Alison Duke
Represented by: Meaghan Denomme- Bio
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Bio
Alison Duke, Co-founder of OYA Media Group, is a multifaceted Canadian Screen award-winning talent.
Alison produced and co-wrote Mr. Jane and Finch, the CBC POV television documentary about Winston LaRose, an 80-year-old activist named. The film won two 2020 Canadian Screen Awards – The Donald Brittain Award for best social-political documentary and best documentary writing. The same year Alison directed Cool Black North, a 2-hour television documentary special for City TV, which went on to screen in over a dozen US film festivals and is now available on Rogers on Demand and Apple TV.
Alison made her dramatic debut with the powerful short film Promise Me, which has now been screened at over 30 festivals and earned numerous awards, including two Golden Sheafs for best direction and best-scripted for fiction in the 2021 Yorkton film festival. She then directed The Prescription episode for Obsidian Theater’s 21 Black Futures series on CBC Gem to fantastic reviews.
In 2021, Alison helmed a Heritage Minute spot for Historica Canada about Chloe Cooley, which has gone viral since premiering in February 2022. In doing so, she became the first Black woman to direct a Heritage Minute.
Alison exec produced Blue Ant Media’s 3-part docu-series Evil By Design: Surviving Nygard for CBC Docs, which earned her a Canadian Screen Award Nomination for Best History Documentary or Series in 2023. She’s currently in post on a feature music doc she directed, Bam Bam: The Story of Sister Nancy for CRAVE. And she recently wrapped her doc series Black Community Mixtapes which she produced and directed with Ngardy Conteh-George. Over her career, she has produced and directed works that have also aired on numerous networks and streaming services such as Netflix, ITVS, Sundance Channel, Superchannel, BET, Much Music, and TVO.
Always one to give back, she co-founded the OYA Emerging Filmmakers program, a 5-year initiative to accelerate the careers of Black youth who are graduates of post-secondary film, video and digital media programs in the Canadian entertainment industry. Being Black in Toronto, a series produced in this program, won the 2021 Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a Documentary Series.
Resume
| SELECTED WORKS: | |
| Title: Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story (2024) Role: Writer/Director/Producer Description: Feature Documentary
Title: Paid in Full: The Battle for Payback (2024)
Title: Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story (2024)
Title: Black Community Mixtapes (2023) Description: 5 x 22 min Doc Series
Title: Evil By Design (2022)
Title: The Prescription (2021)
Title: Promise Me (2020)
Title: Mr Jane and Finch (2019)
Title: Cool Black North (2019)
Title: Changing Seasons (2016)
Title: The Akua Benjamin Legacy Film Project (2016)
Title: Consent (2015)
Title: Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photography and the emergence of a people (2014)
Title: Sex, Criminalization, HIV and the Law (2013)
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Title: Women on the Move (2013) Role: Writer/Director/Producer Description: 35 min Doc & 3 x 5mins web docs Production Company: The Redwood: safe haven for abused women and their children
Title: The Reel West Side Story (2013)
Title: Positive Women: exposing violence (2012)
Title: A Love Supreme (2011)
Title: My Joan of Arc aka Ma Jeanne d’Arc (2011)
Title: The Batty Boy’s Revenge (2010) Role: Director/Writer/Editor Description: Music Video Production: Human Positive Records/Goldelox
Title: Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home (2008) Role: Producer Description: Feature Documentary Production: Take Action Films/TVO/CBC Platform: YouTube, Google Play (Pay Per View) • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDg0q462tq8
Title: The Vent (2008) Role: Director Description: Variety/Comedy Series, 6 X 30mins Production: A Sweet little Production/Out TV
Title: The Woman I Have Become (2007) Role: Director /Writer Description: 45 minute Documentary Production Partners: Women’s Health in Women’s Hand CHC
Title: Traditions and Transitions (2007) Role: Director/Writer Description: 1⁄2 hr Documentary Production: Women’s Intercultural Network/Status of Women/Goldelox
Title: Skin Deep (2003-2005) Role: Field Director Description: 1⁄2 hour weekly Reality TV program Production: Inner City Films/Life Network
Title: A Deathly Silence (2003) Role: Director Description: 1-hour documentary for public television network Production: YAP/Elliot Halpern/ Nataline Rodrigues/CBC Witness and Newsworld
Title: Sex TV: the series, (2001-2003) Role: Segment Producer Description 1⁄2 -hour weekly Documentary series Production: CHUM Television
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| SELECTED SCREENINGS & EXHIBITIONS: | |
| 2024 Tribeca Film Festival – Bam Bam: The Story of Sister Nancy 2020 Festival du Nouveux Cinema, QB, Canada – Promise Me DC Black Film Festival, DC, USA – Cool Black North International PanAfrican Black Film Festival du Cannes, Cannes, France selected –Promise Me Short Film Factory – Promise Me Columbus Black Film Festival Columbus USA – Promise Me BronzeLens Film Festival Atlanta, GA selected–Promise Me Las Vegas Black Film Festival Las Vegas, USA, Aug.t 6 – Promise Me Charlotte Black Film Festival Charlotte, NC June 23 (Cool Black North) Morehouse College Human Rights Film Fest., Atlanta, GA, Feb 26 (MJNF) Afro Prairie Film Festival Winnipeg, MB, Feb. 23 –Promise Me Nunavut Black Historical Society Nunavut (MJNF)
2019 Montreal Black Film Festival, Montreal, QC, Aug 29, Being Black in Toronto (BBIT) Rogers Inclusive Film Festival Ottawa, ON Rogers Network – Sept. 19 – Cool Black North (CBN) Bronze Lens Atlanta Film Festival Atlanta, GA Aug 24 (MrJnF) Black Star Philadelphia, PA – Aug. 2 (MJNF) Yorkton Film Festival Yorkton, SA May 25, (MrJnF) CBCDocs POV – Television Premiere – Feb. 23 (MJNF) Toronto Black Film Festival Toronto, ON Feb. 23 – Mr. Jane and Finch (MrJnF)
2016 Caribbean Tales Film Festival – Royal Cinema, Toronto, ON Sept. 19 The Akua Benjamin Legacy Project: celebrating 50 years of black activism in Canada (TABLP) Winner – Best Canadian Presentation Eastern Edge Gallery, New-Found-Land Group exhibition St. John’s, NFLD Reflections of Wata (RAW) Ryerson University (Toronto, ON) Feb. 9 (TABLP) Cooper Union Frederick P. Rose Auditorium. (New York, NYC) June 6 (Consent) Artspace (Peterborough, ON) June 1(Consent) University of Alabama HIV is not a Crime Conference (Huntsville, AB) May 17(Consent) Dreamland Art Studio (Buffalo, NY) March 25 (Consent) Cinema de Sève Concordia University (Montréal, QC) Feb 18,(Consent) St Paul’s University (Ottawa, ON) Feb 17 (Consent) Eckhardt Gramatte Hall (Winnipeg. MB) Jan 28 (Consent) 2015 Pavillon Judith Jasmin Annexe (JE), Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) (Montréal, QC): Dec 1(Consent) Contemporary Visual Culture (Edmonton, AB) Dec (Consent) HIV Outrage Justice Film Festival (Melbourne, Australia) Nov 28 (Consent) Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON) Nov 26 Fletcher Challenge Theatre (Vancouver, Canada) Oct 22 (Consent) Open House African Canadian artist group exhibition (Toronto, ON) Sept 6-13th, (Fisha-man – photographic installation)
2014 Doris McCarthy Gallery Scarborough, ON Oct 28 (PWEI) International AIDS Conference Sydney, Australia, July Positive Women: Exposing Injustice (PWEI) Inside Out (Toronto, ON) June Through a Lens Darkly (TALD) Museum of Modern Art (NYC, USA) Feb 28 (TALD) PBS (USA) Television Premiere Feb 16 (TALD) Santa Barbara Film Festival (Santa Barbara, CA) Feb 4 (TALD) Berlin Film Festival (Berlin, Germany) Feb (TALD) Sundance (Park City, USA) Jan 17 Digital Diaspora TALD digital platform) |
2013
Landmark EC Street Cinema, (Washington, USA) Dec(PWEI) ETR TV (Greece) Dec (PWEI) PWN Co, (Denver, CO) Oct (PWEI) PWN New Orleans (New Orleans, USA) Sept (PWEI) Roxie Theatre, (San Francisco, CA) Sept (PWEI) Broadway Cares, (NYC,New York) March (PWEI) Isabel Bader Theatre, World Premiere (Toronto, ON )March – Women on the Move (WOTM) York University, “Social Action for Social Change” School of Social Work (Toronto, ON) Jan (PWEI) College Boreal, (Toronto, ON) Jan (PWEI) Alberta Community Council on HIV/AIDS, “Social Action for Social Change” School of Social Work (Toronto, ON) Jan 2013 (PWEI)
2012 World AIDS Day, AIDS Network Kootenay, (Vancouver, BC) Dec (PWEI) CANAC Western Canadian HIV Nursing Symposium ACIIS, Hosted by 3rd All Nations Hope AIDS (PWEI) Network and HIV/HCV Nursing Education (Regina, AB) Nov (PWEI) University of Concordia, COCQ-SIDA (Montreal, QC) Nov (PWEI) University of New Brunswick St. Johns, Institute of Urban Studies Co-sponsored with OAHAS and the HIV/AIDS Regional Services (St. John, NFLD) Nov (PWEI) OHTN Research Conference, (Toronto ON) Nov (PWEI) Queen’s University, Feminist Law Students’ Ass, (Kingston, ON) Oct (PWEI) Tiff Bell Lightbox, (Toronto, ON) Sept My Joan of Arc (MJOA) XIX International AIDS Conference, Canada Exhibit (Washington, DC, July (PWEI) Signy & Cléophée Eaton Theatre, ROM (Toronto. Canada) (PWEI) Annual CANAC Conference, (Victoria BC), May (PWEI) Université de Montréal, Les femmes, le VIH et l’injustice du droit” Salon des professeurs, Pavillon Maximilien-Caron, Faculté de droit (Montreal, QC) March (PWEI) Canadian AIDS Institute, (Ottawa, ON) Feb (PWEI) Rainbow Health Ontario National Conference, (Ottawa, ON) March In Search of a Word (ISOFAW) Ryerson University, “Centre for Research in Critical Social in Action” (Toronto, ON) Oct (ISOFAW) Jackman Hall, AGO, LIFT 30th Anniversary (Toronto, ON) Jan (ISOFAW) Caribbean Tales Film Festival (Toronto, ON) Batty Boys Revenge (BBR)
2011 North Carolina LGBT Film Festival, (Durham, NC) (BBR) International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, (Amsterdam, Holland) Nov (MJOA) Tiff Bell Lightbox, Wedge Gallery Presents (Toronto, ON)(BBR) Cinefranco Film Festival World Premiere, (Toronto, ON) April (MJOA)2010 Kingston LGBT Film Festival, (Toronto, ON) (BBR) Regent Park Film Festival, (Toronto, ON)(BBR) IMAGE+ nation, (Montreal, QC) (BBR) Inside OUT Film Festival, (Toronto, ON) (BBR) AGO, (Toronto, ON)(BBR)
2009 UNAIDS Conference, (Geneva, Switzerland) The Woman I Have Become (TWIHB) CINEMAMBIENTE Environment Fest, (Italy) Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home (GTRSAH) DOCSDF International Documentary Film Festival, (Mexico(GTRSAH) Pepena Film Festival, (Mexico) (GTRSAH) Guangzhou GZ Doc Film Festival, (China) (GTRSAH) EcoKnights Environmental Film Festival, (Malaysia)(GTRSAH) Gimli Film Festival, (AB, MB) (GTRSAH) New Kingston Film Festival, (Kingston, ON) (GTRSAH) United Nations Association Film Festival, (Palo Alto, USA) (GTRSAH)
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| AWARDS & HONOURS:
Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story 2024 CMPA Indiescreen Award Nominee Black Community Mixtapes 2024 Canadian Screen Award Nominee: Best Direction, Documentary Series; Best Writing, Documentary Series Evil by Design 2023 Canadian Screen Award Nominee: Best History Documentary or Series Being Black in Toronto 2021 Canadian Screen Award: Best Direction in a documentary Series (OYA Emerging Filmmakers Program Participants) Mr Jane and Finch 2020 Canadian Screen Award Winner: Donald Brittain best social political documentary award 2020 Canadian Screen Award Winner: best documentary Writing 2020 Canadian Cinema Editors Awards Nomination: Best Short Documentary Editing 2019 Yorkton FIlm Festival Nomination: Golden Sheaf Award Promise Me 2021 Yorkton Film Festival – Winner- Directing Fiction 2021 Yorkton Film Festival – Winner – Scripted 2021Yorkton Film Festival – Nomination Golden Sheaf Award 2020 Columbus Black Film Festival – Best Short Film 2020 Int. PanAfrican Black Film Festival du Cannes Finalist 2020 AfroPrairie Winston W. Moxam Award – Best Canadian Short 2020 Short Film Factory – Best Short Winner Personal recognition 2019 ByBlacks 2019 People’s Choice Award: Film Director 2019 WIFT-T Crystal Award winner Mentorship The Akua Benjamin Legacy Project 2016 Caribbean Tales Film Festival – Series Best Canadian Doc Through A Lens Darkly 2016 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Arts and Culture documentary 2015 NAACP Image Award Winner – Outstanding Documentary, 10th Annual African Academy Awards Best Diaspora Documentary, 2015 American Library Association Awards, Notable Videos for Adults, 2014 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Batty Boyz Revenge 2013 Right OUT TV Fan Fave Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home 2009 CINEMAMBIENTE, Special Mention 2009 Göteborg International Film Fest Best Doc Award VII URBAN-TV International Television Fest Special Award Sisters in Cinema 2004 Denver Pan African Film Fest, Renaissance Award 2004 African Diaspora Film Fest, Audience Award 2004 Philadelphia GLBT Film Fest, Best Doc Award, Raisin’ Kane: a rapumentary 2001 Urbanworld Film Festival, HBO Award for Best Doc 2001 Reel World Film Festival, Best Canadian Doc
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DISTRIBUTION PLATFORMS:
Mr.Jane and Finch (digital extras) Archiving Mr.LaRose – on CBC Gem https://cbcgem.app/j3gpnn8DhMi7Ggi76 https://m.facebook.com/MrJaneandFinch/videos/?ref=m_notif&mt_nav=0 https://youtu.be/L3HePuNERD8 Cool Black North (Rogers on Demand) https://www.citytv.com/toronto/shows/cool-black-north/ Akua Benjamin Legacy Project (educational portal) Ryerson University https://vimeo.com/showcase/4649895
https://www.kanopy.com/product/through-lens-darkly-black-photographers-an Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home (2007) pay per view – https://www.videoproject.org/Garbage-The-Revolution-Starts-at-Home.html#:~:text=Site%2 0License)%20%2D%20%24249-,Garbage!,environmental%20predators%20of%20our%20ti me. https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=fyYwBxT9Ip0
EDUCATION: Masters of Fine Arts, York University Completed Master of Fine Arts in film production in 2020 Thesis film and paper, SSHRC Academic Graduate Scholarship Award Crocker–Hunkin Graduate Scholarship Nominated for Presidents Faculty of Graduate Studies Award Masters of Human Kinetics, University of Windsor Completed a Masters degree in Kinesiology in 1991 Specialized in biomechanics, ergonomic, physiology.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS: Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) Women in Film and Television – Toronto (WIFT-T) Documentary Organization of Ontario (DOC)
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Press & Links
OYA MEDIA GROUP:
https://www.oyamediagroup.com/
EVIL BY DESIGN: SURVIVING NYGARD (2022)
Executive Producer – Documentary Series
https://gem.cbc.ca/media/evil-by-design/s01?cmp=DM_DOCS_FEED_GEMCARD_evil-by-design_pri
MR. JANE AND FINCH (2019)
Documentary
https://gem.cbc.ca/media/cbc-docs-pov/season-2/episode-13/38e815a-010710e4462
THE AKUA BENJAMIN LEGACY FILM PROJECT (2016)
Documentary Series
https://www.oyamediagroup.com/commissioned-work/akua-benjamin-legacy-project
THROUGH A LENS DARKLY: BLACK PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE EMERGENCE OF A PEOPLE (2014)
Documentary
https://www.kanopy.com/product/through-lens-darkly-black-photographers-an
GARBAGE! THE REVOLUTION STARTS AT HOME (2008)
Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDg0q462tq8