Terrance Odette - Sleeping Dogs Has Its Day.

Canadian filmmaker Terrance Odette is back on the film festival circuit with Sleeping Dogs.

Director Terrance Odette's Sleeping Dogs is part of the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival's World Contemporary Cinema and has also been selected for the Vancouver International Film Festival in September.

In a story about familial conscience, Mr. Gloss Brian Stillar - a half-blind diabetic curmudgeon - escapes his hospital confines determined to save his dog King from euthanasia at the hands of his brother Eddy Alan K.Sapp .

Thomas Benga Tony Adah an orderly dealing with his own problems and personal loss, is sent to find Gloss.

A search begins for Gloss, and Thomas.

As they portage through suburban wasteland each wary traveler ponders a lifetime of emotional landmines, which creates an unusual urban kinship.

In 1999, Terrance Odette took the festival circuit by storm with directorial debut Heater starring Stephen Ouimette and Gary Farmer as two homeless men on a madcap adventure with an electric baseboard heater in the dead of Winnipeg winter.

Heater received rave reviews and writing kudos for Odette's street-wise back-and-forth in this modern day " Waiting for Godot" combined with Scorsese-que cinematography and gritty gorilla directing style.

Second feature Saint Monica was another more spiritual look at the "displaced" through the eyes of Monica, Genevieve Buechener and homeless woman Mary, Clare Coulter set to the exotic backdrop of Toronto's Little Portugal.

I have known Terrance - Terry - since his singer-songwriter days and have quietly watched him flourish from award-winning music video director to acclaimed feature filmmaker.

He is a talented director with an attentive, compassionate eye on humanity.

To me, he's Canada's Martin Scorsese using natural street tapestry and sound-scapes as a clever character device from the humming of the snowplough in Heater's winter wonderland mall scenes to the curbside rituals and whizzing highway rhythms of Saint Monica.

As the camera pans, the viewer can absorb, and often identify with Odette's high-realism viewpoint.

A year ago I had the chance to experience that viewpoint firsthand.

In a wild turn of events, I was at the Sleeping Dog auditions writing notes for a feature article on Odette.

After reading a role, right out of the 'ole life intimating art', I became part of Sleeping Dogs

I helped in the casting process ( They call me The Puppetmaster) and I got a small role as wise-cracking ward nurse Amele - cutting room floor notwithstanding!

If credits and characters prevail, my husband Tom played Foul Mouth Cabby.

See the film (featuring a killer soundtrack!)

The Sleeping Dogs process was enjoyable because Odette who directs from the hip, loves to improvise so anything can change instantaneously - especially your lines!

In record time, actors and crew became an accommodating makeshift family to make Terry's vision a reality.

I celebrated my birthday on set and Supporting Dog King alias 'Lili' became everyone's darling.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a film dedication to Lil.

As Sleeping Dogs debuts at TIFF many more discerning movie lovers will get the chance to find out what I have known all along - Terrance Odette is destined to be one of Canada's breakthrough directors.