Ashley McKenzie (director)

{{Infobox person

| name = Ashley McKenzie

| image =

| caption = McKenzie in 2012

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1984}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Canadian

| occupation = Film director, screenwriter, editor

| years_active = 2010–present

| known_for =

| spouse =

| children =

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}}

Ashley McKenzie (born 1984) is a Canadian director, screenwriter, and editor.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/awards-and-festivals/tiff/introducing-the-fearless-ashley-mckenzie/article31910124/|title=Introducing the fearless Ashley McKenzie|access-date=2018-01-11}} She is known for her feature film directorial debut Werewolf (2016), which won numerous accolades, including the $100,000 Toronto Film Critics Association prize for best Canadian film of the year.{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/toronto-film-critics-give-their-top-prize-to-ashley-mckenzie-for-werewolf|title=Toronto Film Critics give their top prize to Ashley McKenzie for Werewolf|date=2018-01-10|work=National Post|access-date=2018-01-11|language=en-US}}

Early life

McKenzie was born on Cape Breton Island and raised in New Waterford, Nova Scotia.

Career

McKenzie began her career making short films in 2010.{{Cite news|url=http://www.nsi-canada.ca/2012/08/ashley-mckenzie-wins-wift-ats-inaugural-all-access-pass-award/|title=Ashley McKenzie wins WIFT-AT's inaugural All Access Pass Award|date=August 23, 2012|newspaper=National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)|access-date=2024-02-09|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825190305/http://www.nsi-canada.ca/2012/08/ashley-mckenzie-wins-wift-ats-inaugural-all-access-pass-award/|archivedate=August 25, 2012|language=en-US}} Her first short film, Rhonda's Party (2010), won the CBC's Short Film Face-Off in 2011{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/rhondas-party-wins-cbc-short-film-face-off/Content?oid=2660525|title=Rhonda's Party wins CBC Short Film Face-Off|last=Knox|first=Carsten|website=The Coast|date=July 11, 2011|access-date=January 14, 2018}} and was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list."The Festival group releases Canada's annual top ten". Postmedia News, December 7, 2011. Her second short film, When You Sleep (2012), won the award for Best Atlantic Emerging Director at the 2012 Atlantic Film Festival, and screened at the Cannes Film Festival in Telefilm Canada's short film showcase.{{Cite news|url=http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/98849-young-director-fulfils-dream|title=Young director fulfils dream|date=2014-04-14|work=The Chronicle Herald|access-date=2018-01-11|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111165915/http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/98849-young-director-fulfils-dream|archive-date=2018-01-11|url-status=dead}} Her third short film, Stray, was released in 2013 and her fourth film, 4 Quarters (2015), won Best Atlantic Short at the 2015 Atlantic Film Festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931585/|title=Ashley McKenzie|website=IMDb|access-date=2018-01-11}}

For her short film work, McKenzie has won the National Screen Institute's Shaw Media Fearless Female Director Award three times, in 2013, 2014, and 2015.{{Cite web|url=http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/face2face/2016/09/ashley-mckenzie-on-her-new-film-werewolf-existentialism-addictions-|title=Ashley McKenzie on her new film 'Werewolf,' existentialism, addictions and 'honest framing' {{!}} rabble.ca|website=rabble.ca|language=en|access-date=2018-01-11}}

McKenzie made her feature film directorial debut with Werewolf (2016), a film about two drug addicts in Cape Breton.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/cape-breton-films-makes-splash-in-europe-1.3993103|title=Cape Breton film gets 'overwhelming' reaction at Berlin film festival|newspaper=CBC News|access-date=2017-02-26|language=en}} Werewolf premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and has since won several awards; at the 2016 Atlantic Film Festival, Werewolf won the awards for Best Director (McKenzie), Best Actress (MacNeil), and Best Actor (Gillis).{{cite news|url=http://www.capebretonpost.com/news/local/2016/9/26/cape-breton-film-werewolf-a-howling-su-4650340.html|title=Cape Breton film 'Werewolf' a howling success at Atlantic Film Festival|date=26 September 2016|website=Cape Breton Post|accessdate=21 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202072924/http://www.capebretonpost.com/news/local/2016/9/26/cape-breton-film-werewolf-a-howling-su-4650340.html|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=dead}} At the 5th Canadian Screen Awards, McKenzie was nominated for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Achievement in Editing.{{Cite web|url=http://globalnews.ca/news/3186086/2017-canadian-screen-awards-nominees-revealed/ |title=2017 Canadian Screen Awards nominees revealed |last=Furdyk |first=Brent |date=17 January 2017 |accessdate=12 February 2017 |work=Global News}} Gillis was nominated for Best Actor and MacNeil was nominated for Best Actress.[http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/canadian-screen-awards-nominations-1.3938015 "Orphan Black, Schitt's Creek, Kim's Convenience up for Canadian Screen Awards"]. CBC News, January 17, 2017. In 2016, for her work on the film, McKenzie won the Stella Artois Jay Scott Prize. The following year, after its theatrical release, Werewolf won the $100,000 Toronto Film Critics Association prize for best Canadian film of the year.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2018/01/09/werewolf-wins-big-at-toronto-film-critics-award.html|title=Werewolf wins big at Toronto Film Critics awards|last=Doherty|first=Brennan|date=2018-01-09|work=The Toronto Star|access-date=2018-01-11|language=en-CA|issn=0319-0781}}

Her second feature film, Queens of the Qing Dynasty, premiered at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival.Naman Ramachandran, [https://variety.com/2022/film/global/berlin-film-festival-competition-encounter-titles-1235157036/ "Berlin Selection Unveiled: Claire Denis, Hong Sangsoo, Rithy Panh, Dario Argento Head to Festival"]. Variety, January 19, 2022.

Personal life

McKenzie has said in an interview with Xtra Magazine that she identifies as being on the asexual spectrum.{{Cite web |last=Steinberg|first=Danita|date=February 8, 2023 |title=Sundance 2022: Director Ashley McKenzie talks ‘Queens of the Qing Dynasty,’ Cape Breton and asexuality|url=https://xtramagazine.com/culture/queens-of-the-qing-dynasty-245005|access-date=June 4, 2024 |website=Xtra Magazine |language=en-US}}

Artistry

Joe Leydon of Variety described McKenzie's directing style as having "borderline Bressonian austerity."{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/werewolf-review-1201864251/|title=Film Review: 'Werewolf'|last=Leydon|first=Joe|date=2016-09-21|work=Variety|access-date=2017-03-06|language=en-US}} In an article called "A Generational Shift in Filmmaking", in discussing Werewolf, Richard Brody of The New Yorker wrote that "McKenzie fuses a documentary-like observational precision with a creative imagination that endows her characters' struggles with a quietly monumental grandeur."{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/a-generational-shift-in-independent-filmmaking-at-the-2017-maryland-film-festival|title=A Generational Shift in Independent Filmmaking, at the 2017 Maryland Film Festival|last=Brody|first=Richard|date=2017-05-09|work=The New Yorker|access-date=2017-12-08|issn=0028-792X}}

Accolades

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Association ! Category ! Nominated work ! Result
rowspan="1" \|2016 \| rowspan="1" \|Atlantic Film Festival \|Best Director \| rowspan="5" \|Werewolf \|{{Won}}
rowspan="4" \|2017 \| rowspan="2"\|Vancouver Film Critics Circle \|Best Director of a Canadian Film \|{{nom}}
Best Screenplay for a Canadian Film \|{{nom}}
rowspan="1"\|Canadian Screen Awards \|Best Achievement in Editing \|{{nom}}
Toronto Film Critics Association \|Best Canadian Film \|{{Won}}

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Association

! Category

! Nominated work

! Result

rowspan="1" |2016

| rowspan="1" |Atlantic Film Festival

|Best Director

| rowspan="5" |Werewolf

|{{Won}}

rowspan="4" |2017