Holly Dale

{{short description|Canadian film and television director, producer, writer and editor}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Holly Dale

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1953|12|23}}

| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| death_date =

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| alma_mater =

| occupation = Director, film editor, film producer, screenwriter

| years_active = 1976–present

| spouse =

}}

Holly Dale (born December 23, 1953) is a Canadian filmmaker and television director.{{Cite book|title=St. James Women Filmmakers Encyclopedia|last=Felando|first=Cynthia|publisher=Visible Ink Press|year=1999|location=Canton, MI|pages=92–94|chapter=Cole, Janis and Holly Dale}}{{Cite journal|last=Townsend|first=Paul|date=2000|title=A Cinematic Map of Ontario A to Z listing of Ontario Actors, Producers and Filmmakers|journal=Take 1|volume=28|pages=48|via=International Federation of Film Archives' International Index to Film Periodicals}} Over the course of her career, Dale has worked in the Canadian film and television industry as a director, producer, writer, and editor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/holly-dale|title=Holly Dale {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia|last=Wise|first=Wyndham|date=October 24, 2011|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca|language=en|access-date=2018-09-27}}{{Cite book|title=Changing the Focus: The Future for Women in the Canadian Film and Television Industry|last=Armatage|first=Kay|publisher=Toronto Women in Film and Television|year=1991|location=Toronto, ON|pages=138|chapter=A Brief History of Women Filmmakers in Canada}} Although she has completed solo projects, the majority of Dale's work has been in collaboration with her former classmate, Janis Cole. The Thin Line (1977), P4W: Prison for Women (1981), and Hookers on Davie (1984) are some of their most recognized projects. Dale's work has been featured in festivals around the world including North America, Europe, and Australia. She has also received award nominations and wins, including a Gemini Award in 1982 for the Best Theatrical Documentary for P4W: Prison for Women.

Early life and education

Dale was raised in a low-income household in Toronto, Ontario. However, she decided to leave home as a teenager due to ongoing family conflict. During this time, she worked in non-therapeutic massage parlors in downtown Toronto. In the mid-1970s, Dale was accepted into the film studies program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. Here, she met Janis Cole, who she would continue to work with for the next 20 years.

Career

= Early career =

Often working with a low budget, Dale began her film career as an independent documentary maker. Sharing the responsibilities of writing, directing, producing, and editing with Cole, the two women focused on showcasing social inequalities and hardships experienced by marginalized groups. Their choice to question and challenge class-based oppression and gender norms in their work prompted their reputation as feminist filmmakers.

= Short and feature films =

As students, Dale and Cole completed their first short film, Cream Soda, in 1976. This documentary revealed the demands on women employed in Toronto-based body-rub parlors. Meanwhile, their next film, Minimum Charge No Cover (1976), explored the lived experience of homosexuals, drag queens, sex workers, and substance users.

Their following short, The Thin Line (1977), documented the day to day lives of people who were deemed criminally insane and institutionalized in a maximum-security prison. While shooting this film, Dale and Cole admit they sought to emphasize the prisoners' humanity to provoke a sense of commonality with the audience, as opposed to solely focusing on their misconduct.

The content from this film motivated Dale and Cole's first feature documentary, P4W: Prison for Women (1981). After four years of communicating with officials, Dale and Cole were granted permission to film inside an all-woman prison outside of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. This marked the beginning of the documentary P4W: Prison for Women (1981). As co-directors and co-producers, Dale and Cole focused on the relationships between inmates as well as the prisoners' willingness to live despite ongoing challenges. This film was well received by critics and the public alike, winning several awards at film festivals and a Genie Award in 1982.

= Later career =

Later in their careers, Dale and Cole decided to develop and operate the Toronto-based independent production company called Spectrum Films.{{Cite web|url=http://www.spectrumfilms.ca/history/history.html|title=History: Janis Cole & Holly Dale-- Filmmakers|website=Spectrum Films|access-date=October 17, 2018}}

In addition to her career in film, Dale has directed and produced episodes of different Canadian television series, including Bliss, Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, Just Cause, Twice in a Lifetime, Durham County, Cold Case, and Being Erica. She has also directed two episodes of NCIS: Season 11's "Alibi" and Season 12's "Status Update".{{Cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/1/Holly-Dale.html|title=Holly Dale Biography|website=Film Reference|access-date=October 17, 2018}}

Filmography

=Director=

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Film Title

!Additional Roles

1975

|Cream Soda

|co-filmmaker with Janis Cole

1976

|Minimum Charge No Cover

| co-filmmaker with Janis Cole

rowspan="2"|1977

|Nowhere to Run

|co-producer, co-editor

The Thin Line

|co-filmmaker with Janis Cole

1981

|P4W: Prison for Women

| co-filmmaker with Janis Cole

1984

|Hookers on Davie

| co-filmmaker with Janis Cole

1985

|Quiet on Set

| co-filmmaker with Janis Cole

1988

|Calling the Shots

| co-filmmaker with Janis Cole

1989

|Dead Meat

1994

|Historica Minutes: Agnes Macphail

1995

|Blood and Donuts

1996

|Dangerous Offender

1999

|Amazon

2006

|Absolution

2007

|Hush Little Baby

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Television Series Title

!Episode Title

1994

|Side Effects

|In Sickness and in Health

1996

|Traders

|Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth

1997

|Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science

|The Accident
Bone of Contention

rowspan="2"|1999

|First Wave

|Blind Witness
The Heist
Night Falls

Twice in a Lifetime

|O'er the Ramparts We Watched
Second Service

rowspan="3"|2000

|The City

|Motivation

First Wave

|The Believers
Raven Nation
Gulag

Twice in a Lifetime

|Birds of Paradise
For Love and Money
The Sins of our Fathers
Curveball
The Escape Artist
Expose
Grandma's Shoes

rowspan="2"|2001

|A Nero Wolfe Mystery

|Door to Death
Christmas Party

Tracker

|Tracker ("pilot")

rowspan="4"|2002

|Bliss

|Valentine's Day in Jail
Leaper

Just Cause

|Above the Law

Tracker

|Double Down
A Made Guy

Jeremiah

|Thieves' Honor

rowspan="3"|2003

|Bliss

|Nina's Muse
Cat got your Tongue

Just Cause

|Buried Past
Lies, Speculation & Deception

Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye

|Diplomatic Immunity
He Said She Said
The Sniper

rowspan="4"|2004

|The Collector

|The Rapper
The Photographer
The Actuary
The Medium

Doc

|Blindsided

Stargate Atlantis

|Home

Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye

|To Grandmother's House we Go
Rocket Man
Adventures in Babysitting

rowspan="3"|2005

|1-800-Missing

|Last Night
Have you Seen this Man?

The Collector

|The Comic
The Mother

Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye

|Fraternity
Boy Meets World
Troy Story

rowspan="5"|2006

|1-800-Missing

|Double Take
So Shall ye Reap

Angela's Eyes

|Blue-Eyed Blues

The Collector

|The Chef
The V.J.
The Junkie

Kyle XY

|The Lies that Bind

Wildfire

|Taking Off
Who are you

rowspan="4"|2007

|Blood Ties

|Stone Cold
Wrapped

Cold Case

|The Good-Bye Room
Running Around
Thick as Thieves
Boy Crazy

The Dead Zone

|Drift

Durham County

|What Lies Beneath
The Lady of the Lake
Divide and Conquer
Guys and Dolls

rowspan="5"|2008

|Cold Case

|The Road
Roller Girl
Breaking News

Flashpoint

|Who's George?
Attention Shoppers

Heroes

|Chapter Eleven 'The Eclipse - Part 2'

Life

|Crushed

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

|Self Made Man

2009

|rowspan="2"|Being Erica

|Dr. Tom
Erica, The Vampire Slayer

2010

|The Rabbit Hole
Two Wrongs

rowspan="2"|2011

|Castle

|Head Case

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

|Delinquent

rowspan="2"|2012

|Dexter

|Chemistry

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

|Child's Welfare

rowspan="8"|2013

|The Americans

|COMINT

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

|"The Bridge"

Castle

|Significant Others
Get a Clue

Dexter

|Are we There Yet

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

|Betrayal's Climax

Mistresses

|Ultimatum

NCIS

|Alibi

Reign

|Kissed

rowspan="6"|2014

|Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

|"A Hen in the Wolf House"

Castle

|The Greater Good

Chicago Fire

|Keep your Mouth Shut
Santa Bites

Extant

|Wish You Were Here

Reign

|Royal Blood
Corontation

Under the Dome

|Revelation

rowspan="8"|2015

|Blue Bloods

|In the Box

Chicago Fire

|2112

Chicago P.D.

|Disco Bob

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

|Granting immunity

Mistresses

|Threesomes
Love is an Open Door

NCIS

|Status Update

Reign

|Three Queens, Two Tigers
Extreme Measures

The Whispers

|Whatever it Takes

rowspan="7"|2016

|Chicago Med

|Guilty

Chicago P.D.

|Now I'm God

The Family

|Fun Ways to tell your Boyfriend You're Pregnant

Game of Silence

|Into the Black

Limitless

|Hi, my Name is Rebecca Harris

Quantico

|Right

Timeless

|Stranded

rowspan="9"|2017

|Bull

|Teacher's Pet

Chicago Fire

|Babies and Fools

Chicago Med

|Deliver Us

Chicago P.D.

|Favor, Affection, Malice or Ill-Will

Law & Order: True Crime

|Episode 3
Episode 4

Mary Kills People

|Bloody Mary
The River Styx
Wave the White Flag
Raised by Wolves
The Judas Cradle
Morning Glory

Reign

|All it Cost Her

S.W.A.T.

|Miracle

Taken

|I Surrender

rowspan="5"|2018

|God Friended Me

|Matthew 621

SEAL Team

|Takedown

Take Two

|Smoking Gun
Death Becomes Him
One to the Heart

Timeless

|The Kennedy Curse

The X-Files

|Familiar

rowspan="5"|2019

|SEAL Team

|What Appears To Be
Dirt, Dirt Gucci

The Code

|Molly Marine

Blood & Treasure

|The Lunchbox of Destiny
The Shadow of Project Athena

rowspan=2|Batwoman

|Who Are You?

A Mad Tea-Party

rowspan=4|2020

|rowspan=3|Transplant

|"Pilot"

"Tell Me Who You Are"

"Your Secrets Can Kill You"

rowspan=10|Batwoman

|Off With Her Head

rowspan=8|2021

|What Happened to Kate Kane?

Bat Girl Magic!

Survived Much Worse

Armed and Dangerous

Power

Mad as a Hatter

Antifreeze

Pick Your Poison

2022

|We Having Fun Yet?

rowspan=3|2023

|Will Trent

|A Bad Temper and a Hard Heart

rowspan=2|FUBAR

|"Stole Train"

"Honeyplot"

rowspan=5|2024

|rowspan=3|Law & Order: Organized Crime

|"The Key to the Castle"

"The Real Eve"

"Three Points"

Will Trent

|"Capt. Duke Wagner's Daughter"

The Irrational

|"The Wrong Side of Maybe"

2025

|Will Trent

|"Mariachi Shelley's Frankenstein"

=Producer=

Thin Line (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1977)
Starship Invasions (1977; assistant producer)
Plague (1978)
P4W: Prison for Women (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1981)
Hookers on Davie (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1984)
Calling the Shots (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1988)

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Name of the Award

!Awarding Institution

!Name of Film or Television Series

!Status

1981

|Gold Hugo: Best Documentary

|Chicago International Film Festival

|P4W: Prison for Women

|{{nom}}

1982

|Genie Award: Best Theatrical Documentary

|Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television

|P4W: Prison for Women

|{{won}}

1982

|Red Ribbon Award

|The American Film Festival

|P4W: Prison for Women

|{{won}}

1982

|Grand Prize: the Best Human Condition

|York Film and Video Festival

|P4W: Prison for Women

|{{won}}

1982

|Grand Prize: the Best Cinematography

|York Film and Video Festival

|P4W: Prison for Women

|{{won}}

1984

|Theatrical Producers Achievement Award

|Canadian Film and Television Association

|{{nom}}

1984

|Gold Plaque: Best Documentary

|Chicago International Film Festival

|Hookers on Davie

|{{won}}

1985

|Genie Award: Best Theatrical Documentary

|Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television

|Hookers on Davie

|{{nom}}

1988

|Lillian Gish Award

|Los Angeles Women in Film Festival

|Calling the Shots

|{{won}}

1989

|Genie Award: Best Feature Length Documentary

|Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television

|Calling the Shots

|{{nom}}

1994

|Toronto Arts Award in Media

|{{won}}

1998

|Gemini Award: Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries

|Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television

|Dangerous Offender: The Marlene Moore Story

|{{nom}}

2002

|DGC Craft Award: Outstanding Achievement in Direction

|Directors Guild of Canada

|A Nero Wolfe Mystery, "Christmas Party"

|{{nom}}

2003

|DGC Craft Award: Outstanding Achievement in Direction

|Directors Guild of Canada

|Just Cause, "Buried Past"

|{{won}}

2003

|Gemini Award: Best Direction in Dramatic Series

|Academy of Canadian Film and Television

|Bliss

|{{nom}}

2008

|Gemini Award: Best Direction in Dramatic Series

|Academy of Canadian Film and Television

|Durham County, "What Lies Beneath"

|{{won}}

2008

|DGC Team Award: Television Series - Drama

|Academy of Canadian Film and Television

|Durham County, "What Lies Beneath"

|{{nom}}

2008

|DGC Craft Award: Direction - Television Series

|Academy of Canadian Film and Television

|Durham County, "What Lies Beneath"

|{{won}}

2009

|DGC Craft Award: Outstanding Achievement in Direction

|Directors Guild of Canada

|Flashpoint, "Attention Shoppers"

|{{won}}

2010

|DGC Craft Award: Outstanding Achievement in Direction

|Directors Guild of Canada

|Flashpoint, "Perfect Storm"

|{{nom}}

2013

|DGC Craft Award: Outstanding Achievement in Direction

|Directors Guild of Canada

|The Firm, "Chapter Eighteen".

|{{nom}}

2017

|DGC Team Award: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series

|Directors Guild of Canada

|Mary Kills People, "The River Styx"

|{{won}}

2018

|Best Drama Series

|Canadian Screen Awards

|Mary Kills People

|{{nom}}

2018

|Best Direction, Drama Series

|Canadian Screen Awards

|Mary Kills People, "The River Styx"

|{{won}}

2020

|Outstanding Directorial Achievement

|Directors Guild of Canada

|Transplant, "Pilot"

|{{won}}

2021

|Best Direction, Drama Series

|Canadian Screen Awards

|Transplant, "Pilot"

|{{won}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.hollydaledirector.com}}
{{IMDb name|197700}}
[http://www.spectrumfilms.ca Spectrum Films website]
[http://testing.cfmdc.org/filmmaker/212 Holly Dale]{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
[http://www.filmreference.com/film/1/Holly-Dale.html Holly Dale] at Film Reference
[https://www.mediaqueer.ca/artist/holly-dale Holly Dale] at Queer Media Database Canada-Québec

Category:1953 births

Category:Living people

Category:Canadian documentary film directors

Category:Canadian documentary film producers

Category:Canadian film editors

Category:Canadian television directors

Category:Canadian women film directors

Category:Canadian women film producers

Category:Film producers from Ontario

Category:Canadian women screenwriters

Category:Canadian casting directors

Category:Canadian women casting directors