Justin Simms

{{short description|Canadian film director and screenwriter (born 1973)}}

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| name = Justin Simms

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1973}}

| birth_place = Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

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| occupation = {{hlist|Film director|Screenwriter|Film editor}}

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Justin Simms (born 1973) is a Newfoundland and Labrador filmmaker, born in Labrador City, a co-founder of Newfound Films, and is now based in St. John's. His first feature film was Down to the Dirt, an adaptation of Joel Hynes's novel that Simms directed and co-wrote, which was named best Atlantic feature and best screenplay at the Atlantic Film Festival. He was the director of the film Hold Fast (2013) based on the novel of the same name by Newfoundland author Kevin Major. His most recent feature film adaptation is Away From Everywhere (2016), based on the Chad Pelley novel of the same name, which had its world premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival as part of Telefilm Canada’s Perspectives Canada program.{{cite news|last1=Bradbury|first1=Tara|title=Local films highlighted at Atlantic Film Fest this week|url=http://www.thetelegram.com/Living/Entertainment/2016-09-14/article-4641049/Local-films-highlighted-at-Atlantic-Film-Fest-this-week/1|accessdate=3 October 2016|work=The Telegram|date=14 September 2016}}

His non-fiction credits include the National Film Board of Canada documentaries Hard Light (2011), winner of the Founder's Prize at Yorkton Film Festival;{{cite news|last1=Ng|first1=Danielle|title=Let the Daylight Into the Swamp wins best of fest Golden Sheaf|url=http://playbackonline.ca/2013/05/28/let-the-daylight-into-the-swamp-wins-best-of-fest-golden-sheaf/|accessdate=3 October 2016|work=Playback|date=28 May 2013}} Danny (2014), co-directed with William D. MacGillivray; and the short Hand.Line.Cod. (2016), which premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.{{cite news|last1=Pennell|first1=Josh|title=Filmmaker Justin Simms answers 20 Questions|url=http://www.thetelegram.com/Living/2013-08-31/article-3369056/Filmmaker-Justin-Simms-answers-20-Questions/1|accessdate=3 October 2016|work=The Telegram|date=31 August 2013}}{{cite news|last1=Tobin|first1=Melissa|title='Truly a special place': Fogo cod fishing documented in TIFF premiere|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/hand-line-cod-tiff-fogo-1.3759874|accessdate=3 October 2016|work=CBC News|date=14 September 2016}}

In 2024 he released Sons, a documentary film about his process of grappling with the question of how to model a positive masculinity to his young son Jude.Elizabeth Whitten, [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/justin-simms-film-sons-1.7376559 "Newfoundland filmmaker explores raising son in era of toxic masculinity"]. CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador, November 9, 2024.