Carl Bessai
CARL BESSAI (Writer): An acclaimed Canadian writer and director, Carl Bessai's debut feature film, Johnny, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 1999, where it received a special jury citation. It went on to travel internationally, receiving a Golden Alexander Nomination (Thessaloniki) before being released theatrically.
Based in Vancouver, Bessai has since produced, written and directed multiple feature films, such as Emile, starring Sir Ian McKellen and Deborah Kara Unger. He also wrote and directed Severed, his first foray into the horror genre.
Bessai's most recent features include the upcoming Normal, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the harrowing Unnatural & Accidental, an adaptation of the acclaimed stage play by Marie Clements, released theatrically in 2006. The film premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Toronto International Film Festival (2006), before earning a slate of awards across North America.
Additionally, he has directed two award-winning documentaries, Indie Truth, for the IFC, and the Marshall McLuhan biography Out of Orbit.