N.L filmmaker Stephen Dunn presented film festival award by Francis Ford Coppola

At the Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco, St. John's filmmaker Stephen Dunn was awarded the jury prize on Saturday for his film Closet Monster.

The festival was juried by film director Francis Ford Coppola, perhaps best known for The Godfather series, and Apocalypse Now.

Dunn's film Closet Monster was the only Canadian film screened at the festival, and he shared the jury prize with the 11 other films screened at the festival that did not win the festival's Golden Star.

It's been a whirlwind year for Dunn, who also won the best Canadian Feature Film award at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

Next film about Newfoundland resettlement

In a conversation with CBC's Weekend AM, conducted shortly before he was awarded the jury prize, Dunn shared details of his next move: an adventure film to be filmed in Newfoundland and Labrador that captures the era of resettlement.

The film is called What Waits for Them In Darkness, and Dunn said it's about the displacement of the people who were forced to leave their homes and islands off the coast of Newfoundland.

"It's about a family that gets separated while they're floating their house across the Atlantic Ocean," he said.

"It centres mainly on a mother and daughter who are in the house as the house gets separated from the boat."

He said the subject matter of the film proved irresistible for the people he pitched it to.

"All I had to do in order to pitch this film, is show some real photos from the Newfoundland resettlement of people floating houses across the Atlantic Ocean. No one can believe that this was a real event," said Dunn

Issued casting call for key part

Dunn is planning to shoot parts of the film on Fogo Island, and has issued a casting call for the key part of the daughter in the film.

He said he is looking for a young girl between the ages of 10 to 12 to play the part, which he has envisioned as, "A tough as nails, scrappy tom-boyish, strong willed young woman."

Non-actors are encouraged to apply for the role, and anyone who has a particular child in mind is encouraged to email Dunn at [email protected].

After leaving Marrakesh, Dunn is planning to return to Newfoundland to continue working on pre-production for his next film.