Ingrid Veninger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ingrid Veninger
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Veninger in 2013
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| Born | August 21, 1968 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Actress, director, writer, producer |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
Ingrid Veninger (born August 21, 1968) is a talented Canadian artist. She is an actress, writer, director, and producer in the film world. Ingrid also teaches film at York University. She started her career as a child actor in commercials and on television. As a teenager, she appeared in the CBC series Airwaves (1986–1987). She was also in the CBS series Friday the 13th: The Series (1987–1990).
In the 1990s, Ingrid began producing films. In 2003, she started her own company, pUNK Films. Through this company, she began working on her own projects as a writer and director.
Ingrid Veninger directed her first movie, Only, in 2008. It was a low-budget film, costing only $20,000 to make! She has written and directed six feature films. These include Only (2008), Modra (2010), and Porcupine Lake (2017). All her films have been shown at film festivals around the world.
In 2011, she won the Jay Scott Prize from the Toronto Film Critics Association. This award is for new and rising artists. In 2013, she won an EDA Award from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. This was at the Whistler Film Festival. The Globe and Mail newspaper has called Veninger "The DIY Queen of Canadian Filmmaking." This means she is known for making films herself with limited resources.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Acting
Ingrid Veninger was born in Bratislava. She moved to Canada with her parents in the 1970s. Ingrid started in show business at age 11. She appeared in an advertisement for Bell Canada with actress Megan Follows.
Her Journey in Film
Acting and Producing in the 80s and 90s
As a teen actress, Ingrid Veninger appeared in several films and TV shows. These included the CBC comedy-drama Airwaves (1986–1987). She also starred in the popular horror series Friday the 13th: The Series (1987–1990).
In 1989, at age 21, Ingrid started producing films. She got the rights to Margaret Atwood's novel Cat’s Eye. She also worked as an assistant director on Atom Egoyan's The Adjuster (1991). Ingrid produced a music documentary called Standards (1992). She also produced Picture of Light (1994), a documentary about the northern lights. As an actress, she has worked with famous stars like Meryl Streep and Holly Hunter.
Starting Her Own Film Company
In 2000, Ingrid attended the Canadian Film Centre. There, she produced a short film called Three Sisters on Moon Lake (2001). This film won awards and was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
In 2003, Ingrid Veninger founded her own production company, pUNK Films. This was a big step. It allowed her to start working on her own projects as a writer and director. She often works with Canadian filmmaker Charles Officer. They have made several projects together. One was the short film Urda/Bone (2003). Another was Nurse.Fighter.Boy (2008).
Ingrid's first film as a director was Only in 2008. It was an independent film made with a small budget of $20,000. Her young son, Jacob, played the main character. Ingrid herself had a supporting role as his mother.
Directing Her Own Stories: 2010s to Today
Her second film, Modra, came out in 2010. It was about returning to her hometown of Modra in the Bratislava region. Her daughter, Hallie Switzer, starred in the film. Modra was named one of the ten best Canadian films of 2010 by TIFF. When it was released, The Globe and Mail called Ingrid "The DIY Queen of Canadian filmmaking."
Her third film, i am a good person/i am a bad person (2011), was shown at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. This film led the Toronto Film Critics Association to give her the Jay Scott Prize.
Her fourth film, The Animal Project (2013), was shown at many festivals. It received mostly good reviews. One reviewer called Ingrid "the reigning queen of lo-fi Canadian cinema." Another called her the "godmother of Toronto’s D.I.Y. filmmaking scene."
In 2013, Ingrid won an EDA Award for The Animal Project. While accepting the award, she asked the audience for help. She wanted to fund the Femmes Lab. This was a workshop to help produce six feature films directed by women. Each film would cost only $6,000. Oscar-winning actress Melissa Leo heard her plea. She volunteered and provided the money. The TIFF Bell Lightbox also offered space for the workshop.
For her fifth film, He Hated Pigeons, Ingrid raised over $36,000 online. After making the film, she traveled with it to many festivals worldwide.
In 2017, Ingrid's sixth film, Porcupine Lake, was shown at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. This film was based on a script she wrote during the Melissa Leo-funded Femmes Lab. It also received funding from Telefilm.
Ingrid began working on her seventh feature film in May 2018. It is called Before We Think. The film will be shot in several cities, including Barcelona, Whitehorse, and Toronto.
Personal Life
Ingrid Veninger has been married to film composer John Switzer since 1990. They have two children, Hallie and Jacob, who are both artists. Besides making films, Ingrid also works part-time as a faculty member at York University.
Awards and Recognition
- Audience Award, International (for Modra), International Film Festival Bratislava (2010)
- Jay Scott Prize (for i am a good person/i am a bad person), Toronto Film Critics Association Awards (2012)
- EDA Award, Narrative Feature Prize (for The Animal Project), Alliance of Women Film Journalists (2013)
See also
- List of female film and television directors
- List of LGBT-related films directed by women
