John Kastner
Directing
Known For

Lil' Bush cracks satirical jokes at the Bush administration. The show depicts the administration members as pint-size cartoon characters. The title character is accompanied by Lil' Cheney and Lil' Condi.
Lil' Bush

With the UniSol program budget cut by the government, a gang of mercenaries takes control of the new line of Universal Soldiers for their own nefarious ends. In doing so, they clash with Luc Deveraux, survivor of the first incident with the UniSols, alongside his long-lost and newly-resurrected brother Eric and reporter Veronica Roberts.
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms

When reporter Veronica Roberts unwillingly gets involved in a hostage situation and is forced to escape, she and Luc Devereaux go into hiding. Meanwhile, Dr. Walker and Mentor get set with a powerful new Universal Soldier and a lethal plan.
Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business

Phil the Alien crashes to Earth and find himself alone in the wilds of northern Canada. In the process of going home he goes from drunk to christian rock singer to mass murder.
Phil the Alien

The true story about the Canadian cancer amputee hero, who decided to run across Canada on only one leg to raise money for cancer research.
The Terry Fox Story

Alison Campbell was sentenced to seven years after trying to smuggle drugs into Canada. This hard-hitting film tells the story of how she survived the prison system,and sacrificed herself to protect her inmates and saved her own sanity.
Turning to Stone

The lives of a businessman and his family begin to spiral downward after he has an affair at an insurance convention.
Don't Let the Angels Fall

NCR: Not Criminally Responsible tells the story of a troubled young man who stabbed a complete stranger 6 times in a crowded shopping mall while gripped by psychosis. Twelve years later, his victim, who miraculously survived, is terrified to learn that he's out, living in the community under supervision. He's applying for an absolute discharge, and if he succeeds, he'll no longer be required to take the anti-psychotic drugs that control his mental illness. With unprecedented access to the patient, the victim, and the mental institution, the film looks at both sides of the debate and puts a human face on the complex ethical issues raised.
NCR: Not Criminally Responsible

Chatham, Ontario, 1998. Eighteen-year-old Jennifer Jenkins is brutally shot to death by multiple rifle rounds in her family home. The main suspect: her brother, Mason Jenkins, who fled the scene of the crime.
Life with Murder

Four-time Emmy winner John Kastner was granted unprecedented access to the Brockville facility for 18 months, allowing 46 patients and 75 staff to share their experiences with stunning frankness. The result is two remarkable documentaries: the first, NCR: Not Criminally Responsible, premiered at Hot Docs in the spring of 2013 and follows the story of a violent patient released into the community. The second film, Out of Mind, Out of Sight, returns to the Brockville Mental Health Centre to profile four patients, two men and two women, as they struggle to gain control over their lives so they can return to a society that often fears and demonizes them.
Out of Mind, Out of Sight

A young, unmarried teenager finds herself pregnant. The film mirrors the state of her mind as she worries about the possible positive and negative reactions of her parents, boyfriend, etc in a series of vignettes.
Phoebe
He was a convicted murderer. She was a prison volunteer. They fell in love. Frontline follows the story of Ron Cooney, who tries to work his way through the prison system to parole from a life sentence, and Lesley Earl, the woman who wants to help him go straight.
The Lifer and The Lady
In 'Gert's Secret' a 102-year-old superstar is born: Gert Stevenson is a happy survivor in one of society's unhappiest institutions: a nursing home. While other residents struggle to survive, Gert -- one of the most delightful characters to light up any screen -- has learned the art of living well. What is her secret?
Gert's Secret

In Canada, six men talk about their homosexual experiences, revealing feelings, attitudes, social prejudice and family pressures. They are men from different social classes and age groups: from a well-off young man who has just revealed his sexual orientation to his family, to an experienced 40-year-old businessman who, after having lived a double life for several years, decides to assume his homosexuality .
Sharing the Secret

In Not Criminally Responsible: Wedding Secrets, a film within a film and sequel to the acclaimed documentary NCR: Not Criminally Responsible from 4-time Emmy-winner John Kastner, a wedding is born of a terrible act of violence. The new film shows how the lives of six of the people involved in the original one were dramatically transformed. Two of them are marrying each other.
Not Criminally Responsible: Wedding Secrets
A story of the resilience and determination of a group of children in London, Ont., battling leukemia at a time when no child had survived the disease.