synopsis
Guy and his sister spend their youth doing nothing on a mysterious island which is also a home of many orphans. All of them live in a lighthouse which was turned into an orphanage. Their every move is being watched by Guy's oppressive mother who is carefully observing everything from the top of the lighthouse while the father, a scientist and an inventor, works in the basement day and night. However, one wrong step leads to the discovery of dark family secrets.

about the director
Guy Maddin was born in Winnipeg in Canada in 1956. He directed nine feature films and many short films. His most famous films are: The Saddest Music in the World, My Dad Is 100 Years Old and a TV ballet Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary which won an International Emmy in 2002. His hometown is a frequent theme of his films. He graduated in Economy, he works as a film journalist and teaches film at the University of Manitoba.

festivals and awards
A world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2007.

chosen from the director's filmography
My Winnipeg (2007)
Brand Upon the Brain! (2006)
My Dad Is 100 Years Old (2005)
The Saddest Music in the World (2003)
Cowards Bend the Knee or The Blue Hands (2003)
Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2002)
The Heart of the World (2000)
Odilon Redon or The Eye Like a Strange Balloon Mounts Toward Infinity (1995)
Careful (1992)
Archangel (1991)
Tales from the Gimli Hospital (1988)

about the film
Guy Maddin often creates films that look and sound like silent films or those from the beginning of the tone era. Brand Upon the Brain! is that kind of film as well. Its the world premiere was accompanied by an orchestra conducted by a composer Jason Staczek, a narrator, two sound engineers, who were operating live, and a castrato singer. Every part of Brand Upon the Brain! subtitled A remembrance in 12 chapters, is created in a different way.