Outward Gate

Arthur and Frederick are polar opposites. But they are both introspective and struggling with inner conflicts. Arthur looks to the stars for answers; Frederick searches for meaning in nature.

Through a chance mix up of their photographic receipts they gain new appreciation for one another, insight, and the possibility of friendship.

Creative team

Writer/producer: Stephen Kunc
Director: Katherine Fitzgerald

Personal statement

Katherine Fitzgerald says:

“Outward Gate is the second film collaboration between writer/producer Steven Kunc and me. Funded by Bravo!FACT, this time we had a bigger budget, worked with ACTRA, and experienced delivering to a broadcaster.

Outward Gate is an internal film and the counterpoint between the poetic voice over and the score highlights Arthur and Frederick’s personal struggle to find meaning in the universe and their place within it.

And, as with Murdoch’s Other Eye, this film is also about perception: how we see ourselves, judge others and interpret our experience. But moreover, it is about loneliness and friendship.

Researching the images for the telescope and microscope was a fascinating personal exploration into the beauty of the micro and macro cosmos. And without the generosity of scientists the world over, the look of the film would not have been possible.

We shot mostly at night in the middle of winter, much of it outside, and had to contend with snowstorms, ice and freezing temperatures. The camera crew, led by DOP Mick Reynolds, did a wonderful job of capturing the stark loneliness of the urban landscape.

We shot on HD with a Pro 35 and cine lenses. I also experimented with macro lenses, visual effects, and for the first time recorded the score with live musicians.”

About Katherine Fitzgerald

Katherine Fitzgerald is a Toronto-based director and Gemini and DGC award-winning sound editor.

A graduate of the 2008 Women In the Director’s Chair workshop she has directed five short films which have screened internationally including Bread & Kisses, Outward Gate and Murdoch’s Other Eye.

She is the recipient of the Centennial College @Wallace Studios WIDC Alumnae Award for The Fixer & the Swimmer (written by Stephen Kunc) and her feature The Lockmaster (co-written with Stephen Kunc), received development funding from the Corus Made with Pay Fund.

Katherine is a graduate of the Advanced Television and Film Program at Sheridan Institute; presently a participant in the OSEB Independent Television Producers program at Centennial College; and is in development on a second feature, Scalpel.