Sandy Wilson (director) facts for kids

Sandra “Sandy” Wilson (born in 1947) is a Canadian film director and writer. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. Sandy is famous for her movies My American Cousin (1985) and Harmony Cats (1992). Many of her films are set in the places she grew up. These places are Penticton and the Okanagan area.

Sandy Wilson's films have received great reviews. At the 1986 Genie Awards, My American Cousin won six awards. These included Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. It also won Best Motion Picture. Harmony Cats was nominated for Genie Awards in 1993.

Sandy Wilson's Early Life and Learning

Sandra “Sandy” Wilson was born in 1947 in Penticton, British Columbia. She grew up on a place called Paradise Ranch. This ranch was just outside of Penticton.

Sandy has a brother named Brian. He has a physical disability. Brian was the main person and idea for Sandy's 1972 documentary. This film was called He’s Not the Walking Kind.

Sandy studied English and History at Simon Fraser University. She did not plan to become a filmmaker. But she joined a Film Workshop at the university. There, Sandy found her love for making movies.

Sandy Wilson's Film Career

Sandy Wilson started her film career in 1969. She began writing, producing, and directing films in Vancouver. Much of Sandy's early work was short, personal documentaries.

For films like The Bridal Shower (1972) and Growing Up in Paradise (1977), she used home videos. Her father had filmed these on 16mm film. The success of these early films inspired Sandy. She then started working on her first full-length movie. In 1972, while making He’s Not the Walking Kind, she began planning My American Cousin.

Making My American Cousin

My American Cousin was Sandy Wilson's first feature film. It is a story based on her own childhood memories. The movie is about a 12-year-old girl. She grows up during a summer in the late 1950s. This happens in the Okanagan, British Columbia.

The film was also inspired by a song. It was Johnny Horton's song “The Battle of New Orleans.” Sandy heard it on the radio while working on the film. She thought it reminded her of her American cousin. This became the idea for the movie's title.

The movie cost $1.5 million to make. The money was raised over two years. Sandy started by going to Toronto. She pitched the film to "anyone with money." Sandy's childhood friend, Phil Borsos, also helped. Phil's father, Peter O’Brien, was Sandy's high school art teacher. Phil showed his father the script. O’Brien later agreed to produce the film.

Most of the movie was filmed where Sandy grew up. This was Paradise Ranch. Other people working on the film advised against it. But Sandy chose her 13-year-old neighbor, Margaret Langrick. She cast Margaret in the main role of Sandy Wilcox.

My American Cousin won six Genie Awards in 1986. These included Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Sandy. Soon after, My American Cousin opened in New York. There was a discussion about calling the film Canadian for its American showing. They decided to call it “winner of six Canadian Academy Awards.”

Later Films and Television Work

After My American Cousin was a success, people wanted Sandy to move to Los Angeles. But she chose to stay in Vancouver. She was a single mom with two young boys. She wanted to raise them in their home city.

Four years later, Sandy directed the sequel to My American Cousin. This film was called American Boyfriends (1989). The movie follows Sandy Wilcox on a trip to Santa Cruz. She goes there to see her cousin get married.

American Boyfriends did not do as well as My American Cousin. After this film, Sandy worked in the television industry for four years.

In 1992, Sandy Wilson released Harmony Cats. This film was different from her earlier movies. After American Boyfriends, Sandy did not want to direct more films based on her own life.

Sandy Wilson's Filmography

Awards and Nominations