Holly Dale (born December 23, 1953) is a Canadian filmmaker and television director. Over the course of her career, Dale has worked in the Canadian film and television industry as a director, producer, writer, and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

. Although she has completed solo projects, the majority of Dale's work has been in collaboration with her former classmate,

Janis Cole Janis Cole (born 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, producer, writer, editor and professor. She has directed several films over the span of her career. Most of these films were done in cooperation with her friend and professional partner, Holly Dale. ...

. ''The Thin Line'' (1977), '' P4W: Prison for Women'' (1981), and ''Hookers on Davie'' (1984) are some of their most recognized projects. Dale's work has been featured in festivals around the world including North America, Europe, and Australia. She has also received award nominations and wins, including 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 1982 for the Best Theatrical Documentary for ''P4W: Prison for Women''.

Early life and education

Dale was raised in a low-income household in

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 Ca ...

. However, she decided to leave home as a teenager due to ongoing family conflict. During this time, she worked in non-therapeutic massage parlors in downtown Toronto. In the mid-1970s, Dale was accepted into the film studies program at

Sheridan College Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology) is a public polytechnic institute of technology located in the west- Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Founded i ...

Oakville, Ontario Oakville is a town in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton. At its 2021 census population of 213,759, it is Ontario's largest town. Oakville is part of the Greater Toronto Area, one of the ...

. Here, she met Janis Cole, who she would continue to work with for the next 20 years.

Career

Early career

Often working with a low budget, Dale began her film career as an independent documentary maker. Sharing the responsibilities of writing, directing, producing, and editing with Cole, the two women focused on showcasing social inequalities and hardships experienced by marginalized groups. Their choice to question and challenge class-based oppression and gender norms in their work prompted their reputation as feminist filmmakers.

Short and feature films

As students, Dale and Cole completed their first short film, ''Cream Soda,'' in 1976. This documentary revealed the demands on women employed in Toronto-based body-rub parlors. Meanwhile, their next film, ''Minimum Charge No Cover'' (1976), explored the lived experience of homosexuals, drag queens, sex workers, and substance users. Their following short, ''The Thin Line'' (1977), documented the day to day lives of people who were deemed criminally insane and institutionalized in a maximum-security prison. While shooting this film, Dale and Cole admit they sought to emphasize the prisoners' humanity to provoke a sense of commonality with the audience, as opposed to solely focusing on their misconduct. The content from this film motivated Dale and Cole's first feature documentary, ''P4W: Prison for Women'' (1981). After four years of communicating with officials, Dale and Cole were granted permission to film inside an all-woman prison outside of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. This marked the beginning of the documentary ''P4W: Prison for Women'' (1981). As co-directors and co-producers, Dale and Cole focused on the relationships between inmates as well as the prisoners' willingness to live despite ongoing challenges. This film was well received by critics and the public alike, winning several awards at film festivals and a

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 sc ...

in 1982.

Later career

Later in their careers, Dale and Cole decided to develop and operate the Toronto-based independent production company called Spectrum Films. In addition to her career in film, Dale has directed and produced episodes of different Canadian television series, including ''Bliss, Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, Just Cause, Twice in a Lifetime, Durham County, Cold Case,'' and '' Being Erica.'' She has also directed two episodes of ''NCIS'': Season 11's "Alibi" and Season 12's "Status Update".

Filmography

Director

Producer

*''Thin Line'' (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1977) *''

Starship Invasions ''Starship Invasions'' is a 1977 Canadian science fiction film directed, produced and written by Ed Hunt and filmed in Toronto, Ontario. It was re-released in the United Kingdom as ''Project Genocide''. Plot The plot concerns the black-clad Legi ...

'' (1977; assistant producer) *''Plague'' (1978) *''P4W: Prison for Women'' (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1981) *''Hookers on Davie'' (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1984) *''Calling the Shots'' (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1988)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
Spectrum Films website

Holly Dale
at Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre

at Film Reference
Holly Dale
at Queer Media Database Canada-Québec {{DEFAULTSORT:Dale, Holly 1953 births Living people Canadian documentary film directors Canadian documentary film producers Canadian film editors Canadian television directors Screenwriters from Ontario Canadian women film directors Canadian women film producers Film producers from Ontario Canadian women screenwriters Canadian casting directors Women casting directors LGBT film directors LGBT film producers LGBT screenwriters Canadian women film editors Canadian women television directors LGBT writers from Canada Film directors from Toronto Writers from Toronto Canadian Film Centre alumni Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Documentary Film LGBT television directors Canadian women documentary filmmakers