Alexander Carson (filmmaker)
| Alexander Carson | |
|---|---|
 Alexander Carson at the San Francisco International Film Festival | |
| Born |
16 July 1982 Ottawa, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Concordia University |
| Occupation | Film director, actor, screenwriter, film editor, film producer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Website |
www |
Alexander Carson is a Canadian filmmaker.
Early Life & Education
Carson was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. He graduated from the Dramatic Arts program at Canterbury High School (Ottawa) before attending Concordia University's Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal, Quebec. Carson returned to Concordia for a master's degree in Film Studies in 2009. He won the Lotte Eisner Award upon graduation in 2011.[1]
Career
Directing & Producing
Alexander Carson is a founding member of the North Country Cinema media arts collective, along with filmmakers Kyle Thomas and Nicholas Martin, colleagues whom he met at film school in Montreal.[2] As a writer/director, Carson has presented work at many major international festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival.[3]
Carson's films explore intimate, personal narratives and experimental approaches to visual storytelling. In 2012, he won the Award for Achievement In Direction from the Air Canada enRoute Film Festival for his film We Refuse To Be Cold.[4]
In 2014, Carson received the Golden Gate Award for New Visions at the San Francisco International Film Festival for his film Numbers & Friends.[5]
Later that year, Carson completed work on North Country Cinema's first feature film The Valley Below as a producer. Written and directed by longtime colleague and collaborator Kyle Thomas, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to garner two Canadian Screen Award nominations in 2015.[6]
Carson's first feature-length film as a writer/director, O, Brazen Age, premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2015.[7] The film was subsequently selected for numerous other festivals in North America and Europe, including the Reykjavik International Film Festival.[8]
Carson returned to VIFF in 2016 to premiere a short film entitled The New Canada. This film would be recognized with a Gold Bison Award at the Buffalo International Film Festival later that year.[9]
Acting
Carson often performs in his own films, and frequently cites his appreciation for the work of amateur actors or "non-actors" in cinema.[10] Carson performed the role of Mr. Oddi in Sheila Heti's play All Our Happy Days Are Stupid directed by Jordan Tannahill. The show was first presented at Videofag in 2013, before a larger remount at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto and at The Kitchen in New York City in 2015.[11] Carson was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award in 2014 as part of the show's ensemble cast.
Filmography (as writer/director)
- 2016: The New Canada
- 2015: O, Brazen Age
- 2013: Numbers & Friends
- 2012: Braids
- 2011: "We Refuse To Be Cold"
- 2009: Last Communication With Laura
- 2008: Lucy James part 1
- 2005: Built Like Light
References
- ↑ Dunk, Renée (10 May 2011). "Film Students Strut Their Stuff". Concordia University. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ↑ North Country Cinema (15 June 2013). "North Country Cinema // ABOUT". North Country Cinema. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ↑ TIFF Festival 2013 (7 Aug 2013). "Numbers & Friends". TIFF. Retrieved 14 Aug 2013.
- ↑ Air Canada En Route Film Festival 2012 (July 20, 2012). "en route // We Refuse To Be Cold". Air Canada. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ↑ Kilday, Greg (May 8, 2014). "San Francisco International Film Festival Awards Prizes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
- ↑ "Canadian Screen Awards Unveil Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter, January 13, 2015.
- ↑ Vancouver International Film Festival program (September 3, 2015). "O, Brazen Age". Vancouver International Film Festival. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- ↑ North Country Cinema (5 Nov 2016). "North Country Cinema // Film Screenings". North Country Cinema. Retrieved 5 Nov 2016.
- ↑ BIFF (October 12, 2016). "Buffalo International Film Festival - BIFF 2016". Buffalo International Film Festival. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
- ↑ Wisniewski, Marcin (May 7, 2013). "Keeping His Promise: A Conversation with Alexander Carson". Hermie Island. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ↑ J. Kelly Nestruck (February 12, 2015). "All Our Happy Days Are Stupid: Remount of Sheila Heti play has more polish, less personality". Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 29, 2015.