Mary Lewis is a Canadian actress and filmmaker from St. John's,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. She was the recipient of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Artist of the Year Award in 1999.

Life

She was born in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, Uganda but grew up in St. John's. She lives with a daughter born in 2004, and divides her time between

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 St. John's.

Work

In 1998, she wrote, directed, animated, and produced the short film ''

When Ponds Freeze Over ''When Ponds Freeze Over'' is a Canadian short film, directed by Mary Lewis and released in 1998."Ice tale will melt hearts". ''Montreal Gazette'', September 6, 1998. Mixing live action with animation, the film stars Lewis herself as Mary, a woma ...

''. The film went on to win various awards, including the

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

in 1999 for Best Short Film, the John Spotton Award at the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival for Best Canadian Short film, the Best Animated film Award 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 ...

, the Best Canadian Film at the

Atlantic Film Festival FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival (known as The Atlantic International Film Festival until 2017) is a major international film festival held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada since 1980. FIN is the largest Canadian film festival eas ...

, and the Vanguard Award for Experimentation at the Laguna Beach International Film Festival. Her 1999 film ''Clothesline Patch'' won a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

in 2002 for Best Dramatic Program. It was also the winner of the People's Choice Award at the Dawson City International Short Film Festival, The Bronze Plaque at the

Columbus International Film and Video Festival The Columbus International Film + Animation Festival is a Columbus, Ohio, United States annual film festival which is designed to encourage and promote the use of film and video in all forms of education and communication. It is the first and ol ...

, and the Best Dramatic Film Award at Cinequest International Film Festival in San Jose, California. ''

The Sparky Book ''The Sparky Book'' is a 2006 animated/live-action short film by Newfoundland filmmaker Mary Lewis, about the near-death of a young girl who undergoes heart transplant surgery, and the death of her beloved pet dog, Sparky. The story is based o ...

'' (2006) was the winner of the Bill Boyle Award for Excellence in Screenwriting from Flicks International Film Festival, as well as a Golden Sheaf Award from Yorkton International Film Festival. Other films she has directed include ''Rabbit Punch'', ''Come Into My Parlour'' (a segment of movie '' Five Feminist Minutes''), and ''Heart & Soul''. Television directing credits include ''The Zack Files'', ''Robson Arms'', ''Train 48'', and the 13-part international series about soccer fanaticism shot in 2010 ''Soccer Shrines''. In acting, she has appeared in the television series '' Kids in the Hall'', ''Random Passage'', ''Above and Beyond'', and ''Republic of Doyle'' and the films ''Cruceros'', ''The Elf'', ''No Apologies'', ''Finding Mary March'', ''Extraordinary Visitor'', ''

Secret Nation ''Secret Nation'' is a 1992 political thriller written by Edward Riche, directed by Mike Jones and starring Cathy Jones. The film tells the story of Frieda Vokey, a graduate history student working to complete her history thesis on confederatio ...

'', and ''When Ponds Freeze Over''. On stage she has appeared in ''Copenhagen'', ''Woyzek'', ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'', ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'', '' A Winter's Tale'', ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...

'', ''The Occupation of Heather Rose'', ''Later That Same Life'', ''Chickens'', ''Crime and Punishment'', ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the direct ...

'', and others. Lewis is currently adapting Lisa Moore's novel ''February'' to screen and hopes to direct it.

Notes

External links

*
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Mary Canadian women film directors People from Kampala People from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Film directors from Newfoundland and Labrador Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Live Action Short Drama Film producers from Newfoundland and Labrador