Sandra “Sandy” Wilson (born 1947) 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 ...

director and screenwriter, based in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. She is best known for her films ''

My American Cousin ''My American Cousin'' is a Canadian drama film, released in 1985. Written and directed by Sandy Wilson based on her own childhood, the film stars Margaret Langrick as Sandy Wilcox, a preteen girl growing up on a ranch in rural Penticton, Britis ...

'' (1985) and ''

Harmony Cats ''Harmony Cats'' is a 1992 Canadian comedy film, directed by Sandy Wilson.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 94. Plot ''Harmony Cats'' is about a violinist named Graham Braithwaite (Kim Coates) who plays wit ...

'' (1992)''.'' Most of her films take place in the same areas she grew up:

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

and

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part ...

. Wilson has received critical acclaim for her films. At the 1986 Genie Awards, ''My American Cousin'' won six awards including Best Achievement in Direction,

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...

and Best Motion Picture. ''Harmony Cats'' was nominated for Genie Awards in 1993.

Early life and education

Sandra “Sandy” Wilson was born in 1947 in Penticton, B.C. and is of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

descent. She grew up in Paradise Ranch just outside of Penticton. She has a brother named Brian, who has a physical disability. He was the subject and inspiration for Wilson's 1972 documentary ''He’s Not the Walking Kind.'' Wilson studied English and History at

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

. She never intended to become a filmmaker but when she signed up for a Film Workshop at the university, Wilson discovered her passion for moving images.

Career

Wilson started her career in filmmaking in 1969. She began writing, producing and directing films in Vancouver. Much of Wilson's early work consists of short personal documentaries. For ''The Bridal Shower'' (1972), ''Growing Up in Paradise'' (1977) and ''He’s Not the Walking Kind'' Wilson incorporated home video footage that her father shot on

16mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...

. The success of her early personal documentaries inspired Wilson to begin work on her first feature film. In 1972, during work on ''He’s Not the Walking Kind'', she began an outline of ''My American Cousin''.

My American Cousin

''My American Cousin'' is Wilson's first feature film. It is a semi-autobiographical film, inspired by her childhood memories. It follows a twelve-year-old girl's coming-of-age during a summer in the late 1950s in Okanagan, B.C. The film was further inspired by the

Johnny Horton John LaGale Horton (April 30, 1925 – November 5, 1960) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Initially performing traditional country, Horton later performed rockabilly songs. He is best known for a series of history-inspired narrat ...

song “

The Battle of New Orleans "The Battle of New Orleans" is a song written by Jimmy Driftwood. The song describes the Battle of New Orleans from the perspective of an American soldier; the song tells the tale of the battle with a light tone and provides a rather comical ver ...

.” When she was working on the film, Wilson heard it on the radio and thought it reminded her of her American cousin, which became the inspiration for the film's title. The budget for the film was $1.5 million and was fund raised over a two-year period. Wilson started the project by traveling to

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 pitching the film to “anyone with money.” Wilson's childhood friend, Phil Borsos, also helped during the early days of ''My American Cousin''. Borsos father, Peter O’Brien, was Sandy Wilson's high school art teacher. Borsos showed his father the script, and O’Brien eventually agreed to produce the film. Much of the film was shot in the community where Wilson grew up: Paradise Ranch. Despite other executives on the film advising against it, Wilson cast her 13-year-old neighbour,

Margaret Langrick Margaret Langrick (born 1971) is a Canadians, Canadian writer and retired actress. She is now known as Maggie Langrick, and is the CEO of the publishing company Wonderwell. Filmography Films *''My American Cousin'' (1985) as Sandy Wilcox *''Ha ...

, in the lead role of Sandy Wilcox. ''My American Cousin'' won six Genie Awards at the 1986 ceremony, including Best Achievement in Direction and Best Original Screenplay for Wilson. Shortly after, ''My American Cousin'' opened in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. There was debate on whether to label the film as Canadian for its

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

premiere. They settled on “winner of six Canadian Academy Awards.”

American Boyfriends - present

After the success of ''My American Cousin'' there was pressure on Wilson to relocate to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, but she chose to stay in Vancouver. As a single mom, with two young boys she wanted to focus on raising them in their home city. Four years later, Wilson directed the sequel to ''My American Cousin'', ''

American Boyfriends ''American Boyfriends'' is a 1989 Canadian comedy-drama film written and directed by Sandy Wilson and starring Margaret Langrick, John Wildman, Jason Blicker, Liisa Repo-Martell, and Delia Breit. It is the sequel to ''My American Cousin'' (19 ...

'' (1989). The film follows Sandy Wilcox on a trip to Santa Cruz to see her cousin get married. During production in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the local union limited the number of Canadian crew members to seven. They were given the label “privileged aliens” while working in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The American crew members working on the film were all familiar with the original film, and happy to be working on its sequel. ''American Boyfriends'' flopped and didn't receive the same success as ''My American Cousin''. After ''American Boyfriends,'' Wilson worked in the

television industry Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

for four years. In 1992, Wilson premiered ''Harmony Cats'', which was different from all her films that came before. After ''American Boyfriends'', Wilson didn't want to direct any more semi-autobiographical pieces.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Sandy 1947 births Canadian women film directors Film directors from British Columbia Living people People from Penticton Canadian women screenwriters Writers from British Columbia Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Best Director Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Date of birth missing (living people)