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Born in Welland Ontario, Canada, to steel worker Ralph Bessette and seamstress Eva (Crysler), Christopher Mark Bessette was the only child of this second marriage. With five (5) significantly older half siblings, he grew up 'like an only child' on an acreage deeded to his family by the Crown of England over 200 years ago.
A graduate of Niagara College, on the Dean's Honor Roll, and with a diploma in Broadcasting, majoring in Film, his journey took a circumnavigation route. Rather than immediately pursuing a career in Toronto, he chose to postpone career and remain close to home to aid in the care of a family member. This insight makes sense when looking at Bessette's movies and the stories that interest him. The theme of fighting for the underdog prevails.
Early in his career, he worked for a Canadian broadcast company that positioned him to be a producer on a program for Family Channel that saw him overseeing producers from 13 nations. Ultimately, his film work has taken him to the Amazon jungle, Central America, Russia, and Southeast Asia, allowing Bessette to acquire sensitivity and experience with various cultures. His work expanded to include theatre and to date Bessette has directed four 100-person musicals.
In 2008, Bessette received the ARPA Film Festival Award for Best Director of "Yai Wanonabalewä: The Enemy God" - a feature film that spans 50 years of an Amazonian witch-doctor's life. The movie features 300 tribal people with 86 speaking roles.
In reference to Bessette's 2008 film "Yai Wanonabalewä: The Enemy God", Dr. Zaven Khatchturian, Film Curator of the 11th ARPA International Film Festival 2008, commented, "... cinematic invention indeed. It was something I had not seen before, done so skillfully ... one of the most amazing films I have ever experienced." Referencing "The Enemy God", Alex Kalognomos, Festival Director at the 11th ARPA International Film Festival 2008 says, "This film will live on in such a way, we will be looking this film up in encyclopedias in 200 years."
Bessette's sophomore feature film, "Trade of Innocents", starring Dermot Mulroney and Academy Award Winner, Mira Sorvino, garnered him his second Best Director Award at the 32nd Annual Festival of Film Breckenridge. The movie screened at a unique historic event for film. "Trade of Innocents" became the centerpiece for a symposium on Human Trafficking at Yale University on April 12 & 13, 2012. The event was presented in conjunction with Yale Law School, the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Connecticut and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Addressing the over 500 people in attendance at the film screening, was Ambassador Luis CdeBaca of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State. After the screening, Jeff Blom, veteran Human Trafficking Investigator, Global Sentry Group said, ""Trade of Innocents" is the most realistic representation of the work done on the front lines against the commercial sexual exploitation of children, particularly in Southeast Asia."
Dermot Mulroney of "My Best Friends Wedding" and "Young Guns" fame, in a Yahoo interview, listed Bessette's "Trade of Innocents" as one of the top 10 significant movies of his career. In Australia, it sold out 21 of 42 screenings. At its biggest public screening in Canada, the film was used as a fundraiser. In that one screening, the film raised 43 thousand dollars to aid in the rescue and rehabilitation of human trafficked women and children. This single fundraiser far exceeded the original goal of 12 thousand dollars.
In explanation for doing what he does, Bessette says, "I believe each story, like the flow of life, has a rhythm all its own. Once you capture the rhythm, it resonates as truth with the audience and they are moved. That is the reason I tell stories - to nudge people to receptive insight, that they might consider seeing things as they never have before."
Out of the hundreds-of-thousands potential nominees, in 2012 Bessette was nominated by his Alma mater for the prestigious Premier's Award for outstanding career achievements. This is a distinguished award granted by the Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Premier's Awards celebrate the achievements of Ontario college graduates in the province and throughout the world.
