Alexander (Sandy) Carson is a Canadian

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

Early life and education

Carson was born and raised in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. He graduated from the Dramatic Arts program at

Canterbury High School (Ottawa) Canterbury High School is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board high school in the Urbandale neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is an arts magnet school which draws in students from the Ottawa area to their specialized arts program ...

before attending

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, a division of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University, is a film school located in Montreal, Quebec. Informally known as MHSoC, the school accepts around 250 students a year for programs in animation, ...

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

. Carson returned to Concordia for a master's degree in

Film Studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies. ...

in 2009. He received the Lotte Eisner Award upon graduation in 2011.

Career

Directing and producing

Alexander Carson is a founding member of the North Country Cinema media arts collective, along with filmmakers

Kyle Thomas Kyle Thomas (born 23 June 1983) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, producer, and actor. His first feature film, ''The Valley Below'', premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. It garnered two Canadian Screen Award nomina ...

and Nicholas Martin, colleagues whom he met at

film school A film school is an educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. As a writer/director, Carson has presented work at many major international festivals, including the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

. Carson's films explore intimate, personal narratives and experimental approaches to visual storytelling. In 2012, he won the Award for Achievement In Direction from the Air Canada enRoute Film Festival for his film ''We Refuse To Be Cold''. In 2014, Carson received the Golden Gate Award for New Visions at the

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...

for his film ''Numbers & Friends''. Later that year, Carson completed work on North Country Cinema's first feature film

The Valley Below ''The Valley Below'' is a Canadian dramatic film, released in 2014. The feature film debut of filmmaker Kyle Thomas,

as a producer. Written and directed by longtime colleague and collaborator

, the film premiered at the

and went on to garner two

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

nominations in 2015."Canadian Screen Awards Unveil Nominations"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', 13 January 2015. Carson's first feature-length film as a writer/director, O, Brazen Age, premiered at the

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

in 2015. The film was subsequently selected for numerous other festivals in North America and Europe, including the Reykjavik International Film Festival. Carson returned to VIFF in 2016 to premiere a short film entitled ''The New Canada''. This film would be recognized with a Gold Bison Award at the

Buffalo International Film Festival The Buffalo International Film Festival was founded in 2006, and takes place in October of each year in Buffalo, New York. It is also known as the Buffalo Film Festival. History The film festival became a 501c3 not-for-profit charity in January 2 ...

later that year. ''The New Canada'' was acquired by the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

in 2017.

Acting

Carson often performs in his own films, and frequently cites his appreciation for the work of amateur actors or "non-actors" in cinema. Carson performed the role of Mr. Oddi in

Sheila Heti Sheila Heti (; born 25 December 1976) is a Canadian writer. Early life Sheila Heti was born on 25 December 1976 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her parents are Hungarian Jewish immigrants. Her brother is the comedian David Heti. Her father wanted ...

's play ''All Our Happy Days Are Stupid'' directed by

Jordan Tannahill Jordan Tannahill is a Canadian author, playwright, filmmaker, and theatre director. His novels and plays have been translated into twelve languages, and honoured with a number of prizes including two Governor General's Literary Awards.

. The show was first presented at

Videofag Videofag was a storefront arts space that operated in Toronto, Ontario's Kensington Market from 2012 - 2016. Founded and run by couple William Ellis and Jordan Tannahill, who converted it from an old barbershop, the space became an influential hub ...

in 2013, before a larger remount at the

Harbourfront Centre Harbourfront Centre is a key cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at 235 Queens Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the Government of Canada to create a waterfront park, it became ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and at

The Kitchen The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary avant-garde performance and experimental art institution located at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founde ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 2015. Carson was nominated for a

Dora Mavor Moore Award The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped estab ...

in 2014 as part of the show's

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...

Filmography (as writer/director)

* 2023: ''Alberta Number One'' * 2016: ''The New Canada'' * 2015: '' O, Brazen Age'' * 2013: ''Numbers & Friends'' * 2012: ''Braids'' * 2011: ''"We Refuse To Be Cold"'' * 2009: ''Last Communication With Laura'' * 2008: ''Lucy James part 1'' * 2005: ''Built Like Light''

References

External links

*
North Country Cinema Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Alexander 1982 births Living people Film producers from Ontario Canadian male screenwriters Concordia University alumni English-language film directors Film directors from Ottawa Male actors from Ottawa Writers from Ottawa 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian screenwriters