Atom Egoyan
2015 Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Screens and Voices (formerly Broadcasting and Film))
Film and stage director, visual artist and screenwriter
One of this country’s most prominent and influential filmmakers, Atom Egoyan has created a remarkable body of work that has garnered critical and commercial success around the world. His distinctive, challenging films explore themes of community, isolation and displacement, our perception of reality, and the role technology plays in our lives. He has mentored many emerging filmmakers, and his dedication to showcasing Canadian talent has raised the profile and reputation of Canada’s film industry internationally. Though best known as a filmmaker, he is also a successful visual artist and theatre and opera director.
Born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1960, Atom Egoyan grew up in Victoria, BC, and studied international relations at the University of Toronto before embarking on a filmmaking career. His feature films include
Family Viewing (1987),
Speaking Parts (1989),
The Adjuster (1991),
Exotica (1994),
The Sweet Hereafter (1997),
Felicia’s Journey (1999),
Ararat (2002),
Chloe (2009),
Devil’s Knot (2013), and
The Captive (2014). He has received the Cannes Grand Prix and International Critics Awards, two Academy Award® nominations, and 25 Genies, and his work has been celebrated in several retrospectives, documentaries and books.
Mr. Egoyan has served on international juries for the Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Toronto film festivals. He is currently a distinguished scholar in residence at Toronto’s Ryerson University after several years in a similar position at the University of Toronto, and teaches at the European Graduate School in Switzerland.
“I’m interested in the spaces that reconfigure conventional formulas,” Mr. Egoyan says, “where viewers might suddenly find themselves in a zone that is close to them and yet new. I expect my audiences to be really committed to the film experience, and hopefully they’ll be rewarded by that.”
Atom Egoyan is an Officer of the Order of Canada (1999) and a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la France. Other distinctions include the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Dan David Prize for Creative Rendering of the Past, and honorary doctorates from 10 Canadian universities.