Director: William Gazecki
Producer: Christiane Schull
Writer: Christiane Schull
Format: Feature Length for PBS

God's Work: The Orphans of Duplessis is an expose of the largest example of institutional abuse in the history of North America. Upon completion, the film is slated for national broadcast on PBS.

Quebec, Canada, 1954: An unimaginable and unacceptable crime against the most vulnerable of children, orphans, occurred -- perpetrated by the Roman Catholic Church and then Canadian Premiere, Maurice Duplessis. In order to allow the Church access to federal healthcare funds, legislation signed by Premier Duplessis mandated that Roman Catholic orphanages be converted into psychiatric institutions. Every normal child in the care of the Church at that time instantaneously became a 'mental deficient' or 'mental retard'. Medical diagnoses and records were altered to reflect those labels. Children were given new names and transferred from facility to facility, their parents losing contact with them permanently.

The surviving orphans, now middle-aged adults, will return to their former residences with us, showing where and how they were treated. We will challenge officials of the government, the Church and the psychiatric establishment to acknowledge and explain their actions. The orphans as they exist today are remarkable characters. Some have managed to survive and create normal lives, while others are lost in the dregs of society, permanently dysfunctional and destitute. The drama of their story, coupled with the dramatic visual backdrop of classic churches and the historical beauty of French Quebec will create a stunning cinematic experience.

TBD - Feature Length for PBS