The woman who is Virgin, one-in-herself, does what she does—not because of any desire to please, not to be liked or to be approved, even by herself; not because of any desire to gain power over another, to catch interest or love, but because what she does is true.”
-—Mary Esther Harding
Karen Lam | SANDRA OH
Karen Lam’s first short film as a writer/director (The Cabinet) won the NSI Drama Prize in 2006. She has since written and directed seven short films, a music video, a true-crime documentary series, a web series called Mythos (2015), and two feature films: Stained (2010) and Evangeline (2013). Her third feature film, The Curse of Willow Song, is currently in post-production.
Sandra Oh
2019 National Arts Centre Award
Sandra Oh is a versatile actor and accomplished producer whose dynamic performances and compelling screen presence have won popular and critical acclaim. She is proud of her Korean heritage, and her work in film and on television has been groundbreaking for her passionate advocacy for diversity and inclusion in casting. She is the co-executive producer and star of the hit BBC America spy series “Killing Eve,” for which she won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and earned a Primetime Emmy nomination. She also co-hosted the 76
th annual Golden Globe Awards (2019), the first Canadian and the first person of Asian descent to do so.
Ms. Oh was born in 1971 in Nepean (now part of the City of Ottawa). As a teenager, she took high-school drama classes and competed in the Canadian Improv Games. Shortly after graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada, she landed her breakthrough role in the gritty 1993 television biopic
The Diary of Evelyn Lau, for which she garnered a Gemini nomination and the Cannes FIPA d’Or for Best Actress.
She is well known for her 10 seasons (2005–14) as Dr. Cristina Yang on the hit ABC TV medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” a role that earned her a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. She was also acclaimed for her portrayal of Rita Wu on the HBO series “Arliss” (1996–2002), for which she received an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and a Cable Ace award for Best Actress in a Comedy.
Her film credits include
Double Happiness (Genie for Best Actress in a Leading Role),
Last Night (Genie for Best Actress in a Leading Role),
The Red Violin,
The Princess Diaries,
Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity,
Under the Tuscan Sun,
Sideways,
The Night Listener,
Rabbit Hole,
Catfight, and most recently
Meditation Park. She produced and voiced the title character in the animated film
Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming.
Sandra Oh was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2011. In 2013, she received a Key to the City of Ottawa, the city’s most prestigious honour.