Danis Goulet facts for kids

Danis Goulet is a talented Canadian film director and screenwriter. She was born in 1977. Danis is from the First Nations, with Cree and Métis heritage. Her first big movie, Night Raiders, came out in 2021.

Early Life

Danis Goulet grew up in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, Canada. Her mother worked at the First Nations University of Canada. Her father, Keith Goulet, is Cree. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). He speaks Cree fluently. He grew up in the Cree community of Cumberland House Cree Nation. There, he lived by trapping, hunting, fishing, and gathering food.

After finishing high school, Danis traveled to different countries. She returned to Regina in 1998.

Her Career in Film

Danis Goulet started working in the film industry in 1998. Her first job was helping with casting for a TV show. This show was about Chief Big Bear. She worked in film in Saskatchewan and Alberta for two years.

In the early 2000s, Danis moved to Toronto. She studied filmmaking at the Canadian Film Centre. She realized that Indigenous people needed more control over their own stories. She wanted to change how Indigenous people were shown in movies. This idea led her to make her first short film.

Danis has directed several films. These include Spin (2004) and Divided by Zero (2006). She also directed Wapawekka (2010), Barefoot (2012), and Wakening (2013). Her most famous film is Night Raiders (2021).

In 2013, Danis helped write a report for Telefilm Canada. This report looked at why there were not many Indigenous feature films made in Canada. For several years, she was the artistic director of the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival. This festival celebrates Indigenous film and media.

She also worked as a consulting producer for the TV series Trickster in 2020. However, she left the show. This happened after questions arose about the show's creator, Michelle Latimer's Indigenous identity.

Making Night Raiders

Danis Goulet started writing Night Raiders in 2013. She was inspired by her science-fiction short film, Wakening. She wanted to explore the science fiction genre more. She filmed Night Raiders in Ontario in 2019. The final editing was done in New Zealand.

Night Raiders had the biggest budget for any Indigenous-led Canadian film at that time. Before this, Jeff Barnaby’s Blood Quantum held the record. Danis said her film was inspired by Indigenous resistance movements. These are groups that stand up for their rights.

The famous New Zealand director Taika Waititi helped produce Night Raiders. The movie first showed at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival in March 2021. Danis could not attend the premiere. Night Raiders was also shown at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.

Danis Goulet received the TIFF Emerging Talent Award in 2021. This award recognizes new and exciting filmmakers.

Awards and Recognition

Night Raiders was nominated for 11 awards at the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards. This was tied for the most nominations that year. Danis Goulet was nominated for Best Director. She also won the award for Best Original Screenplay. The film was nominated for Best Picture. It was also nominated for the John Dunning Best First Feature Award.

In 2021, the magazine Playback named Danis Goulet the Director of the Year. She also directed an episode of the TV show Reservation Dogs. This was the fourth episode of the second season.

Danis Goulet was also announced as the director for an upcoming Netflix thriller film called Ivy. The Brazilian actress Alice Braga is set to star in this movie.

Personal Life

Danis Goulet is married to Tony Elliott. They have a son and a daughter.

Awards