Sean Horlor (born January 11, 1981) is a Canadian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, television producer, columnist and blogger, who co-directs with

Steve J. Adams Steve J. Adams is a Canadian film director who co-directs with Sean Horlor under their production company, Nootka St. Adams and Horlor directed a number of short films together, including ''Just the Tip'' (2012), ''Only One'' (2016), ''A Small Pa ...

under their production company, Nootka St.Mike Devlin
"Victoria native Sean Horlor makes waves with his new documentary, Someone Like Me"
''

Victoria Times-Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily Co ...

'', May 13, 2021.

Early life

Born in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

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 ...

, Horlor grew up in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

. He has an undergraduate degree in

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

from the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

Career

Writing

In 2003, Horlor collaborated with the Vancouver poet Matt Rader and the illustrator James Kingsley to publish ''Our Mission, Our Moment'' through Rader's publishing company, Mosquito Press. A hand-bound chapbook, ''Our Mission, Our Moment'' contains eight poetic transpositions of the speeches of

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

. His poem "In Praise of Beauty" won first place for poetry in ''

This Magazine ''This Magazine'' is an independent alternative Canadian political magazine. History and profile The magazine was launched "by a gang of school activists" in April 1966 as ''This Magazine Is About Schools'', a journal covering political issues ...

''s 2006 Great Canadian Literary Hunt< and "St. Brendan and the Isle of Sheep" was a 2006 Editor's Choice in ''

Arc Poetry Magazine ''Arc Poetry Magazine'' is a triannual literary magazine established in 1978, publishing poetry and prose about poetry. History ''Arc'' was started in 1978 by Carleton University professors Christopher Levenson, Michael Gnarowski and Tom Henigh ...

''s Poem of the Year contest. His first poetry collection, ''Made Beautiful by Use'', was published by the

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

publisher Signature Editions in 2007. Edited by the poet John Barton, the collection was described as "a striking and, yes, beautiful set of musings on belief, sex, and power". It was longlisted for the 2008 ReLit Awards. His work also appeared in the groundbreaking ''Seminal: The Anthology of Canada’s Gay Male Poets'' (

Arsenal Pulp Press Arsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian independent book publishing company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company publishes a broad range of titles in both fiction and non-fiction, focusing primarily on underrepresented genres such as und ...

, 2007), edited by the poets

Billeh Nickerson Billeh Nickerson (born February 14, 1972) is a Canadian writer, editor, performer, producer and arts advocate. Personal life Nickerson was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, grew up in Langley, British Columbia, lived in Toronto, Ontario, and currently ...

and John Barton. Horlor is also a freelance writer. He has written for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', the ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'' and ''

Xtra! West ''Xtra Vancouver'' (), formerly ''Xtra! West'', was a gay bi-weekly newspaper, published by Pink Triangle Press in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Printed on newsprint in tabloid format from its establishment in 1993, Pink Triangle Press a ...

''.

Television and film work

In 2009 he was the co-host and co-creator of '' Don't Quit Your Gay Job'', an original Canadian comedy television series in which Horlor and Rob Easton tried out various jobs. He is a co-founder and co-owner with

of Nootka St. Film Company. Adams and Horlor directed a number of short films together, including ''Just the Tip'' (2012), ''Only One'' (2016), ''A Small Part of Me'' (2016), ''Angela'' (2016), ''Hunting Giants'' (2017), ''Brunch Queen'' (2018), ''The Day Don Died'' (2018) and ''Dear Reader'' (2021). Horlor and Adams premiered their debut feature documentary ''

Someone Like Me "Someone like Me" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten. Released on 29 March 2004 as the third and final single from their third studio album, '' Ladies Night'' (2003), the piano-driven track was issued as a double A-side with "Right ...

'' at the 2021

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June ...

, where it won a Rogers Audience Award and finished as a Top 5 Audience Favourite for the festival. Produced 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 ...

, the film follows eleven strangers from Vancouver's

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

community over fifteen months after they unite to help a queer youth escape life-threatening violence in Uganda. It was later a finalist for Best British Columbia Film at the

Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2021 The 22nd Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards were presented on March 7, 2022, to honour the films selected by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle as the best of 2021.Dana Gee"The Power of the Dog named year's best feature by Vancouver Film Critics Ci ...

, and a nominee for the

DGC Allan King Award for Best Documentary Film The DGC Allan King Award for Best Documentary Film is an annual Canadian award, presented by the Directors Guild of Canada to honour the year's best direction in documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-pict ...

at the 2021

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, assistant ...

awards. Horlor and Adams' 2023 documentary '' Satan Wants You'' looks into the Canadian origins of North America's moral

Satanic panic The Satanic panic is a moral panic consisting of over 12,000 unsubstantiated cases of Satanic ritual abuse (SRA, sometimes known as ritual abuse, ritualistic abuse, organized abuse, or sadistic ritual abuse) starting in the United States in th ...

over alleged satanic cults and ritual abuse in the 1980s and early 1990s, particularly the discredited 1980 bestseller ''

Michelle Remembers ''Michelle Remembers'' is a discredited 1980 book co-written by Canadian psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and his psychiatric patient (and eventual wife) Michelle Smith. A best-seller, ''Michelle Remembers'' relied on the discredited practice of rec ...

''.

Bibliography

* ''Our Mission, Our Moment'' (Mosquito Press, 2003) * ''Made Beautiful by Use'' (Signature Editions, 2007)

Filmography

*''Just The Tip'' (2012) *''Only One'' (2016) *''A Small Part of Me'' (2016) *''Angela'' (2016) *''Hunting Giants'' (2017) *''Brunch Queen'' (2018)Tessa Vikander
"Brunch Queen filmmakers serve up inside look at dynamic duo behind Vancouver’s Elbow Room Café"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', August 21, 2019. *''The Day Don Died'' (2018) *''Dear Reader'' (2021) *''Someone Like Me'' (2021) *''Satan Wants You'' (2023)

References

External links

*
Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horlor, Sean 1981 births Living people Canadian documentary film directors Film producers from British Columbia Canadian male television actors Canadian male screenwriters Film directors from Edmonton Film directors from Vancouver Film directors from Victoria, British Columbia Canadian LGBT film directors 21st-century Canadian poets Canadian television hosts Canadian gay actors Canadian gay writers Canadian gay artists Writers from Edmonton Writers from Vancouver Writers from Victoria, British Columbia LGBT film producers Canadian LGBT broadcasters Canadian LGBT poets Canadian male poets 21st-century Canadian male writers Gay poets Gay screenwriters 21st-century Canadian LGBT people Canadian film production company founders