Patricia Rozema facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patricia Rozema
Rozema in 2015
Born	(1958-08-20) 20 August 1958 (age 66) Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Film director, writer, producer, editor
Years active	1985–present

Patricia Rozema (born August 20, 1958) is a Canadian filmmaker. She works as a director, writer, and producer. She was part of a group of filmmakers from Toronto in the 1980s. This group was known as the Toronto New Wave.

Early Life and Education

Patricia Rozema was born in Kingston, Ontario. She grew up in Sarnia, Ontario. Her parents were Dutch. They followed a strict religious belief. Because of this, she did not watch much television. She did not go to a movie theater until she was 16 years old. Rozema later studied philosophy and English literature at Calvin College in Michigan.

Film Career Highlights

After working as a journalist for print and TV, Rozema made her first feature film. It was called I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987). This movie was a serious comedy. It starred Sheila McCarthy as Polly, a lonely art gallery secretary. Polly also wanted to be a photographer.

At the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, I've Heard the Mermaids Singing won a special award for young filmmakers. In 1993, the Toronto International Film Festival named it one of the top Canadian films ever made. Rozema was the first female director to have a film on this list.

In 1990, Rozema directed White Room. This movie was a mystery film. It starred Sheila McCarthy, Kate Nelligan, Margot Kidder, and Maurice Godin. A film critic described it as a "dark, magical fairy tale."

Rozema also directed "Six Gestures" in 1997. This was part of the Inspired by Bach TV series. It showed Yo-Yo Ma playing music. It also featured ice skating by Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean. This film won an Emmy Award for classical music and dance. It also won a Golden Rose, a top European TV award.

In 1995, she directed the romance film When Night Is Falling. It starred Pascale Bussières and Rachael Crawford.

Later Films and TV Work

Rozema then made two films outside of Canada. Mansfield Park (1999) was a new version of Jane Austen's famous novel. Happy Days (2000) was an Irish film. It was based on a play by Samuel Beckett.

She also directed Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008). This movie was based on the popular American Girl book series. For this film, Rozema was nominated for a Directors Guild of Canada Award for Best Director.

Rozema has also directed many TV shows. These include episodes of the HBO series Tell Me You Love Me (2008) and In Treatment (2010). She also directed for the Canadian sitcom Michael, Tuesdays and Thursdays (2011). More recently, she directed episodes of the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle.

In 2009, Rozema and Michael Sucsy were nominated for an Emmy Award. This was for their writing on the HBO movie Grey Gardens.

Her film Into the Forest (2015) starred Elliot Page and Evan Rachel Wood. It was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Her most recent film is Mouthpiece (2018). It also premiered at TIFF. This film is based on a play with two actresses. Norah Sadava and Amy Nostbakken created and starred in the play. They also star in the movie. They play two versions of the same character. This character is trying to find her voice while writing her mother's eulogy.

In 2017, Rozema started her own film company. It is called Crucial Things. She used it to help make Mouthpiece.

Filmography

Short film

Feature film

Television

Awards and Recognition

Patricia Rozema has won many awards for her work.

• Her short film Passion: A Letter in 16 mm won second prize at the Chicago International Film Festival.
• I've Heard the Mermaids Singing won the Prix de la Jeunesse at Cannes. It was also nominated for Best Picture at the 9th Genie Awards. The film received 17 other awards. Film critics list it as one of the Best Canadian Films of All Time.
• White Room won 4 awards and had 3 Genie nominations.
• When Night Is Falling premiered at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival. It went on to win over 30 awards from different countries.
• Her episode "Six Gestures" from Yo-Yo Ma, Inspired by Bach won a Prime Time Emmy Award. It was also nominated for a Grammy.

See also

In Spanish: Patricia Rozema para niños

• List of female film and television directors