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Old Boys' News

Old Boys’ movie receives 10 nominations

Described by one reviewer as, “The zombie movie we need right now,” Blood Quantum, co-produced by Selwyn House Old Boys Rob Vroom ’97 and John Christou '95 has received 10 nominations in the upcoming Canadian Screen Awards, including nods for Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography. Only the runaway hit Schitt’s Creek garnered more nominations in the awards show, which will take place on May 30.
 
“I am thrilled about the CSA nominations we received for Blood Quantum,” says Rob. “It was quite the undertaking, and am proud of what we accomplished. The visionary behind the project is Jeff Barnaby, a Mi'gmaq filmmaker from the Listuguj First Nation. Jeff wrote, directed, edited and composed the music for BQ.
 
“Jeff's first feature film was Rhymes for Young Ghouls, which addressed the issues of residential schools," says Rob. "Blood Quantum was in development for over 12 years before it went into production. I joined the project in late 2017 as we headed into pre-production, to produce alongside John Christou.”
 
The movie was shot on the Kahnawake First Nation reserve and in Jeff’s home town of Listuguj, as well as in some parts of Montreal.
 
“After attending the American Film Institute and getting my MFA in cinematography in 2007, I stayed in Los Angeles and shot a fair amount in the comedy world. I founded my own production company, Vroom Productions, in 2012 to begin producing independent film. My first feature was Three Night Stand, directed by Pat Kiely and starring Emmanuelle Chriqui, Megan Rath and Sam Huntington. Our sophomore feature was Another Kind of Wedding, again directed by Pat Kiely and starring Kathleen Turner, Wallace Shawn, Jessica Paré, Kevin Zegers and Luke Kirby.
 
“Since the release of Blood Quantum, I have taken over running Prospector Films, the production company founded by John Christou. John has taken a full-time position at the National Film Board. I have several projects in development, including a fully financed feature film about a lesbian teen love story that takes place in a Jehovah’s Witness community in the Gaspé. We go to camera in the fall. Other projects include a coming-of-age comedy about a recent undergrad trying to find her place in life and writing jokes for an up-and-coming comedian; a surf noir TV series set in Tofino that follows a cop investigating the disappearance of her sister; an adaptation of my wife’s book, Prude, that follows the story of a middle-aged couple and their teenage kids navigating the tricky subject of porn; and a few others.
 
“When not pursuing the more auteur, independent driven projects, I also produce television movies for networks such as Lifetime and Hallmark. The current project is a Hallmark Christmas movie that we are shooting in May.”
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