Guest Speakers

MORT RANSEN

Panelist
Filmmaker ~ Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada

Mort Ransen began his career as an actor after studying with the legendary American teacher Peggy Furey. He worked briefly on stage as an actor and director before joining the writing/directing staff of the National Film Board of Canada, for which he made over twenty films winning numerous international awards.

Since leaving the Film Board in 1984, he has directed eight feature films, most notably, “Margaret’s Museum”. It has received rave reviews around the world after winning awards and playing to sold-out audiences at major international festivals. In Canada, it was a box-office hit - unusual for an English-speaking Canadian film. It received most Popular Film Awards at Canadian festivals and was honoured with six Genies out of eleven nominations.

On television, he directed for Street Legal and wrote and directed a half-hour TV comedy pilot, Morris and Muush, a Telescene-CBC, co-production as well as an adaptation of a Mordecai Richler story, “Mortimer Griffin and Shalinsky” for Atlantis Films.

In addition to feature films and TV dramas, Ransen wrote and directed the experimental video production “Bastards” and “Ah … the Money, the Money, the Money,” a Gemini-nominated documentary about the logging conflict on Saltspring Island (British Columbia) where Ransen makes his home.

He has a life-long interest in First Nations issues and involvement with First Nations people, collaborating with them on the award-winning film, “You are on Indian Land”. In addition, he has helped train aboriginal filmmakers, and coached Inuit actors and directors in Northern Canada.