(Originally posted Aug. 16, 2010. Re-posted today as part of our special Black History Month tribute, highlighting 28 of Canada’s top influencers & trailblazers.)
Writer / Director, Afterlife Films Corp., Brampton, ON.
Born: Montreal, QC.
Dawn Wilkinson is a University of Toronto graduate and an alumni of the CFC Director’s Lab and Short Dramatic Film Program. She recently directed an episode of the half-hour comedy series, She’s The Mayor for Hungry Eyes Film & Television and Vision TV.
An award-winning filmmaker, Dawn directed the short films, Girls Who Say Yes, Instant Dread, and Dandelions. Her first feature film, Devotion, won The Tony Stoltz Completion Award, the Star! “Audience Award” at the Reel World Film Festival in Toronto, and “Best Feature” at the San Francisco Urban Kids Film Festival. Devotion had its U.S. TV premiere on the Black Family Channel. Working in documentary, Dawn co-directed, Unexpected as part of the NFB’s “Filmmaker-in-Residence” project at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and “The Teamwork Video Project”, a web-based documentary series for Canadian Health Services Research Foundation.
She started her career as the Director’s apprentice on Norman Jewison’s feature, The Hurricane, and on Ernest Dickerson’s Showtime movie, Our America. She is currently developing several TV series and feature film projects including, Revealing Rachel, a coming-of-age comedy-drama that won the African-American Women in Cinema Screenplay Award. In 2008, Dawn was the recipient of Women in Film & Television’s, Director’s Guild of Canada, Emerging Television Director Award.
Favourite book? The Artist’s Way. It has many helpful techniques.
Favourite quote? “Live and let live.”
Given the chance, what would you love to do that you have not done yet? Travel to Japan.
Who inspires you? Artists and writers who create every day.
Why do you do what you do? I love it.
