Altona | |
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Directed by | Heath Affolter Jon Affolter Nathan Affolter Thomas Affolter |
Written by | Heath Affolter Jon Affolter Nathan Affolter Thomas Affolter |
Produced by | Heath Affolter Jon Affolter Nathan Affolter Thomas Affolter Craig Langdon |
Starring | Tyler Pelke |
Cinematography | Thomas Affolter Kaayla Whachell |
Edited by | Heath Affolter Jon Affolter Nathan Affolter Thomas Affolter |
Music by | Emily Rice |
Production companies | Foreshadow Films Langer Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
Altona is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Heath Affolter, Jon Affolter, Nathan Affolter and Thomas Affolter, and released in 2023. [1] The film centres on the 1990 Altona murder, in which Earl Giesbrecht, a teenager in Altona, Manitoba, assaulted two classmates who had bullied him for being gay, and then set the house they were located in on fire. [2]
The film centres principally on the experiences of Tyler Pelke, who survived the incident and went onto become a motivational speaker and victims' rights advocate. [2] Giesbrecht himself does not appear in the film, although he granted an interview to the Affolters and wrote a statement of penitence which was read in the film by actor Gabriel Carter. [1]
The film premiered at the 2023 Whistler Film Festival, [2] where it was the winner of the Whistler Film Festival Documentary Award. [3] The Affolters received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Editing in a Documentary at the 13th Canadian Screen Awards in 2025, [4] and won the WGC Screenwriting Award for Best Writing in a Documentary. [5]