Kari Skogland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kari Skogland
Skogland at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	Film director television director screenwriter film producer television producer
Years active	1994–present

Kari Skogland is a talented Canadian filmmaker. She is known for directing many exciting movies and TV shows. In 2016, she helped start her own company called Mad Rabbit. One of her most recent big projects was directing The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a popular TV series for Marvel Studios.

Kari's Journey in Filmmaking

Kari Skogland started her career as an editor. This means she helped put together the scenes of films and TV shows. Later, she began directing. She first directed award-winning television commercials and music videos.

Directing TV Shows

Kari then moved on to directing TV shows. Her first TV directing job was an episode of Dead at 21 in 1994. She also directed five episodes of Traders in 1996. Traders was a very successful show. It was nominated for many awards, including Best Director for Kari, and won Best Series.

Directing Movies

Kari's first movie was called The Size of Watermelons. It won an award at a film festival called WorldFest Houston. She also directed a film for CBC called White Lies. This film was nominated for several awards, including an International Emmy.

She directed the movie 50 Dead Men Walking in 2009. This film starred famous actors like Sir Ben Kingsley and Jim Sturgess.

Big TV Projects

Kari has directed episodes for many well-known TV series. These include Boardwalk Empire and The Borgias. In 2014, she directed the miniseries Sons of Liberty. She also directed episodes of the History Channel's popular show Vikings.

In 2017 and 2018, Kari directed several important episodes of Hulu's original series, The Handmaid's Tale. This included the exciting finale of Season 1. She shared that her way of directing the show involved "Communication, curiosity and being open to an outcome that is different from what I have planned." This means she likes to talk with her team, be curious, and be ready for new ideas.

Breaking Barriers for Women Directors

Kari Skogland has often talked about the challenges for women directors in the film industry. She calls this the "glass ceiling". This term means an invisible barrier that stops women from reaching top positions.

In 2018, while working on The Handmaid's Tale, she said something important. She explained that people sometimes say they can't find women directors. But she believes the real reason is that women don't always get the chance to start. She said, "They don’t appear overnight—you have to create a space where they can grow and be discovered." This means it's important to give women opportunities to learn and succeed in directing.

Future Projects

In 2021, it was announced that Kari Skogland would direct the upcoming movie about Cleopatra. This film will star Gal Gadot. She took over from Patty Jenkins, who will still help produce the movie. In November 2022, Kari also signed on to direct Wind River: The Next Chapter.

Kari's Life Outside Work

Kari Skogland was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is married to a film editor named Jim Munro. They met around 1979 when Kari applied to be Jim's assistant. She got the job, and they also started their personal relationship. Kari and Jim have two daughters named MacKenzie and Aislin.

Some of Kari's Key Projects

Kari Skogland has directed many films and TV shows. Here are some of her notable works:

Movies Kari Directed

• The Size of Watermelons (1996)
• Men with Guns (1997)
• Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return (1999)
• Liberty Stands Still (2002)
• The Stone Angel (2007)
• Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008)

TV Series Kari Directed

• Traders (1996) - 5 episodes
• Queer as Folk (2001–03) - 3 episodes
• The Listener (2009–12) - 8 episodes
• Boardwalk Empire (2012) - 1 episode
• The Borgias (2012–13) - 6 episodes
• Vikings (2014) - 2 episodes
• Sons of Liberty (2015) - all 3 episodes
• Fear the Walking Dead (2015) - 2 episodes
• House of Cards (2016) - 1 episode
• The Americans (2016) - 1 episode
• The Walking Dead (2016–17) - 2 episodes
• The Punisher (2017) - 1 episode
• The Handmaid's Tale (2017–18) - 5 episodes
• The Loudest Voice (2019) - 2 episodes
• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) - all 6 episodes

TV Movies Kari Directed

• Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy (1998)
• White Lies (1998)
• The Courage to Love (2000)
• Riverworld (2003)

Awards and Recognition

Kari Skogland has won awards for her directing. One notable award is the Directors Guild of Canada Awards for Outstanding Achievement In Direction - Television Series. She won this for an episode of Terminal City.