Michelle Latimer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michelle Latimer
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Latimer at the Genie Awards in 2012
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Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
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| Occupation | Actress, director, filmmaker |
| Years active | 2001–present |
Michelle Latimer is a talented Canadian artist. She is an actress, director, writer, and filmmaker. She became well-known for playing Trish Simkin in the TV show Paradise Falls. This show was on Showcase Television in Canada from 2001 to 2004.
Since the early 2010s, Michelle Latimer has directed many documentaries. Her first feature film as a director was Alias (2013). She also directed the Viceland series Rise. This series looked at the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests. Rise won a Canadian Screen Award in 2018.
In 2020, her film Inconvenient Indian won two big awards. It won the People's Choice Award for Documentaries. It also won Best Canadian Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. Michelle Latimer also helped create, write, and direct the CBC Television series Trickster.
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Early Life and Education
Michelle Latimer was born and grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Later, she studied theatre at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.
Career Highlights
Michelle Latimer first became known for her acting. She played Trish Simpkin, a goth teenager, in the TV show Paradise Falls. After this, she had a few other acting roles. She appeared in the film Resident Evil: Apocalypse in 2004.
Later, she focused on directing. She produced and directed an animated film called Choke. This film was shown at the famous Sundance Film Festival. It was also nominated for a Genie Award in 2011.
Directing Documentaries
Since the early 2010s, Michelle Latimer has spent her time making documentaries. In 2013, she directed her first feature film, Alias. This movie followed young rappers trying to change their lives. The film was well-received and nominated for awards. It was also shown at the Hot Docs Film Festival.
Her documentary series Rise premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. This series focused on the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests. In 2018, Rise won a Canadian Screen Award. When she accepted the award, Michelle Latimer gave a powerful speech. She spoke about the strength of Indigenous people at Standing Rock.
Trickster and Inconvenient Indian
In 2020, Michelle Latimer was announced as the creator, writer, and director of the drama series Trickster. Before it aired on TV, two episodes were shown at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.
Trickster started on CBC Television on October 7, 2020. Michelle Latimer adapted the series from Eden Robinson's novel Son of a Trickster. The show was so popular that a second season was planned even before the first one aired. The CW network in the U.S. also bought the rights to show Trickster.
Michelle Latimer's documentary film, Inconvenient Indian, also premiered in 2020. It is based on Thomas King's book of the same name. The film explores the history of indigenous peoples in Canada. It mixes parts where Thomas King narrates his book with video clips. These clips show how Indigenous people have been seen in history. The film also features modern artists and musicians. They are changing how Indigenous stories are told today.
At the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, Inconvenient Indian won two major awards. It won the People's Choice Award for Documentaries. It also won the award for Best Canadian Film.
Other Work
Michelle Latimer also helps choose films for festivals. She is a programmer for the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. She also works with the Hot Docs Film Festival. She advises other film groups too.
Awards and Recognition
Michelle Latimer has won several awards for her work:
- In 2015, her film The Underground won the Golden Sheaf Award - Short Subject at the Yorkton Film Festival.
- In 2018, her series Rise won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Documentary Program.
- In 2020, her film Inconvenient Indian won the People's Choice Award for Documentaries at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- Also in 2020, Inconvenient Indian won Best Canadian Film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- Inconvenient Indian also won the Allan King Award for Best Documentary at the Directors Guild of Canada Awards in 2020.
- In 2020, Inconvenient Indian won the Most Popular Canadian Documentary at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
- At the Montreal International Documentary Festival in 2020, Inconvenient Indian won the National Feature award and the Magnus Isacsson Award.
See also
