Daniel Cross a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

maker, producer and

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

whose films deal with social justice. Cross is co-founder and president of

EyeSteelFilm EyeSteelFilm is a Montreal-based Canadian cinema production company co-founded by Daniel Cross and Mila Aung-Thwin, dedicated to socially engaged cinema, bringing social and political change through cinematic expression. Today the studio is run by ...

with fellow director/producer

Mila Aung-Thwin Mila Aung-Thwin is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, producer and activist whose films deal with social justice. He had a multi-disciplinary education in arts, journalism, and photography. In 1998, he met his fellow director/producer Daniel Cros ...

. He is also founder of Homeless Nation, a non-profit

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

endeavor that started in 2006 and has become a Canadian national collective voice by and for Canada's homeless population. Cross is a professor at the

Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, a division of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University, is a film school located in Montreal, Quebec. Informally known as MHSoC, the school accepts around 250 students a year for programs in animation ...

, Concordia University, Montreal

Education

Cross is a graduate of

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

, BFA 91, MFA 98.

Career

Cross directed the films '' The Street: A Film with the Homeless'' and '' S.P.I.T.: Squeegee Punks In Traffic'', where hundreds of

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

people from Montreal shared their many, amazing stories with him. From the movie, came the idea of a forum where these stories would not be lost and where Canada's homeless community could share their stories and refuse to be ignored. Both films received theatrical distribution, international broadcast and critical acclaim Cross also has experience in TV broadcasting, having directed and produced the

Gemini Gemini most often refers to: * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Gemini (astrology), an astrological sign Gemini may also refer to: Science and technology Space * Gemini in Chinese astronomy, the Gemini constellat ...

nominated '' Too Colourful for the League'' and '' Chairman George'' on the stations CTV,

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's '' Storyville'' and

TV 2 (Denmark) TV 2 is a Danish government-owned broadcast and subscription television station, based in Odense, Funen. The station was founded in 1986, and made its first official broadcast in 1988. It makes daily broadcasts of regional and national news, a ...

. ''Chairman George'' won awards at the AFI/Silverdocs and at Guangzhou Documentary Festival. He was the executive producer of the internationally acclaimed ''

Up the Yangtze ''Up the Yangtze'' is a 2007 documentary film directed by Chinese Canadian, Chinese-Canadian director Yung Chang. The film focuses on people affected by the building of the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze river in Hubei, China. The theme of ...

'', about a pleasure cruise through the devastation the world's largest hydro-electric dam caused. In addition to making films, Cross is active in the film community, serving on the boards of CFTPA, Observatoire du Documentaire and

DOC DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: People and characters * Doc, an abbreviation of doctor * Doc (nickname) * Doc (mascot), the Towson University mascot Persons * The D.O.C., American rapper (born 1968) * Doc Gallows (born 1983), ring nam ...

(formerly CIFC). He also serves as a board member of

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and Jun ...

and the "Documentary Organization of Canada" and teaches film production at

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. Previously, he taught at

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a j ...

in Regina,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Awards and participations

*In 2015 he won the

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...

for Best Theatrical Documentary Film and Best Cinematography for '' I Am the Blues'' *He received the '' Doc Institute'' Luminary Award, The Trailblazer award at MIPDOC in France, the Don Haig Award at

Hot Docs The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June ...

,Regan Reid
"Daniel Cross receives Don Haig Award"
'' Playback'', May 1, 2017. and is a member of the Provosts Circle of Distinction at

*In 2010 he won the United Nations World Summit Award for e-inclusion with his project Homeless Nation *In 2006, he won the Golden Sheaf Award at

Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival Yorkton Film Festival (YFF) is an annual film festival held in late May in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1947, the Yorkton Film Council (YFC) was founded and in 1950 the first international documentary film festival officially opened in we ...

for Chairman George alongside Mila Aung-Thwin.

Filmography

*'' The Street: A Film with the Homeless'' (1997) *'' S.P.I.T. - Squeegee Punks In Traffic'' (2001) *'' Too Colourful for the League'' (2001) *'' Inuuvunga: I Am Inuk, I Am Alive'' (2004) *'' Chairman George'' (2005) *'' Atanasoff'', Father of the Computer (2014) *'' I Am the Blues'' (2015)

References

External links

*
EyeSteelFilm Official web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Daniel EyeSteelFilm Canadian documentary film directors Academic staff of Concordia University Anglophone Quebec people Canadian film educators Film producers from Quebec Living people Film directors from Montreal Concordia University alumni Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Documentary Film Year of birth missing (living people)