Director

Clement Virgo

Virgo rose to prominence with his first feature, Rude, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and garnered two Genie nominations. He has also directed the films Poor Boy’s Game and Lie With Me, and hit TV shows such as The Wire, Regenesis and The Listener. He recently produced the show Greenleaf and directed episodes of Empire and Billions. His film, Brother, premiered at TIFF 2022 and won 12 CSAs, including Best Motion Picture, Best Direction, and Best Adapted Screenplay. 

Director

Guy Maddin

Director

Robert Lepage

Director

Denys Arcand

A Companion of the Order of Canada, Arcand is an icon of Canadian and Quebecois cinema, and his work has earned him four Academy Award Nominations, including for Best Foreign Film which he won in 2004 for Les invasions barbares. In 1986, his film Le Déclin de l'empire américain became the highest grossing film in Quebec, and his iconic Jésus de Montréal won 12 Genie Awards in 1990. He has also worked in English, directing Love and Human Remains in 1993 and Stardom in 2000.

Director

Gary Burns

Gary Burns is a filmmaker, writer, and producer who rose to prominence as a unique comedic voice in the Canadian film industry. He wrote and directed the features The Suburbanators, Kitchen Party, Man Running, and Waydowntown, which won Best Canadian Feature Film at TIFF and Best Canadian Film from the Toronto Film Critics Association. He co-directed The Future is Now! and Radiant City, which won the Genie for Best Documentary.

Director

Peter Stebbings

Stebbings’ directorial debut was Defendor, and his second film, Empire of Dirt, was nominated for five CSAs. As an actor, his numerous credits include Citizen Duane, The Borgias, Bates Motel, Counting for Thunder and his newest film Percy Vs Goliath. He recently directed The Disappearance, which garnered four CSAs, and episodes of Frankie Drake Mysteries, The Sounds, and Killjoys. He is currently writing and directing the feature Running with Monsters.

Director

Don McKellar

A Member of the Order of Canada, McKellar is a prolific writer, filmmaker and actor whose work has garnered numerous awards. He wrote Highway 61, The Red Violin and Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, and he wrote, directed and starred in Childstar and Last Night (which won the Prix de la jeunesse at the Cannes film festival). As an actor, he has starred in films such as Meditation Park and David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future. McKellar has also worked extensively in television, directing the series Sensitive Skin, as well as creating and showrunning The Sympathizer with Park Chan-wook.

Directors

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi), Kathleen Hepburn

Director

Mina Shum

Vancouver-based Shum is best known for her feature films Double Happiness and Meditation Park, both starring Sandra Oh. Her documentary Ninth Floor was on TIFF’s 2015 list of Canada’s top ten films. Other features include Long Life; Happiness and Prosperity; Drive She Said; and One (Nine). She has also directed episodes of Frankie Drake Mysteries, Murdoch Mysteries, The Good Doctor, and October Faction.

Director

Cory Bowles