TRAILER

Hollie Barrett
as Mary Counsel
AltFF - ​Best Actress
​(Nominee, Summer 2023)
Marcus J. Smith
as Mike Counsel
Keith Bonnell
as Father Muldowney
CNA Digital Filmmaking
Jim Pretty
as Radio Announcer

STILL FRAMES

CREDITS
Directed by
James Newhook

Original story from
Marion Counsel

Produced by
College of the North Atlantic
Peter Buckle
Keith Bonnell

Starring
Hollie Barrett as Mary Counsel
Marcus J. Smith as Mike Counsel
Keith Bonnell as Father Muldowney
Jim Pretty as Radio Announcer

Cinematography
Nick Duncan

Gaffer/Key Grip
Ben Power

Sound Recordists
Harshdeep Singh
Josh Smith

Script Consultant
Marion Counsel

Music used with permission from
​Pinniped

St. Luke's Interior Photos
Christopher Newhook

Filmed on location
Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (Studio & Exteriors)
St. Luke's Cultural Heritage Centre, Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (Background)
SPECIFICATIONS
​Genres: Drama, History, Biography
​Runtime: 5 minutes, 7 seconds
​
​Production Companies: CNA Films & Focusyn Films
Aspect Ratio: 2.28:1
Quality: 1080p (1920x1080 HD)
Recording Format: ProRes 422
Camera: BlackMagic Production 4K
Editing Software: Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro
Sound Mix: 4-Track Stereo (Tascam DR-70D)
Colour: Colour (HD)
​Country of Origin: Canada
Filming Date: April 10th, 2021
Platforms: YouTube, Vimeo, FilmFreeway, FilmHub, Facebook, Nuclear Home Video, Cineverse, Viddsee, Future Today
AWARDS/SCREENINGS
CB Nuit After Dark Arts Festival 2021 🇨🇦​
Featured Artist

AltFF Alternative Film Festival (Summer 2023) 🇨🇦​
Best Actress - Nominee (Hollie Barrett)

A TO Z CINEMA FILM FESTIVAL 🇮🇳
Best Student Short Film 🏆
​
Cinema Ticket International Film Festival 🇮🇳
Best Student Short Film 🏆
​
Kino Monthly Film Festival 🇨🇦​
Honourable Mention 🎗️

​WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival 🇨🇦​
Honourable Mention 🎗️
​
Kansas City Independent Film Festival 🇺🇸
Semi-Finalist
SNAPP 2021 🇨🇦​
Featured Movie

​Student Live Film Festival 🇫🇷
Official Selection

Golden Eyes 🇫🇷
​Official Selection
Last updated - October 9th, 2024
EXTERNAL LINKS

About Red Island

Red Island is a former village in Placentia Bay, not far from the town of Placentia. It was home to many families, including the Counsel family who are the basis for "Gift From Above". The island was remote, so getting resources weren't as easy to come by as they are today, and the entire village was interconnected and passionate about where they lived. When the Newfoundland government created the Resettlement program, they urged many outport communities including Red Island to resettle to bigger communities such as St. John's and Placentia to keep costs down for healthcare and schooling, after of which left many places abandoned. Many families would float their houses out to sea, which is the basis for many historic photos of Newfoundland of people's struggles transporting their homes to a new location. Red Island has long been abandoned, but still retains a passionate community on the internet of people remembering their home and connecting each other to a place that was so small and taken away so quickly.
Marion and Donnie Counsel in their Communion dresses (1958)
Photo courtesy of Marion Counsel.

WHERE TO WATCH

The parachute story was adapted from "Red Island - Resettlement Girl - I Remember When..." by Marion Counsel, available for purchase via her email or at many Newfoundland stores.

[email protected]
The album cover for
Red Island - Resettlement Girl by Marion Counsel
© James Newhook/Focusyn Films 2025