Julia Has Two Lovers

JULIA HAS TWO LOVERS

Fiction, Comedy, 86:16 min, 1990, 35mm, colour, NTSC.

Synopsis

This is a movie about truth and fantasy.

The truth is... All of us have fantasies. What if one day you answered the phone and it was someone you only imagined. Telling you things you thought you’d never hear. Making you say things you thought you never could. Making you feel things you thought you never would. Like anything is possible. And the possibility exists for anything. Like something exciting is about to happen. And whatever happens will be exciting.

Love is never an easy matter for any of us, but for Julia (Daphna Kastner) it has always been a particular problem. Living on the beach in Venice, California with her lover Jack (David Charles) in what has turned into a solid but stale relationship, she receives a phone call from Daniel (David Duchovy) who claims he has called her by mistake. The two have a mesmerizing time talking and Julia sets her sights on meeting him. Sure enough, he is even better in person. What is a woman to do? Stay in the safe, comfortable relationship she has or risk it all for what this new man has to offer?

Cast & Crew

STARRING: DAPHNA KASTNER, DAVID DUCHOVNY, DAVID CHARLES
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: C.H. LEHENHOF, RANDALL DAVIS
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: JANET CUNNINGHAM
PRODUCER: BASHAR SHBIB
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: STEPHEN REIZES
CAMERA: GEZA SINKOVICS, STEPHEN REIZES
ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE : EMILIO KAUDERER, TIM RAY
EDITOR: BASHAR SHBIB, DAN FOEGELLE
SOUND : AL SAMUELS
ORIGINAL STORY : DAPHNA KASTNER
SCREENPLAY : DAPHNA KASTNER, BASHAR SHBIB
DIRECTOR : BASHAR SHBIB

Lana in Love

LANA IN LOVE

Fiction, 90:00 min, 1991, 35mm, colour, NTSC.

Synopsis

Once the ad ran in the "personals" you'd think that Lana (Daphna Kastner) would just sit back and choose from the young men who'd come calling. Well, think again!

Unfortunately for Lana, she encounters Marty (Clark Gregg), a cocky, beer-guzzling plumber who is sent to Lana's address by mistake. He thinks he's stumbled upon a beautiful young business woman's attempts to seduce him. And she thinks he's the doctor that responded to her ad – although, with his tool kit in hand and his name printed on his shirt, he’s a bit different than what she imagined.

When the real doctor (Ivan Roth) calls, life for Lana becomes even more complicated. What follows is a hilarious adventure of failed romance and twisted human relationships. Will Lana get her pipes checked? Will Marty get his tool kit back? Does it really pay to advertise?

"...A very touching and extremely wonky portrait of a bizarre love affair... Shbib and Kastner pull it off with wit and charm."
Noah Cowan, Toronto Eye

"...Lana goes for the laughs"
Norman Witner, The Toronto Star

"...An amusing tale of mistaken identity...Clark Gregg makes an impressive screen debut..."
Suzan Ayscough, Weekly Variety

Cast & Crew

STARRING : DAPHNA KASTNER, CLARK GREGG, SUSAN EYTON-JONES, IVAN E. ROTH
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER : JANET CUNNINGHAM
PRODUCED BY : BASHAR SHBIB
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY : STEPHEN REIZES
EDITORS : MEIYEN CHAN, BASHAR SHBIB
SOUND: CLIFFORD "KIP" GYNN
ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE : HARRY MAYRONNE JR.
SCREENPLAY : BASHAR SHBIB, DAPHNA KASTNER
ART DIRECTOR : JANET CUNNINGHAM
DIRECTED BY : BASHAR SHBIB

Love $ Greed

LOVE $ GREED

Fiction, Comedy, 80:38 min, 1991, 35mm, colour, NTSC.

Synopsis

Robert and Alexandra (Franck Bruynbroek, Melissa White) haven’t had the best marriage. Living separately for quite some time, they are stunned to find out that an eccentric uncle Leopold has left them $23 million. But there's one condition, they have to produce a child within one year. That news doesn't exactly cheer their current mates, Suzie (Lori Eastside) and Ted (Dick Monday); but the foursome are willing to give it a try.

They all move into Leopold's mansion to conceive the "money baby", with a certified witness (David Charles), the uncle's devoted butler (Ivan Roth) and a gaggle of therapists in tow. They might not produce a child, but you can be sure there will be plenty of laughs when the foursome show both their love and their greed.

"...a funny movie about lust, love and greed... (Melissa) White is a natural."
Suzan Ayscough, Variety

"...une histoire abracadabrante..." (...an abracadabra story...)
Héléne de Billy, L'Actualité

« Du gros rire...” ( Big laughs...)
Serge Dussault, La Presse

Cast & Crew

STARRING : FRANK BRUYNBROEK, MELISSA WHITE, DICK MONDAY, LORI EASTSIDE, DAVID CHARLES, IVAN E. ROTH
SCREENPLAY BY : BASHAR SHBIB, GABOR ZSIGOVICS
ART DIRECTOR : JANET CUNNINGHAM
EDITOR : FLORENCE MOUREAUX
MUSIC : EMILIO KAUDERER
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY : STEPHEN REIZES
SOUND : ALAN SAMUELS
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER : JANET CUNNINGHAM
PRODUCER, DIRECTOR : BASHAR SHBIB

Draghoula

DRAGHOULA

Fiction, Comedy, Horror, 84:30 min, 1995, 35mm, colour, NTSC.

Synopsis

Harry (Chriss Lee) is a young, Jewish scientist who lives with his overprotective and overbearing mother, Ida (Victoria Barkoff). He spends most of his time in his laboratory trying to isolate the guilt gene, using live rats for his tests.

When the laboratory administration announces a major budget cut, he can no longer afford the number of rats he needs to continue his research. But Harry does not despair; he finds an agency that supplies rats from Transylvania at a very low price. When he is bitten by one of these specimens, his quiet life takes quite a radical turn…

Henceforth, Harry undergoes a nightly transformation into Draghoula, a vampire in drag who roams the streets in search of fresh, human blood. This daily metamorphosis does not go unnoticed by Harry’s mother, nor his co-worker, Sabrina (Stephanie Seidle), who is secretly in love with him. Convinced they are each the only ones that hold the key to returning Harry to his original state, they both set out, in turn, to save him.

Cast & Crew

STARRING : STEPHANIE SEIDLE, CHRISS LEE, ROBYN LANE, VICTORIA BARKOFF, BOBO VIAN
ART DIRECTOR : GABOR ZSIGOVICS
CAMERA / DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION : JAY FERGUSON
EDITOR : MEIYEN CHAN
WARDROBE : CLAIRE NADON
MAKE-UP & HAIR : CLELIA MARSADIE
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR : KARINE ZERBÉ
SOUND : ERIC ZIMMER
MUSIC : TALAMASCA, SASSY SCARLET
SCREENPLAY : BASHAR SHBIB
POST PRODUCTION : FILM HOUSE LABORATORIES
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER : RICHARD GOUDREAU
PRODUCER, WRITER, DIRECTOR : BASHAR SHBIB

THIS FILM IS PRODUCED WITH THE FINANCIAL PARTICIPATION OF: TELEFILM CANADA

The Perfumer

THE PERFUMER

Fiction, Comedy, 80:17 min, 1997, 35mm, colour, NTSC.

Synopsis

Edward Pinchbeck (Jimeoin), a thirty-five-year-old professional perfumer who owns a modest perfume boutique, lives reclusively with his pet parakeet and enjoys discussing the virtues of pheromones and musky secretions. Due to being extremely shy around women, Edward is secretly in love with his overpaid and underworked store clerk Daisy (Iona Brindle) who steadfastly remains uninterested in him. Edward’s drab life drastically changes when, one day, he stumbles across an orchid with an astonishing scent. Determined to get a cutting form the flower, Edward is thwarted by his old acquaintance, plant geneticist Millicent Hedgerow (Diane Carlson). She is the president of the local flower society and is paired along with her officious German secretary, Roland Kemp (Gregor von Bismarck).

Undeterred, Edward finally succeeds in stealing a piece of the orchid and concocts a perfume from its petals. The newly fabricated perfume, bizarrely enough, is an aphrodisiac with an overpowering effect on those who are exposed to it. Edward, now irresistible to men and women alike, unleashes upon a series of sexual misadventures involving Roland, Millicent, Daisy, her biker boyfriend and a group of orgy-minded customers who invade Edward’s boutique.

The perfumer is a madcap comedy guaranteed to change the way you smell perfume.

Cast & Crew

STARRING: JIMEOIN, DIANE CARLSON, IONA BRINDLE, GREGOR VON BISMARCK
ART DIRECTORS: MARIE-HÉLÈNE PANISSET, ROBIN ANDREW PATERSON
CAMERA / DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEX MARGINEANU
EDITOR: DAVID CRIPTON
SOUND: ALAIN TREMBLAY
ORIGINAL MUSIC: JEAN-FRANÇOIS FABIANO
SCREENPLAY: DIANE CARLSON, BASHAR SHBIB
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: ANDREW MAKAREWICZ, MICHEL ZGARKA
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: PIERRE LATOUR
PRODUCER & DIRECTOR: BASHAR SHBIB

THIS FILM IS PRODUCED WITH THE FINANCIAL PARTICIPATION OF:
TELEFILM CANADA
SOCIÉTÉ DE DÉVELOPPEMENT DES ENTREPRISES CULTURELLES (SODEC)
GOUVERNEMENT DU QUÉBEC (Programme du Crédit d'Impôt)
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA (Tax Credit Program)

Hot Sauce

HOT SAUCE

Fiction, Comedy, 80:58 min, 1997, 35mm, colour, NTSC.

Synopsis

Following the adventures of the B-movie director, Bill Gabriel Young (Bashar Shbib), Hot Sauce explores the sensation of taste. Suffering from amnesia after being mugged and knocked unconscious, Bill attempts to piece his life together. With the help of his friend Bella (Susan Eyton-Jones), he inadvertently discovers that spicy foods help him to regain his early memories bit by bit. His subsequent hot-food binges, however, only serve to reveal that his forgotten life may not be worth remembering. Told with humor and wisdom by Bill's daughter Tanya (Maïa Nadon-Chbib), the story mixes straightforward narrative with documentary-style interviews of people from the filmmaker’s past.

As the different accounts unfold, a common theme emerges : each person casts Bill in an unflattering light - as a shady and insensitive man who has little (if any) talent in his chosen field. In despair over these revelations, Bill is ultimately saved by Tanya, whose open and unqualified acceptance and love convince him that some things in life are definitely worth remembering.

Cast & Crew

STARRING : BASHAR SHBIB, SUSAN EYTON-JONES, MAÏA NADON-CHBIB, IONA BRINDLE, GREGOR VON BISMARCK, GEOFF DEADMAN, ROBYN LANE, LYNNE ROSENFELD, DONALD ROSENFELD SR., JAY FERGUSON, ALEXANDRA WOODWARD, MARK HOUGHTON, GABOR ZSIGOVICS, CLARK GREGG, HÉLÈNE VERRIER
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER : PIERRE LATOUR
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY : JAY FERGUSON
EDITOR : HEIDI HAINES
SOUND: ANTOINE DURAND
ORIGINAL MUSIC : JEAN-FRANÇOIS FABIANO
ART DIRECTOR : KARINE ZERBÉ
SCREENPLAY & STORY : BASHAR SHBIB
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER : MICHEL ZGARKA
PRODUCER / DIRECTOR : BASHAR SHBIB

Silent Men

SILENT MEN

Fiction, Comedy, 87 min, 2005, DV, colour, PAL.

Synopsis

What’s a girl to do when her biological clock is ticking, yet marriage and a husband are the furthest thing from her mind? Silent Men follows the trials and tribulations of one very modern-minded young woman, Patricia (Alexandra Woodward), as she tries to plan out her foray into motherhood. With some help she enlists her best friend, Liam (Neil McDonough), with whom she video-interviews dozens of men to find a suitable potential father for her child. But there’s a catch: the relationship must only be platonic! In the end she will choose the obvious candidate...

“How many silent men will I meet before the right one speaks to me?”

“Every woman thinks she has a soul-mate and sometimes she doesn't find one, so how do you plan to have children with a strange man without compromising your beliefs?”

“A film where men weep and women laugh.”

"But tired rockumentary format, broad perks, limited laughs and a truly irritating protagonist - whom one suspects these/longtime Shbib collaborator Alexandra Woodward meant to be more charming than obnoxious - give this marginal item an irksome vanity project scent. Commercial prospects will be, like Woodward's necklines, plunging."
Dennis Harvey, Variety

Cast & Crew

STARRING : ALEXANDRA WOODWARD, NEAL McDONOUGH
SOUND : BASHAR SHBIB, GABY LAJEUNESSE
MUSIC : THE FREE OXYGEN BAND
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY : KARINE ZERBÉ
EDITOR : EYAD HAMAM
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS : ALEXANDRA WOODWARD, CARLOS SOUSA, MAÏA NADON-CHBIB
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER : FAROUK S. CHEBIB
WRITER PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR : BASHAR SHBIB
ALSO STARRING : KATHERINE KOUSI, JOE FLANIGAN, TRAVIS SHAKESPEARE, LEONARD KLADY, ADAM LINDEMANN, MICHAEL ROGERS, PETER TRAUGOTT, HARRY TIMATEO DALTON, NANCY MCNAMARA, TOM “BLISS“ LEVINTHAL, KRIS JORGENSEN, BARBARA LINDEMANN, STEPHEN HEGYES, VICTOR KING, BRIAN F. NAHAS, JASON R. FRASCA, DURK DEHNER, ANOUK STEINKE, TOM CROWL, LOUISA RIPPON, CHRIS HORAN, HILARY SEGAL, ADRIAN COHEN, NEIL FOURNIER, KENNON B. RAINES, THOMAS J. COLAVITO, RONNIE MARMO, JAMES HUGULEY, KARL GERHARDT

The Upside

THE UPSIDE

Fiction, Comedy, 76:40 min, 2009, HDV, colour, NTSC.

Synopsis

Dee (STEPHEN TAYLOR) and Jamie (XANIA KEANE) are two eccentric personalities. This is the story of the misadventures of two well-intentioned individuals who meet and fall clumsily in love.

Jamie’s insular world changes when Dee moves into the apartment close to where she keeps her trailer. The son of a desperate mother, Dee is tall and seductive. He is more timid and uncertain than Jamie. At the age of 30, Dee is finally moved to find someone for himself, with the obvious help of his mother, Janet (DOMINIQUE REMY-ROOT). When they are faced with their first meeting, the strange and secret world of Jamie becomes engaged with a more extravagant reality.

Dee’s relationship with his mother falls into complete dysfunction. Dee wants to be independent, but is unsure whether he will be able to survive without her. For this reason, when Janet informs her son that she has invited Jamie to dinner, Dee complains that she is trying to entangle Jamie into her maternal umbilical cord, along with himself.

Cast & Crew

STARRING: XANIA KEANE, STEPHEN TAYLOR, DOMINIQUE REMY-ROOT, SIMON BROWN, NIPSI BELLIAPA, MARLENE EDOYAN, JAMES MURRAY, STEPHEN DE OLIVEIRA, KIM PRANGLEY
ART DIRECTOR: MATT WEAVER
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KALE REUM
MUSIC: TRIKE
EDITOR: JIMMY BELLEMARE, GABRIEL BROWN
SOUND: STEPHEN DE OLIVEIRA
SCREENPLAY: ROBERT MURRAY
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS: ROBERT MURRAY, DAMON COX
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: MAÏA NADON-CHBIB
PRODUCER: BASHAR SHBIB
DIRECTOR: GABRIEL BROWN

Murder In Rock Island

MURDER IN ROCK ISLAND

Fiction, Comedy, 70:24 min, 2010, DV, colour, NTSC.

Synopsis

Jean (Krissy Longtin) and Kelly (Dustin Ruck), are two young lovers who are living through difficult times in their relationship. The trouble begins when, against her wishes, an old friend of Kelly’s named Lawson (Andrew Hopps) joins them in house-sitting for Jean’s mother (Kim Prangley). The adventure ends in death as the ghost of Jean’s father (Bashar Shbib) intervenes in the couple’s life, murder ensues in the little town of Rock Island, Canada.

Cast & Crew

STARRING: KRISSY LONGTIN, DUSTIN RUCK, ANDREW HOPPS, KIM PRANGLEY, BASHAR SHBIB
ART DIRECTOR: GEOFF KLEIN
EDITOR: GEOFF KLEIN, DANY FOSTER
SOUND : ROGER ORCAU
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GEOFF KLEIN
MUSIC : XANIA KEANE, ROBERT DONACHIE
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: SYLVAIN BROSSET
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: MAÏA NADON-CHBIB
WRITER, PRODUCER, DIRECTOR: BASHAR SHBIB
ALSO STARRING : KIM PRANGLEY, BASHAR SHBIB, GEOFF KLEIN

Aporia

APORIA

Fiction, Comedy, 72:15 min, 2015, HD, colour, NTSC.

Synopsis

Two Los Angeles sisters, Marguerite (Karen Sedgley) and Sabina (Nancy Wolfe) visit for the first time the city of Istanbul, Turkey to find their missing sister Ariel.

Ariel's pilgrimage led her to Istanbul, where she hoped to find answers to her current midlife crisis. Her diary, journaling her every location throughout this city, was left behind and became the sisters' sole lead into finding her.

While searching for her, they meet several characters who take them on their exploration throughout the city. The sisters are forced to re-assess their relationship while they search for Ariel.

Cast & Crew

STARRING : KAREN SEDGLEY, NANCY WOLFE, UGUR CAN GURSOZLU, ARTUN BINGOL, GONENC NIHAT DIRIK, BASHAR SHBIB
D.O.P / CAMERA : J.-P. FORTIN, EREN AYTEKIN, SYLVAIN BROSSET
SOUND RECORDISTS : UGUR CAN GURSOZLU, EMMANUEL CAMPEAU, VICTOR CHAN
EDITORS : ROBERT DONACHIE, J.-P. FORTIN
MUSIC: MURAT DOGAN
PRODUCTION MANAGER : UGUR CAN GURSOZLU
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER : SYLVAIN BROSSET
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS : MAIA NADON-CHBÏB, HARALABOS SUGLERIS
PRODUCERS : BASHAR SHBIB, J.-P. FORTIN
WRITER, DIRECTOR : BASHAR SHBIB
ALSO STARRING : UGUR CAN GURSOZLU, BASHAR SHBIB, ARTUN BINGOL, GONENC NIHAT DIRIK

JULIA HAS TWO LOVERS

a Bashar Shbib film