Filmed over five weeks at the Warrendale residential treatment center near Toronto, "Warrendale" observes twelve emotionally disturbed children and the staff who care for them. Working without narration, interviews, or direction, Allan King records daily life as it unfolds, establishing what he later described as “actuality drama.”
Direction
King invents 'actuality drama'—staged reality that feels more real than truth.
Editing
No narration, no interviews, just pure present-tense immersion.
Acting
Children and staff forget cameras exist—no performances, just survival.
Director
Allan King
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The CBC commissioned then banned Warrendale for 'excessive' profanity—specifically children screaming obscenities during grief processing. King kept the rights and released theatrically instead.
This launched 'actuality drama,' influencing everything from reality TV to Frederick Wiseman's institutional documentaries—though King insisted his approach was more collaborative than exploitative.
CA
