Kyle Thomas

{{For-text|the musician|King Tuff|the TikTok personality|Kyle Thomas (influencer)}}

{{Infobox person

|name=Kyle Thomas

|image= KYLE HEADSHOT 2013 (cropped).jpg

|caption= Thomas in 2013

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|df=yes|1983|6|23}}

|birth_place=Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

|years_active = 2007–present

|occupation= Film director, screenwriter, producer, actor

|alma_mater = Concordia University

|website ={{URL|northcountrycinema.com}}

}}

Kyle Thomas (born 23 June 1983) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, producer, and actor. His first feature film, The Valley Below, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. It garnered two Canadian Screen Award nominations in the categories of Best Supporting Actor for Kris Demeanor and Best Original Song for Dan Mangan's "Wants".[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/canadian-screen-awards-unveil-nominations-763287 "Canadian Screen Awards Unveil Nominations"]. The Hollywood Reporter, 13 January 2015. The film received largely positive reviews from the Canadian media, including The Globe and Mail and the National Post, who called the film a "superb first feature".{{cite web |author=Knight, Chris |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/03/04/the-valley-below-reviewed-getting-lost-in-the-badlands-of-alberta |title=The Valley Below, reviewed: Getting lost in the badlands of Alberta |work=The National Post |date=4 March 2015 |access-date=10 March 2015}}

Early life and education

Thomas was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and raised in Calgary, Alberta.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} He began making films with the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers in his teenage years before attending Concordia University's Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal in the early 2000s. After completing his BFA, he returned to Calgary to establish the North Country Cinema media arts collective in 2005.{{cite web |url=http://northcountrycinema.com/site/about/ |title=About Us |website=North Country Cinema |date=15 June 2013 |access-date=28 July 2013}}

Career

=Directing and producing=

Thomas is a founding member of North Country Cinema, along with filmmakers Alexander Carson and Nicholas Martin, whom he met at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. Through North Country Cinema, Thomas has focused on producing director-driven film and video content, and has created award-winning works{{cite web |last=Volmers |first=Eric |url=http://blogs.calgaryherald.com/2013/03/05/telefilm-gives-calgary-filmmakers-funds-for-first-feature-down-in-the-valley/ |title=Telefilm gives Calgary filmmakers funds for first feature, Down in the Valley |work=Calgary Herald |date=5 March 2013 |access-date=28 July 2013}} that have screened at major international festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival{{cite web |url=http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/festival/2013/numbersfriends |title=Numbers & Friends |website=Toronto International Film Festival |date=7 August 2013 |access-date=14 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130824041928/http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/festival/2013/numbersfriends |archive-date=24 August 2013 }} and SXSW.{{cite web |url=http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_FS12522 |title=Not Far From The Abattoir |website=SXSW |date=20 February 2012 |access-date=28 July 2013}} Thomas' recent films have portrayed neo-realist narratives concerned with intimate, personal stories depicting life in rural Alberta. Following the announcement that his first feature film The Valley Below would be funded by Telefilm Canada, he was declared one of "10 Canadians to Watch at Cannes" in 2013.{{cite web |url=http://www.telefilm.ca/en/news/releases/2013/04/18/canada-s-big-talent-telefilm-canada-reveals-its-10-canadians-watch-cannes |title=Canada's big on talent: Telefilm Canada reveals its '10 Canadians to Watch at Cannes' |website=Telefilm Canada |date=18 April 2013 |access-date=14 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017132041/http://www.telefilm.ca/en/news/releases/2013/04/18/canada-s-big-talent-telefilm-canada-reveals-its-10-canadians-watch-cannes |archive-date=17 October 2013 }}

The Valley Below premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014{{Cite news |date=2015-03-06 |title=The Valley Below: Four narratives hinging between hope and disappointment |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/film-reviews/the-valley-below-four-narratives-hinging-between-hope-and-disappointment/article23315303/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}} and went on to garner two Canadian Screen Award nominations.{{Cite web |date=2015-03-05 |title=The Valley Below |url=https://www.chch.com/chch-news/valley/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=CHCH |language=en-CA}}

Thomas' second directorial feature, Range Roads, screened at Cinequest,{{Cite web |last=Shareef |first=HannahJoy |date=2021-03-22 |title=Film Director Kyle Thomas Discusses 'Range Roads' |url=https://theknockturnal.com/kyle-thomas-discusses-range-roads/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=The Knockturnal |language=en}} The Canadian Film Festival{{Cite web |last=thejoyofmovies.ca |date=2021-04-17 |title=Canadian Film Fest Review: Range Roads |url=https://thejoyofmovies.ca/2021/04/17/canadian-film-fest-review-range-roads/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=The Joy of Movies |language=en}} and the Austin Film Festival{{Cite web |title=2021 Films |url=https://austinfilmfestival.com/festival-and-conference-aff/festival/2021films/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Austin Film Festival |language=en-US}} in 2021 and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress, Alana Hawley Purvis in 2022.{{Cite news |title=Sort Of, Night Raiders, Scarborough lead 10th Canadian Screen Award nominations {{!}} CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/10th-cad-screen-award-noms-1.6351294 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20231205131901/https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/10th-cad-screen-award-noms-1.6351294 |archive-date=2023-12-05 |access-date=2025-05-28 |work=CBC |language=en-US}} The film is distributed by Game Theory in Canada and Freestyle Digital Media in the US. The film features original music by Eamon McGrath. The film won prizes for Best Feature and Best Director{{Cite magazine |date=September 27, 2021 |author=Liza Sardi |title=Rosie Awards delivers accolades across Alberta screen industry |magazine=Playback |url=https://playbackonline.ca/2021/09/27/rosie-awards-delivers-accolades-across-alberta-screen-industry/ |access-date=2025-05-19}} at the 2021 Rosie Awards.

Kyle Thomas was a lead producer on Hey Viktor! which screened at the Tribeca Film Festival{{Cite web |date=April 19, 2023 |author=Ahmed Dirie |title=Five Canadian films among Tribeca’s 2023 world premieres |url=https://playbackonline.ca/2023/04/19/five-canadian-films-among-tribecas-2023-world-premieres/ |access-date=2025-05-28}} and the Toronto International Film Festivals{{Cite web |title=Hey, Viktor! |url=https://tiff.net/events/hey-viktor |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=TIFF |language=en}} in 2023.

Thomas produced North Country Cinema's fourth feature, Alberta Number One (directed by Alexander Carson) which screened at FNC{{Cite web |title=FNC - Alberta Number One |url=https://www.cinemamoderne.com/en/films/details/fnc-alberta-number-one/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Cinéma Moderne |language=en-US}} in Montreal and the Chicago International Film Festival{{Cite web |title=Alberta Number One |url=https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/film/alberta-number-one/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Cinema Chicago |language=en-US}} in fall 2024.

=Acting work=

Thomas plays the role of Danny in North Country Cinema's second feature film O, Brazen Age written and directed by Alexander Carson. The film premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2015.{{cite web |url=http://www.viff.org/festival/films/f14921-o-brazen-age |title=O, Brazen Age |website=Vancouver International Film Festival |date=3 September 2015 |access-date=10 September 2015}}{{BLP unreferenced section|date=June 2024}}