Director

Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk)

In 2015, Atanarjuat was selected as TIFF’s number one Canadian film of all time. Kunuk has directed shorts such as Exile and Home and features such as Maliglutit, which was nominated for two CSAs. He recently directed the series Hunting With My Ancestors and executive produced SGaawaay K'uuna (Edge of the Knife). His latest feature, One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk, premiered at TIFF 2019. Most recently, he directed the short The Shaman’s Apprentice, which won the CSA for Best Animated Short among other awards at festivals worldwide.

Director

Émile Gaudreault

Gaudreault co-wrote Louis 19, le roi des ondes, which Ron Howard adapted into EDtv. Gaudreault both co-wrote and directed De pere en flic (the highest-grossing French-language film in Canadian history), Le vrai du faux, Le sens de l'humour and Mambo Italiano, which earned six Canadian Comedy Award nominations. He also wrote and directed De père en flic 2, and most recently, the comedy Menteur. He also co-wrote the upcoming Lignes de fuite, and is producing the English-language remake of De père en flic, Fathers and Guns.

Director

Alain Desrochers

Desrochers began his filmmaking career with over 100 music videos and commercials. His first feature, La Bouteille (The Bottle), earned him a Genie nomination for Best Direction. He has over 50 directing credits to his name, including the features Nitro, Cabotins (Has-Beens), Nitro Rush, Gerry, Security, and Bon Cop Bad Cop 2, as well as episodes of Les limiers, La marraine, Bad Blood, Transplant, and Le Bonheur, among many others.

Director

Philippe Falardeau

Québécois director and screenwriter Falardeau has won more than 32 international awards for his films, which include Monsieur Lazhar, La moitié gauche du frigo, C’est pas moi, je le jure!, The Good Lie, Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre, and My Salinger Year. He also directed the TV shows Le temps des framboises, and Lac-Mégantic - ceci n’est pas un accident. 

Director

Michel Brault

An Officer of the National Order of Quebec, Brault was a legendary cinematographer and filmmaker, and the only Canadian to win the Best Director Award at Cannes, for Les Ordres. He also directed Les noces de papier, Mon amie Max, and many other features, along with over 80 credits as a cinematographer, including some of Canada’s most iconic films, such as Pour la suite du monde (which he co-directed), Mon oncle Antoine, and Les Bons débarras. He passed away in 2013.

Director

Daniel Roby

Roby’s feature film debut, La peau blanche, premiered at TIFF and went on to win the Canadian Screen Award for Best First Feature. His other films include Funkytown, Dans la brume, Target Number One, Chien & chat, and Louis Cyr, which swept the awards season with nine Jutras and two Canadian Screen Awards. He has also directed episodes of Versailles and La Faille.

Director

Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)

Legendary Abenaki filmmaker Obomsawin has made over 50 documentaries on issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada, including Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, Trick or Treaty?, Is the Crown at War with Us?, Our People Will Be Healed, and Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger. Her most recent film is the short documentary Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair. Next, she is set to appear in an episode of Marie Clements' Bones of Crows: The Series.

Director

Deepa Mehta

A member of the Order of Canada, Mehta is an award-winning filmmaker who gained acclaim for her trilogy, Fire, Earth and the Oscar-nominated Water. Her adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children was nominated for eight CSAs. She has also directed Bollywood/Hollywood, Beeba Boys, Anatomy of Violence, and many other films. Her film Funny Boy won multiple awards, including the CSAs for best direction and best screenplay. Her television credits include episodes of Leila, Yellowjackets, and Little America.

Director

Sophie Deraspe

Deraspe has made several feature films, including Les loups (The Wolves), the critically acclaimed Les signes vitaux (Vital Signs), and Antigone,which won six Canadian Screen Awards. Her documentary work includes A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile, and the series La Vie nous arrive (Life Happens to Us). She has also directed episodes of Bête noire (Black Beast), and Motel Paradis. Bergers (Shepherds), premiered and won Best Canadian Feature at TIFF 2024.

Director

Francis Mankiewicz