Gary Burns (born 1960) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

writer and director. Burns studied drama at the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

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 ...

, where he graduated in 1992 from the Fine Arts film program. Born in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, many of Burns' films are shot in Calgary, and contain references to the particularities of living in the city. The

Plus 15 The Plus 15 or +15 is a Skyway network in Calgary, Alberta. It is the world's most extensive pedestrian skywalk system, with a total length of 16 kilometres (10 miles) and 86 bridges connecting 130 buildings as of 2022. Calgary often has seve ...

system becomes the

habitrail Habitrail is a brand name for a hamster cage made by the Hagen corporation. It is a series of translucent plastic tubes and "houses" for use in home terrariums, designed specially for hamsters. The design of the Habitrail is modular and can be con ...

of urban semi-professionals in

waydowntown ''Waydowntown'' (stylized as ''waydowntown'') is a 2000 film directed by Gary Burns and starring Fab Filippo, Don McKellar, Marya Delver and Michelle Beaudoin. The film is a dark comedy that explores office culture and its effects and often uses ...

and the

public transportation system Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typica ...

becomes a node where lives intersect in ''The Suburbanators''. ''

Radiant City ''Radiant City'' is a 2006 Canadian film written and directed by Gary Burns and Jim Brown. It is about the suburban sprawl and the Moss family's life in the suburbs. The film is openly critical towards suburban sprawl and its negative effects, b ...

'' examines the seemingly endless amount of suburban neighbourhoods that has overtaken Calgary. Burns is an alumnus of the University of Calgary's television program.

Film festival acceptance

His works have been very well received at Canadian film festivals. His first feature film, ''

The Suburbanators ''The Suburbanators'' is a Canadian road movie/comedy film written and directed by Gary Burns and produced in 1995 by Burns and John Hazlett. It tells the story of bored, estranged slackers in their 20s who spend their time in suburban strip-malls, ...

'', debuted at the 1995

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 ...

, where it placed in the top ten Canadian films and was also invited to the

Sundance film festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

in 1996. It is a comedy/

road movie A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienatio ...

about bored suburban slackers in Calgary. At the 1997

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 ...

, he was awarded Best Emerging Director for '' Kitchen Party'', a "teenage house party gone wrong" comedy. His film ''waydowntown'' was given the Best Canadian Feature prize at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival. His 2006 film, ''

'', co-directed with

Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (born February 17, 1936) is a former American football player, sports analyst and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one ...

, garnered the Special Jury Prize at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Filmography

* ''

'' - 1995 * '' Kitchen Party'' - 1997 * '' Fuck Coke'' - 1999 * ''

'' - 2000 * ''

A Problem with Fear ''A Problem with Fear, or Laurie's Anxiety Confronting the Escalator'' is a 2003 absurdist comedy film by Canadian film-maker Gary Burns. Plot Laurie Harding (Paulo Costanzo) is a small shop clerk in the local Calgary mall. His world is full o ...

'' - 2003 * ''

'' - 2006 * '' The Future Is Now!'' - 2010 * '' Man Running'' - 2018

References

External links

* 1960 births Canadian male screenwriters Film directors from Calgary Writers from Calgary Living people University of Calgary alumni Concordia University alumni Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Documentary Film Date of birth missing (living people) {{Canada-film-director-stub