6 famous Vancouver filmmakers aka “Hollywood North”

This article was written by Kennedy Randall, content editor for InFocus Film School.

Many Vancouverites get a quick thrill as they walk past a movie set, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone famous or see a movie in action. Vancouver often appears in movies or TV shows, allowing residents to see their neighborhood on the big screen.

The stunning scenery, relatively inexpensive production costs compared to our neighbors to the south, and the talented and skilled professionals of Vancouver, British Columbia, attract thousands of productions each year. Due to Vancouver’s recognition as Hollywood North, it’s no surprise that we have many skilled filmmakers.

Vancouver is a great place to start in the industry, with its growing film market and industry professionals around every corner. Here are six filmmakers from our backyard who made it big.

Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen

This iconic Vancouver-born comedy duo is the man behind many of your favorite hot movies. They both grew up in a small neighborhood in Vancouver called Kerrisdale and attended Point Gray High School together.

Goldberg is the man behind the camera, writing, produce and direct many films on which they collaborate. Rogen is an infamous actor, but he’s also a very accomplished comedic director. Notably, they worked together on It’s the end, superb (which was inspired by their experience in high school in Vancouver), The interview and many more hilarious films.

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Long-time fans of The simpsons, Rogen and Goldberg learned that the show’s executive producer was a fan of Super bad, and he asked them to write an episode. The two were invited to The simpsons Writers’ Room and ended up creating the Season 21 premiere.

Rogen and Goldberg are still extremely prolific in the industry and often return to visit Vancouver. They founded their own production company named after their high school, Point Gray Pictures, which continuously produces some of the most popular comedies every year.

Mina Shum

Famous Canadian independent filmmaker Mina Shun was born in Hong Kong in 1966 and came to Vancouver with her family at the age of one. She attended the University of British Columbia, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and a Diploma in Film Production.

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She is the originator of numerous short and feature films dealing with sexuality, race and immigration, and has garnered interest at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival. In his three feature films, Double happiness, long life, happiness and prosperity, and Drive, she said, she approaches the Chinese-Canadian family through a comedic lens, following the story of a family in a multicultural Canada.

Her strategic and creative use of irony and humor to characterize society has earned her being one of Canada’s most famous filmmakers, and at the 2015 Vancouver International Film Festival, Shun received the Women in Film and TV Artistic Merit Award for his documentary on Ninth floor.

Neill Blomkamp

The superstar, who works as an animator, director and screenwriter, was 18 when he moved to Vancouver with his family from Johannesburg, South Africa. He started in the industry as a special effects artist and 3D animator.

After several years in the animation game, he then had to make his first feature film, an adaptation of Halo series of video games. Pre-production became a nightmare for Blomkamp and instead he decided to produce, alongside Peter Jackson, District 9, an adaptation of the previous film by Blomkamp Living in Jobourg.

The film explores themes of humanity, xenophobia and social segregation when an alien spaceship appears above Johannesburg, South Africa. District 9, directed by Blomkamp, ​​was nominated for the 2010 Oscar for Best Picture, as well as nominations for Best Visual Effects, Editing, and Adapted Screenplay.

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Blomkamp went on to make popular action and sci-fi films Elysium, Chappie and Conviction. He continues to host, direct and write science fiction films today in Vancouver.

Ryan reynolds

While Ryan Reynolds is best known as an actor, it may surprise you that he is also a prolific writer and producer.!

After playing and producing the blockbuster Dead Pool, he joined the editorial team of Deadpool 2 as well as the star and the production.

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Browsing through Reynolds’ production credits on IMDB reveals many exciting films in pre- and post-production, including the famous The Adam project, which was filmed in Vancouver. Many films of which Reynolds is a part, such as the dead Pool franchise, chose Vancouver as the filming location.

Despite his fame, Reynolds remains a down-to-earth Vancouverite, often shouting out his beautiful hometown and local places like Nats Pizzeria. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he took pity on the students who graduated from his high school, Kitsilano High, and bought each graduate a large pizza. It’s 385 pizzas from his favorite local restaurant!

Sturla gunnarsson

Recognized by the Canadian film industry as one of its most accomplished filmmakers, Gunnarssons documentary After the ax, which explores the laid-off, lost men and industries that handle those layoffs, has been nominated for an Academy Award.

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He immigrated from Iceland to Vancouver at the age of seven with his family. He attended film school in Vancouver and one of his student films, A day like any other, became one of Canada’s top performing student films at the time, winning top honors at the Canadian Student Film Festival and the European Student Film Festival. It also crossed the intersection of art and film, being screened at the New York Citys Museum of Modern Art.

Gunnarson found success early in his career, during and after film school, directing both feature films and documentaries. His work and his life are a deep inspiration for young filmmakers.