When a Child Goes Missing

200045 min 4 secFilm: Documentary

Direction: Robert Duncan

Production: Robert DuncanSelwyn JacobGraydon McCrea

Script: Robert Duncan

Produced by the NFB in association with CTV and with the support of Vancouver Television.

Four-year-old Michael Dunahee from BC vanished mysteriously from a Victoria playground. A decade later, his mother still wraps a Christmas present for him just in case her son is found.

How do parents cope with the tragedy of missing children? As the years pass with no sign of their loved ones, terror is often replaced by the agony of not knowing a child's fate. This gripping documentary examines how families become entangled in a state of waiting, unsure of how to shut the door on hope and begin to fully grieve.

Featuring powerful and poignant stories from several families, including those of Kimberly McAndrew, Trevor Coleman and Shelby Walsh, this film also highlights the role of agencies and investigators in probing missing children cases. Occasionally, there is a joyful resolution. But for other families, the quest for closure seems eternal and the emotional devastation remains.

Subject categories


  • Law and Crime > Child Abuse
  • Families > Children
  • Psychology and Psychiatry > Coping with ProblemsFamily Life
  • Social Issues > Crime and Delinquency
  • Children and Youth > Family Life

Credits


writer
Robert Duncan
director
Robert Duncan
editor
Janice Brown
researcher
Jonathan Desbarats
production manager
Barbara Shearer
original music
John Sereda
narrator
Judy Piercey
camera
Doug Sjoquist
Kent Nason
Donald K. Spence
Scott Imler
Bill Casey
location sound
Lisa Kolisnyk
Arthur McKay
Patrick Skehan
Mike Myrden
François Proulx
sound design
Marc Benoit
sound mix
Marc Benoit
assistant sound editor
Mike Paprocki
video post production services
Rainmaker Digital Pictures
production supervisor
Kathryn Lynch
program administrator
Bruce Hagerman
producer
Robert Duncan
Selwyn Jacob
executive producer
Graydon McCrea

Awards


  • Honorable Mention - Category: Social Issues International Film and Video Festival