executive story editor), The Counsellors, Tom Stone and 1-800 Missing (writer and creative producer). Television movie and mini-series credits include writing The Cloud for CBC, story editing Cradle Will Fall and Keep Your Head Up: the Don Cherry Story for Barna-Alper, and Marie Hood Has a Secret for Duopoly/Barna Alper.

He served as head writer for the Showcase series, Moose TV, which was nominated for a CFTPA Indie Award for Best Comedy. He has also worked extensively as a story editor and script consultant. Current projects include writing a screenplay for his novel The Ravine, co-writing a movie with acclaimed director Peter Lynch, and completing a new book, The Song.

As a musician, Quarrington tours extensively with the blues- roots band Porkbelly Futures and writes much of their quirky original material.

Selected Film & Television Credits

Pavane, Screenwriter Director, Fizzy Dreams, Crush Inc., BookShorts Inc / BravoFACT / CBC
23 Questions?. Writer Sphinx Productions
Rainforest Gold Writer NFB
Keep Your Head Up: Story Editor and Barna Alper Productions / CBC
The Don Cherry Story consultant / CBC
Men With Brooms Co-Creator and ? hr comedy series in development with Writer Serendipity / CBC
Moose TV Writer and ? hour comedy series Exec. Story Editor Rezolution Films / Showcase
Changing Houses Writer and Drama series in development with Co-Creator Alberta Film Works. Co-created with
Nino Ricci & Erika de Vasconcelos
Puck Hogs Story Editor Feature in development with Protocol Ent.
Call Forward Story Consultant Feature; Protocol Entertainment
Whiskey Echo Story Editor Miniseries; Barna Alper Productions /CBC
1-800 Missing Writer and Hour long drama series; NDG
Creative Producer Productions / Lion?s Gate
Cradle Will Fall Writer MOW; Barna Alper Productions
Chilly Beach Writer and ? hour animated comedy series. Story Consultant March Entertainment / CBC
Tom Stone Writer Hour long drama series; Alberta Film Works / CBC
Men With Brooms Story Consultant Feature starring Paul Gross. Whizbang/Serendipity Point Films
Power Play Writer and Exec. Story Editor Serendipity Point Films / NDG Productions / Alliance Atlantis / CTV WGC Award
John Woo?s Once a Thief Writer Alliance / NDG Productions / CTV
A Man?s Life Writer/Director Short; Moondog Films
Mann Over Moon Writer/Director Short; Fizzy Dreams Inc. Producer
Due South Writer, Program Drama Series; Alliance-Atlantis / Consultant CTV / CBS; Gemini Nomination Best Writing
Mump and Smoot in the Princess Who Wouldn?t Smile Director Short, Canadian Film Centre
Camilla Writer Feature; directed by Deepa Mehta and starring Jessica Tandy. Majestic Films / Shaftesbury / British Screen
Whale Music Co-Writer Feature, Alliance / Cape Scott; Genie Award Best Song
Giant Steps Co-Writer Feature; OB & D Films
Perfectly Normal Co-Writer Feature; BSB / Bialystock & Bloom /
Skyhost; Genie Award Best Screenplay

Novels

The Service – 1978
Home Game – 1983
The Life of Hope ? 1985
King Leary ? 1987; Stephen Leacock Award for Humour in 1987; Finalist for Trillium Book Award; Winner Canada Reads 2008
Whale Music – 1989; Governor General?s Literary Award for English Language Fiction in Canada
Logan in Overtime – 1990
Civilization – 1994
The Spirit Cabinet – 1999
Galveston ? 2004; Short-Listed for The Giller Prize
The Ravine – 2008

Non-Fiction

Hometown Heroes: On the Road With Canada’s National Hockey Team – 1988
Fishing With My Old Guy – 1995
Original Six – True Stories from Hockey’s Classic Era – 1996
The Boy On the Back of the Turtle ? 1997; Short-Listed for Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour; Short-Listed for Trillium Book Award
Fishing for Brookies, Browns & Bows: The Old Guy’s Compleat Guide to Catching Trout – 2001
From the Far Side of the River – 2003

Plays

The Second – 1981
The Invention of Poetry – 1989
Checkout Time – 1997
Dying is Easy – 1997

Music

Pork Belly Futures; Way Past Midnight CD 2004 …is a masterful effort distinguished by
some exceptionally colourful and unusual songs and an authoritative dedication to
fundamental folk, roots and blues grooves.? ?? Toronto Star
Porkbelly Futures; Porkbelly Futures, CD 2008

Paul Quarrington

Paul Quarrington portrait

In May 2009, Paul was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. From May 2009 to January 2010 he channeled his prodigious creative energy into the completion of many artistic endeavours, including his first solo CD release “Paul Quarrington: The Songs,” the third PorkBellys Futures CD release, his memoir “Cigar Box Banjo: Notes on Music and Life” for Greystone Books, the documentary film “Paul Quarrington: Life in Music” (BookShorts / CTV Bravo) and so much more.

His brave journey ended on January 21, 2010. He passed peacefully at home in Toronto surrounded by friends and family.

The Quarrington Arts Society has been established in honour of the inspiration Paul’s life and work continues to provide for artists who seek expression in many disciplines – for information about the organization and its mandate, please visit http://www.quarringtonartsociety.ca

Paul Quarrington was a musician, acclaimed non-fiction writer and novelist, an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, and an educator extra-ordinaire.

His novel The Ravine (2008) was long-listed for the Scotiabank Giller Prize; his previous novel Galveston (2004) was short-listed for the Giller. Quarrington won the Stephen Leacock Award for King Leary, a title that also won the 2008 Canada Reads competition. Whale Music won the Governor General’s Award for Fiction and was one of several of his novels already adapted or currently being adapted as feature films.

His non-fiction writing includes books on some of his favourite pastimes such as fishing, hockey and music; his memoir Cigar Box Banjo: Notes on Music and Life, is published by Greystone Books (May 29, 2010). He regularly contributed book reviews, travel columns and journalism to Canada’s national newspapers and magazines, winning or co-winning more than 30 Gold awards. His screenplays and story editing won many awards, including the CFPTA Indie Award for Comedy for the series Moose TV.

Throughout his career he was in high demand as a story editor for Canadian and American feature films and television. Paul’s filmmaking talents as writer / director are evident in his BookShorts film, Pavane (2008), which he adapted from his novel The Ravine; it was featured in the national tour of Moving Stories Film Festival, won a Remi Platinum Award for adaptation at Houston’s WorldFest, was juried in several other US film festivals, and was broadcast in Canada on Bravo!FACT Presents and CBC Reflections.

As a musician, he played in the band Porkbelly Futures for more than ten years; the band’s first CD Way Past Midnight was extremely well received, their self-titled second CD was released to even more popular acclaim; and a third release will be available in 2010. From 2008, Paul increasingly returned to the performance circuit as solo vocalist on guitar; his first solo CD release “Paul Quarrington: The Songs” is available June 8, 2010 from Cordova Bay.

Paul taught creative writing at Humber College for more than 20 years (in the program founded by Joe Kertes, Quarrington and colleague Wayson Choy); he also taught at University of Toronto. His seminars on adapting books for the screen and creative writing were constantly presented by institutions and festivals in across Canada.

He sat on the Board of Directors for the Fringe Theatre Festival, and was mentor to BookShorts Inc. since the company’s first short film release (2005) through to the company’s production of Paul’s biographical feature documentary film Paul Quarrington: Life in Music (Dir. Bert Kish, for CTV Bravo) which will be broadcast May 29 and 30, 2010. Nipissing University bestowed him a Doctor of Letters PhD (posthumously) in June 2010.

Quarrington enjoyed his ranking as an (extremely) amateur magician and would-be mariner. He is survived by his two children, Carson Lara and Flannery Quarrington.

eNews & Updates

Blogroll