Francis Damberger
Directing
Biography
Francis Damberger is an award winning filmmaker who hangs his hat on a ranch in Alberta, where he is the president of the Damberger Film and Cattle Co. His feature films include Solitaire, Road To Saddle River and Heart of the Sun. He worked along side Paul Gross as Producer /Associate Director and 2nd unit director on the multiple Genie award winning Passchendaele. Damberger’s episodic credits include Heartland , Due South, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Caution May Contain Nuts, Tiny Plastic Men, Tom Stone, Jake and the Kid , Mixed Blessings, So Weird, Mentors, AD 2030, Caitlin's Way and Trial By Fire, a North of 60 CBC MOW mystery. He wrote directed and acted in, The Great Tournament , a road trip docu/drama seen by 13 million viewers during the 2010 Olympics. Recently, his doc , Scouts Honor, saw him win his 13th Alberta Media Award . “Franny” has a reputation as an actors director. Respected by crews and passionate about his work, his motto is, “If you can’t be good, be great!.” Currently he has several writer/director projects in development looking for network partners.
Known For
Life is hard on the Flemings' ranch in the Alberta foothills where abused or neglected horses find refuge with a kind, hard-working family. Debts abound and the bank is about to foreclose. Can they keep the ranch running?
Heartland
Constable Benton Fraser, an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is attached to the Canadian consulate but works with Chicago Police Department to solve crimes.
Due South
Fourteen-year-old Fi Phillips investigates the paranormal while touring the country in a bus with her widowed rock-star mom and her skeptical brother, Jack. At the beginning of Season 3, Fi passed the job of case cracker to a songbird named Annie
So Weird
The adventures of brilliant but befuddled scientist Wayne Szalinski, whose often-misguided projects wreak havoc on his family and friends.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show
Shoebox Zoo is an urban fantasy TV series made in a collaboration between BBC Scotland and various Canadian television companies. It is mostly live-action, but with CGI used for the animal figurines. The show centers on the story of a young girl named Marnie McBride, who is given a shoebox containing four toy animals by a mysterious old man at a junk shop, as a gift for her 11th birthday. These magical toys have the power to come alive on Marnie’s command, and they’re on a quest to find an ancient book that once belonged to a great and powerful wizard.
Shoebox Zoo
Life in Crocus as seen through the eyes of a young lad, Ben, and his friend Jake. Jake and the Kid is a Canadian television drama series, which aired on the CanWest Global system of stations in the 1990s. The second (1995) television adaptation of W. O. Mitchell's 1961 short story collection Jake and the Kid the series is set in the small town of Crocus, Saskatchewan, and centres on the friendship between Ben "the Kid" Osborne (Ben Campbell), a young boy growing up on a farm with his widowed mother Julia (Patricia Harras), and Jake Trumper (Shaun Johnston), a farmhand who becomes Ben's surrogate father figure.
Jake and The Kid
Caitlin, a tough city girl and an orphan since age eight, faces two options when she gets in trouble with the law: Go to juvenile hall, or move to the wilds of Montana to live with distant cousins.
Caitlin's Way
Sergeant Michael Dunne fights in the 10th Battalion, AKA The "Fighting Tenth" with the 1st Canadian Division and participated in all major Canadian battles of the war, and set the record for highest number of individual bravery awards for a single battle
Passchendaele
A group of workers at Gottfried Brothers who are paid to test toys and games try to combat the daily boredom they endure whilst at work. Working in the basement, the Crad, Addison, and October do what they can to get through the day.
Tiny Plastic Men
The story of Billy Mills the American Indian that came from obscurity, to win the 10,000 meter long distance foot race in the Tokyo Olympics.
Running Brave
During World War II, Daisy Cooper returns home to Canada with her children after her British husband, soldier Teddy, is assigned to Singapore. With the help of trombonist Max Gramley, Daisy's amateurish piano and vocal skills improve, and soon she is supporting her family with her performances. Unsure whether Teddy is alive or dead, Daisy is torn between staying faithful and giving in to her growing feelings for Max.
Bye Bye Blues
A bookstore owner starts an antagonistic relationship with a book cover model until an antique key found in a false book unlocks their romance.
Key to Love
Depression era drama set in Alberta finds a farmer's wife who swears that her inability to have a child is a punishment from God. In fact, it is slowly revealed that her inability to have a child stems from an illicit relationship that she had with a local priest and a subsequent operation forced on her in a cover-up by the church and her family which left her infertile
Heart of the Sun
Blood may be thicker than water, but when RCMP officer Michelle Kenidi’s brother becomes a suspect in a deadly case of arson, only one thing matters – the truth. As the evidence against her brother continues to mount, Michelle tries to defend him – but gradually realizes that he has been lying to her. Torn between her sense of duty and her loyalty to her brother, she must trust her instincts to find out what Peter has been hiding – no matter what the cost.
Trial By Fire: A North of 60 Mystery
A confessed killer wanders into a small community in the Canadian prairies.
Paris or Somewhere
A plant left in a will becomes an unlikely and secret source of funds for a man and his wife. They soon discover that easy cash isn't always the answer.
Root of the Problem
Terry and Dean head north to make sweet cash in the oil patch.
Fubar II
An East European butcher, the Cowboy Kid, heads west to find Saddle River. A comic odyssey, filled with odd characters, misadventures and stunningly beautiful western landscapes. A classic Canadian road movie comedy.
Road to Saddle River
A Christmas special about a world-class mystery-writing mouse who spends Christmas Eve with his sleuthing partners tracking down a missing Santa. The special combines live-action footage with an animated character, Alex the mouse.
A Mouse, a Mystery and Me
A 17-year-old has the summer of her life when she moves to a tiny Alberta resort and meets two new friends and a handsome lifeguard.