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On August 9, 2006, Leonard Watson dropped off his eight-year-old son Kurtis at summer camp. That’s the last time anyone saw him. No bags packed, no calls, no activity in the bank account, no note: Watson disappeared, leaving his family behind. He was considered missing until 30 days later, when he was found dead by apparent suicide.
Fourteen years later, Kurtis Watson discovers a trove of home videos—hundreds of hours recorded by his father leading up to his death—a discovery that inspires a painstaking search for answers in recorded moments, family testimonials, and conversations with people connected to the event in any way, including the Watson family themselves, who come together for the first time to talk about the weight of this memory in their lives. Discoveries of small details lead to impactful and revelatory moments for them, revealing an ever-present stigma around mental health. My Dad’s Tapes documents the tremendously brave embrace of a reality in which some of our most burning questions may forever be unanswered. To hold each other close is all that matters.

Credits

  • Director(s)

    • Kurtis Watson
  • Producer(s)

    • Rob Viscardis
  • Executive Producer(s)

    • Rob Viscardis
    • Kurtis Watson
    • Pawel Dwulit
  • Cast

    • Drew Antzis
    • Gavyn MacEachern
  • Writer(s)

    • Rob Viscardis
  • Editor(s)

    • Rob Viscardis
  • Cinematography

    • Pawel Dwulit
  • Additional Cinematography

    • Benjamin Hargreaves
  • Composer

    • Rob McAllister
  • Sound

    • Benjamin Hargreaves
  • Visit the film's website

Promotional Partners

Canadian Spectrum Competition sponsored by

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