![Dawnwilkinson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Dawnwilkinson.jpg)
Dawn Wilkinson is a Canadian film and television director based in LA.
Early life and education
Dawn Wilkinson was born in
Montreal
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 ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. When she was six weeks old, her family moved to
Brampton
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it ...
, a suburb of
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 anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
. About a year later, they moved to the town of
Acton, Ontario
Acton (population 9,377 in 2021) is a community located in the town of Halton Hills, in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. At the northern end of the Region, it is on the outer edge of the Greater Toronto Area and is one of two of the primary po ...
, and five years later they returned to Brampton. Wilkinson attended
SEED Alternative School
SEED Alternative School is a small Toronto District School Board alternative high school now located in Toronto's east end.
Previous locations include Yonge and College, McCaul St, and Bloor and Spadina, in downtown Toronto. Originally, as a sum ...
(1992), the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
(1996), the
Canadian Film Centre
The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization founded by filmmaker Norman Jewison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1988. Originally launched as film school, today it provides training, development and advancement opportunities for pr ...
(2000) and the Short Dramatic Film Program (2000) where she directed ''Girls Who Say Yes'' (2000).
Career
![DawnRedCarpet](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/DawnRedCarpet.jpg)
Wilkinson is a director who apprenticed with
Norman Jewison
Norman Frederick Jewison (born July 21, 1926) is a retired Canadian film and television director, producer, and founder of the Canadian Film Centre.
He has directed numerous feature films and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best ...
on the set of ''
Hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
'', and taught filmmaking at
Trebas Institute (1999-2001), the
Toronto Film School (2001-2008), and
Humber College
The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North c ...
(2009-2010). She was recruited by the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
to teach local youth about filmmaking, and she went on to be the director of National Film Board short documentaries Youth Visions (2007).
Wilkinson directed the feature film "Devotion" and the short films "Instant Dread", "Dandelions", "Wilderness", and "Girls Who Say Yes." Being awarded the WIFT and DGC Emerging Television Director Award, she directed Canadian drama series "Heartland", "Murdoch Mysteries", and "Degrassi", which she was nominated for a DGC AWARD for Best Family TV Series, in addition to comedies "Sunnyside", and "Kim's Convenience" in which she was nominated for a Best Directing DGC Award.
In addition to being a member of the
Directors Guild of Canada
The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assist ...
, and the
Writers Guild of Canada
The Writers Guild of Canada is an organization representing more than 2,500 professional writers working in film, television, radio, and digital media production in Canada. Members of the Guild write dramatic TV series, feature films, Movies o ...
,
Wilkinson became a member of the
Directors Guild of America
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...
and has directed television series including: "Empire", "How to Get Away with Murder", "All American", "All American: Homecoming", "Locke & Key", "Nashville", "Dynasty", "Greenleaf", "Riverdale", "Power Book II: Ghost", and the STARZ series "Step Up: High Water" (Season 3) in which she served as executive producer and director for numerous episodes.
In 2022, Wilkinson directed the
BET+
A bet is a gambling wager.
Bet or BET may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Bet Lynch, a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''
* Elizabeth "Bet" Yeager, protagonist of '' Rimrunners'', a science fiction ...
Original film "Block Party" which is the first Juneteenth Family Comedy. The film is the first of its kind to have a theatrical, streaming, and linear release in the same month of its release.
Films
* ''Dandelions'' (1995) - writer, director, producer
* ''Instant Dread'' (1998) - writer, director, producer
* ''Girls Who Say Yes'' (2000) - director
* ''Devotion'' (2005) - writer, director, producer
* ''Unexpected'' (2010) - co-director
* ''Looking for Dawn'' (2011) - writer, director, producer
* ''Wilderness'' (2012) - director
* ''A Nashville Country Christmas'' (2020) - director
* ''Block Party'' (2022) - director, executive producer
Shows/series
* ''
How to Be Indie
''How to Be Indie'' is a Canadian television sitcom that aired on YTV from 2009 to 2011 and Disney Channel until 2012. The main character is a 13-year-old Indian-Canadian teenager named Indira "Indie" Mehta. The program is a single-camera seri ...
''
: * "How to Update Your Status"
* ''
''
: * "Gimme Shelter"
* ''
Murdoch Mysteries''
: * "Lovers in a Murderous Time"
: * "Unfinished Business"
* ''
Switched at Birth''
: * "Left in Charge"
* ''
Make It Pop
''Make It Pop'' is a Canadian musical comedy television series created by Thomas W. Lynch and Nick Cannon that aired on Nickelodeon from March 26, 2015 to August 20, 2016. The series stars Megan Lee, Louriza Tronco, Erika Tham, and Dale Whibley. ...
''
: * "Submission Impossible"
: * "Reality Bites"
: * "The Curse of Reality"
: * "Talent Show Redux"
* ''
Heartland
Heartland or Heartlands may refer to:
Businesses and organisations
* Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution
* Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States
* Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization i ...
''
: * "Reckless Abandon"
: * "Fearless"
* ''
Single Ladies''
: * "Build"
: * "Pain"
* ''
Odd Squad
''Odd Squad'' (stylized as ''ODD SQUAD'') is a children's live action educational television series that premiered on TVOKids in Canada and PBS Kids in the United States on November 26, 2014. Similar to '' Cyberchase'' and '' Peg + Cat'', other ...
''
: * "The Perfect Lunch"
: * "The Jackies"
* ''
Sunnyside''
: * "Chain Gang"
: * "Clowns"
* ''
Degrassi: The Next Generation''
: * "Power To The People"
: * "Dig Me Out"
: * "Better Man"
: * "The World I Know"
* ''
Republic of Doyle
''Republic of Doyle'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series set in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, which aired on CBC Television from January 6, 2010, to December 10, 2014.
The show stars Allan Hawco as private investigator and f ...
''
: * "Young Guns"
* ''
Reign
A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, List of Belgian monarchs, Belgium, Co-prince of Andorra, Andorra), of a people (e.g., List of Frankish kings, the Franks, List of ...
''
: * "A Better Man"
* ''
Greenleaf''
: * "Call Not Complete"
* ''
Kim's Convenience
''Kim's Convenience'' is a Canadian television sitcom that aired on CBC Television from October 2016 to April 2021. It depicts the Korean Canadian Kim family that runs a convenience store in the Moss Park neighbourhood of Toronto: parents "App ...
''
: * "Frank & Nayoung"
: * "Hapkido"
: * "Janet's New Job"
: * "Handyman"
: * "Cardboard Jug"
: * "Silent Auction"
* ''
Nashville''
: * episode #98: "
Back in the Saddle Again
"Back in the Saddle Again" was the signature song of American cowboy entertainer Gene Autry. It was co-written by Autry with Ray Whitley and first released in 1939. The song was associated with Autry throughout his career and was used as the n ...
"
: * episode #119: "
No Place That Far
''No Place That Far'' is the second studio album by American country music artist Sara Evans. It was released in October 1998 via RCA Records Nashville. The album's first single, "Cryin' Game", peaked at number 56 on the US '' Billboard'' Hot Co ...
"
* ''
Riverdale''
: * episode #10: "
Chapter Ten: The Lost Weekend"
: * episode #20: "
Chapter Twenty: Tales from the Darkside"
: * episode #39: "
Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Midnight Club"
* ''
Beyond''
: * episode #17: "
Stir"
* ''
Reverie''
: * episode #5: "
Altumn Somnum"
* ''
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
''
: * episode #14: "
The Gospel According To Blake Carrington"
* ''
Take Two''
: * episode #8: "All About Ava"
* ''
All American''
: * episode #7: "California Love"
: * episode #20: "Protect Ya Neck"
: * episode #39: "Roll the Dice"
: * episode #43: "The Bigger Picture"
: * episode #60: "Got Your Money"
: * episode #82: "Time"
* ''
The Gifted''
: * episode #25: "hoMe"
* ''
The Good Doctor''
: * episode #30: "Aftermath"
* ''
Roswell, New Mexico''
: * episode #12: "Creep"
* ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'':
: * episode #81: "A Wise Father That Knows His Own Child"
: * episode #89: "Stronger Than My Rival"
: * episode #96: "Talk Less"
* ''
Why Women Kill''
: * episode #9: "I Was Just Wondering What Makes Dames Like You So Deadly"
* ''
The Resident'':
: * episode #46: "Out for Blood"
* ''
Locke & Key
''Locke & Key'' is an American comic book series written by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez, and published by IDW Publishing.
Plot summary
This plot is presented in chronological order. During the American Revolution, a group of ...
'':
: * episode #7: "Dissection"
: * episode #8: "Ray of F**king Sunshine"
* ''
How to Get Away with Murder
''How to Get Away with Murder'' is an American legal thriller television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios ...
'':
: * episode #88: "What If Sam Wasn't the Bad Guy This Whole Time?"
* ''
All American: Homecoming'':
: * episode #8: "Just a Friend"
* ''
Truth Be Told:
: * episode #3: "If Wishes Were Horses"
* ''
The Mysterious Benedict Society''
: * episode #5
* ''
Step Up: High Water''
: * episode #3
: * episode #4
: * episode #5
: * episode #8
: * episode #10
* ''
Power Book II: Ghost''
: * episode #8
Awards and distinctions
* Telly Award (Silver) Directing for Television , Series: "Truth Be Told" , Episode: "If Wishes Were Horses" (2022)
* Telly Award (Bronze) Directing for Television , Series: "How to Get Away with Murder" , Episode: "What If Sam Wasn't the Bad Guy This Whole Time?" (2022)
* Communicator Award (Gold Award of Excellence) Directing for Television , Series: "Truth Be Told" , Episode: "If Wishes Were Horses" (2022)
* Communicator Award (Gold Award of Excellence) Directing for Television , Series: "How to Get Away with Murder" , Episode: "What If Sam Wasn't the Bad Guy This Whole Time?" (2022)
* Nominated for Best Directing DGC Award , Series: LOCKE & KEY , Episode: "Dissection" (2020)
* Women in Film and Television’s
Directors Guild of Canada
The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assist ...
Emerging Television Director Award (2008)
* Best Screenplay Award from African American Women in Cinema Film Festival for Love Child (2004)
* Platinum Remi Award for Dramatic Original Independent Short for Wilderness (2012)
* The Tony Stoltz Completion Award for Devotion (2005)
* Star! Audience Award at the
ReelWorld Film Festival in Toronto for Devotion (2005)
* Best Feature at the San Francisco Urban Kids Film Festival for Devotion (2005)
[Turnier, Patricia. "Exclusive Interview with Canadian Filmmaker: Dawn Wilkinson." Megadiversities.com. Mega Diversities, 21 Nov. 2012. Web. 2013. ]
* Nominated for a
Directors Guild of Canada Award Team Award for Best Television Series: Family for
Degrassi: The Next Generation.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Dawn
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Canadian women screenwriters
Canadian television directors
Film directors from Montreal
Writers from Montreal
Canadian women film directors
Canadian women television directors