Mentor Director

Patricia Rozema

Born to a Dutch immigrant family in southern Ontario, Patricia Rozema showed early abilities in drama by winning best actress awards in high school (Lambton Christian High School) productions and then in college productions. After receiving an honours BA (double major in philosophy and English literature) from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and several awards for her writing and directing of theatrical productions, she went on to work at WMAQ-TV in Chicago and then WNBC-TV in New York City before returning to Canada to work as an associate producer at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's nightly news program, The Journal.

In 1985, after a five-week night course in film production she began her film career with a short entitled Passion: a Letter in 16mm which won her second prize at the Chicago International Film Festival. While writing and preparing her first feature, she worked as an assistant director on David Cronenberg's The Fly and Ken Finkleman's Head Office. She also worked as 1st, 2nd and 3rd assistant director on several television series (The Campbells, The Elephant Show, and Night Heat)

In 1987, Patricia quickly rose to prominence with the brilliant success of her debut feature film I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, which she wrote, co-produced with Alex Raffé, directed and edited. A highly idiosyncratic but effortlessly fresh film featuring a standout performance by Shelia McCarthy, it struck a chord with audiences around the world and cemented Patricia's reputation as a talent to watch. I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing was selected for the prestigious Director's Fortnight in Cannes and won the coveted Prix de la Jeunesse (previous winners include Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It, Don McKellar's Last Night, as well as Strictly Ballroom, Man Bites Dog).The film was sold and released theatrically almost immediately in 37 countries (Miramax in the United States) and went on to receive 17 awards in various countries including Canada, France, Belgium, Sweden and Spain. Variety described the film as "bursting with confidence with Rozema in full control every step of the way" and The Guardian in England listed her as one of that year's international "Ten to Watch." The Sydney Herald spoke of her "quiet assault on notions of orthodoxy," the New York Times spoke of the film's "elegance and intelligence," and Judith Christ described it as a film "so fresh, so funny it amazes the heart." Scheduled for re-release by Miramax, I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing was voted by one hundred international critics and filmmakers as one of Canada's 10 best films ever and was recently voted as one of the top ten Canadian films of the century by Maclean's.

With her darker more ambitious second feature, White Room, Patricia expanded her writing/directing canvas and explored new thematic and visual terrain. Featuring a stellar cast, including the Academy Award nominated actress Kate Nelligan, Maurice Godin, Sheila McCarthy and Margot Kidder, White Room opened the Perspectives Canada section of the Toronto Festival of Festivals. One "film comment" critic listed it as one of the "year's 10 best." It has received four prizes in France, Sweden and Japan and three Genie (Canadian) nominations. The French newspaper Libération spoke of its "impeccable structure" and "sweet madness à la Buñuel." The Washington Post described it as "a suburban gothic fairy tale, a work of dark, conflicted magic that might have been cut from Blue Velvet by Edward Scissorhands," and went on to praise it as "rich in style, texture and theme."

In the fall of 1991, Patricia completed the 20 minute film Desperanto an innovative and humorous contribution to the compilation feature Montreal Vu Par (or "Montreal Stories") by six of Canada's top directors including Denys Arcand and Atom Egoyan. Her witty treatment of subtitles that come to life was described by a Montreal Gazette critic as "pure poetry." In spring 1995, she wrote and directed an original feature entitled When Night is Falling, that combines the breezy wit, lyricism and romanticism of Patricia's first feature film, with the visual poetry and emotional resonance of her second. An affecting and moving love story, it charts the sexual awakening of a female Christian academic as she falls in love with another woman, a flamboyant performer in a surrealist circus. The love triangle that involved two women and a man was the subject of some controversy in the United States as the film was given a NC17 rating by the MPAA. It was described as "irresistible whatever the orientation of the spectator" and "absolutely beautiful" by the Village Voice, and invited to the official competition at the Berlin Film Festival where it won the first of a remarkable number of “most popular” film awards around the world. It won best film at the Melbourne Film Festival and most popular at the Sydney Film Fest. It was honoured with prizes at the Films des Femmes du Creteil, France, (where it was recently voted one of the top 20 women's films of all time) and won first prize at several gay and lesbian festivals: London G & L Festival, Outfest in Los Angeles, Chicago Gay & Lesbian Festival, and Washington Gay & Lesbian Festival among others. When Night is Falling, which was released theatrically in 42 countries, was in the top 10 in Germany for six weeks and had the highest per screen average when released in France. It was also released very successfully in the United States by October Films. In 1995, Patrica also executive produced John L'Ecuyer's Curtis' Charm.

In December 1996, Patricia adapted and directed a short film for an anthology series executive produced by Tony and Ridley Scott called The Hunger. That same year she also wrote and presented an original story for Nik Sheehan's film Symposium: Ladder of Love entitled The Shape I Think.

In spring/summer of 1997 Patricia wrote and directed the one hour primetime Emmy Award winning Six Gestures inspired by the Bach cello suites (for the Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired by Bach series produced by Rhombus Media) with Yo-Yo Ma and Torville and Dean and composer Lesley Barber (composer for When Night is Falling and Mansfield Park). Other directors in the series were Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) François Girard (Thirty-Two Short Films About Glen Gould, and The Red Violin). Six Gestures was awarded the Golden Rose in Montreux, Switzerland and was also invited to the Venice Film Festival. That same year, Patricia received the Crystal Award for Outstanding Achievement from Women in Film and Television (WIFT).

In 1999, Patricia completed writing and directing the Miramax/HAL production of Mansfield Park. Adapted from Jane Austen's novel, as well as her journals and letters, Patricia has created a brilliant adaptation of a novel that many have considered impossible to transfer to the screen. Mansfield Park opened the 1999 World Film Festival in Montreal, the Chicago Film Festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival in San Francisco and was also featured as a Special Presentation at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival. Mansfield Park won the Audience Award for best feature film at the Women in Cinema Film Festival in Seattle where it opened the festival. Talk Miramax Books has published Patricia's script adaptation of Mansfield Park, and she will continue her creative relationship with Miramax Films for two more projects.

Patricia has recently completed a filmed version of Samuel Beckett's play Happy Days for The Beckett Film Project (other directors involved in the project include David Mamet, Neil Jordan, Anthony Minghella and Atom Egoyan). The film was presented at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Patricia has also written and directed an original short film entitled This Might Be Good in honour of the 25th anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is part of the "Prelude" series in which 10 of Canada's pre-eminent filmmakers were asked to create short films in honour of the festival's anniversary. Produced by Rhombus Media, This Might Be Good stars Sarah Polley and Don McKellar.

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