Douglas Arrowsmith
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Douglas Arrowsmith is a Canadian film director and writer. He has produced award-winning documentaries for
CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
, music videos, and feature-length films for
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
,
The Movie Network Crave (formerly The Movie Network or TMN) is a Television in Canada, Canadian premium television network and Streaming service provider, streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. Launched in 1983 as the national service ...
and
HBO Canada HBO (previously known as HBO Canada, and still referred to as such on social media) is a Canadian premium television network from Crave (formerly The Movie Network), which is owned by Bell Media under license from Warner Bros. Discovery. The c ...
.


Personal background

Arrowsmith received his Ph.D. in Social and Political Thought in 2001 from
York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
, Canada. His doctoral thesis examines technologies of the self founded in Montaigne's self-essays,
Shakespeare's William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
self-dramatisations in the historical plays, and
Freud's Freud (aka Freud's) is a café- bar in a Victorian former church building at 119 Walton Street in Jericho, Oxford, England. The Freud café is located opposite Great Clarendon Street and the Oxford University Press is also opposite to the so ...
self-analysis. Part of the research involved a series of field interviews with writers, actors, and singer/songwriters including with
Timothy Findley Timothy Irving Frederick Findley, (October 30, 1930 – June 20, 2002) was a Canadian novelist and playwright.
,
Peter O’Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Gold ...
, and
Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American country, rock, and folk singer-songwriter. He began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Earle's breakthrough album was his 1986 debut album '' ...
, each of whom discussed the concept of ‘mastery’. Arrowsmith's doctoral supervisor was the renowned Canadian sociologist, phenomenologist, and social theorist John O’Neill, F.R.S.C, who would become a friend and mentor for life.


Film and television

Arrowsmith began his television career in 2001 as a producer on '' CBC News: Sunday'', a current affairs program on CBC's main network. During his 10 years as a staff producer he worked on everything from quick-turnaround video features to network specials and documentaries, including ''As the Towers Fell: Moment by Moment with the Journalists'' (2002), ''Deadline Iraq: Uncensored Stories of the War'' (2003, nominated for Canada's
Donald Brittain Award The Donald Brittain Award is a Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to honour the year's best television documentary on a social or political topic. Formerly presented as part of the Gemini Awards, s ...
for Best Social/Political documentary), and ''Tsunami: Untold Stories'' (2006, nominated for a
Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...
, Best Direction). He also produced ‘live’ show and video story segments for CBC's flagship Sunday program in the early-mid 2000s with singer/songwriters including
Serena Ryder Serena Lauren Ryder (born December 8, 1982) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Toronto, she grew up in Millbrook, Ontario. Ryder first gained national recognition with her ballad "Weak in the Knees" in 2007 and has released eight studio ...
,
Kathleen Edwards Kathleen Margaret Edwards (born July 11, 1978
) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. Her 2002 debut album, ''
, Derek Miller,
Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer and musician. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and Harold Budd ...
,
Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, comedian, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1 ...
,
Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to folk- and jazz-influenced rock to soundscapes accompanying spoken stories. His lyrics reflect interests in spirit ...
,
Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies (BNL) is a Canadian Rock music, rock band which was formed in 1988 in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their Barenaked Ladies (EP), self-titled 1991 cassette becoming th ...
, and
William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
. In 2008, Arrowsmith was honored with a
Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...
, for the short documentary "The Girl Sings Carnegie" that he produced and directed for CBC television about
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 ...
singer
Nikki Yanofsky Nicole Rachel "Nikki" Yanofsky (born February 8, 1994) is a Canadian jazz-pop singer from Montreal, Quebec. She sang the CTV Olympic broadcast theme song, "I Believe (Nikki Yanofsky song), I Believe", which was also the theme song of the 2010 ...
. The award was presented by the
Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize the achievements of the over 4,000 Canadian cinema of Canada, film industry and television in Canada, television industry professionals ...
. In 2009, he produced and directed a feature-length documentary, entitled ''Memory & Desire: 30 Years in the Wilderness with Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time'', about Stephen (Tin Tin) Duffy, founding member of
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...
. The film was nominated for the "Sound & Vision Award" at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. In 2010, he wrote, produced, and directed a feature-length film, entitled Love Shines, about Canadian songwriter,
Ron Sexsmith Ronald Eldon Sexsmith (born January 8, 1964) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards. He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21, and has ...
. Love Shines won the 2011 Audience Choice Award at SXSW in the "24 Beats per Second" category, and an Audience Choice Award at the 2011 Maui Film Festival. The film also won two
Canadian Screen Awards 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 ...
: Best Performing Arts Documentary and for Best Direction in Performing Arts. In the film, “Love Shines”, Arrowsmith draws an in-depth essay of Sexsmith's elements of character and gift for songwriting, achieved through an extraordinary encounter with Ron's (at the time) estranged son and a series of impactful interviews with some of Sexsmith's biggest fans including:
Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox drama series ''24 (TV series), 24'' (2001–2010, 20 ...
,
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
,
Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American country, rock, and folk singer-songwriter. He began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Earle's breakthrough album was his 1986 debut album '' ...
,
Leslie Feist Leslie Feist (born February 13, 1976), known mononymously as Feist, is a Canadian indie pop singer-songwriter and guitarist, performing both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene. Feist launched her solo ...
,
Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer and musician. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and Harold Budd ...
, and
Bob Rock Robert Jens Rock (born April 19, 1954) is a Canadian record producer, recording engineer and musician. In 1976, Rock joined Little Mountain Sound Studios, starting out as a recording engineer and sound mixer. During his time there, he coll ...
. In 2014 Arrowsmith wrote and directed “The Klondike Gold Rush”, a one-hour television documentary that examines the existential range of challenges faced by the women and men who set off to discover gold in the Klondike. It was filmed in 10 days at locations in Dawson City Yukon, Whitehorse, and Dyea, Alaska. The documentary was broadcast on all
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
platforms in America. In 2020 Arrowsmith produced and directed the feature-length documentary “Picture My Face: The Story of Teenage Head”. The film is about Canada's notorious punk rock band
Teenage Head (band) Teenage Head is a Canadian punk rock group from Hamilton, Ontario, that has been popular in Canada since the early 1980s. The group was formed in Hamilton, Ontario in 1974 by Frankie Venom (Frank Kerr), Gord Lewis, Steve Mahon, and Nick Stipani ...
, from Hamilton Ontario, (commissioned and broadcast as a TVO Original film) and explores founding member and guitar legend Gordie Lewis's struggle with depression following the loss of their frontman Frankie ‘Venom’ Kerr. It features interviews with
Marky Ramone Marc Steven Bell (born July 15, 1952), better known as Marky Ramone, is an American drummer. He began playing in hard rock bands in the New York City area, notably Dust (band), Dust and Estus. He was asked to drum for punk rock band Richard Hell ...
, English writer
Jon Savage Jon Savage (born Jonathan Malcolm Sage, 2 September 1953) is an English writer, broadcaster and music journalist, best known for his definitive history of the Sex Pistols and punk music, ''England's Dreaming'' (1991). Early life and educati ...
(England's Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock; Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture) and author
Nina Antonia Nina Antonia (born Nina Antonia Benjamin in 1960) is an English author who has chronicled the lives and misadventures of Johnny Thunders, the New York Dolls, Peter Perrett, and Brett Smiley. Antonia's later work explored decadent and supernat ...
(New York Dolls; Johnny Thunders...In Cold Blood) and
The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, was a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassis ...
’s Rob Baker.


Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time

Between 2018-2020, while basing in Cornwall, UK, and during ongoing filming of an upcoming new documentary release about
Stephen Duffy Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born 30 May 1960 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England) is an English musician, singer and songwriter of Irish ancestry. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist, and then drummer of Duran Duran. He we ...
and
The Lilac Time The Lilac Time are an English alternative folk-rock band, originally formed in Herefordshire by Stephen Duffy, his brother Nick Duffy and their friend Michael Weston in 1986. The band's name was taken from a line in the Nick Drake song "Rive ...
, Arrowsmith produced music videos to support albums and songs that were released for BMG UK, “The Needles” (2019) holiday single release; “Return To Us” (2019); “The Story of Return To Us” (2019 EPK); “I’m A Believer” (2019); and the single “The Hills of Cinnamon” (2020) which was completed partially during the pandemic and filmed in northern Ontario.


Lloyd Cole

In 2019 Arrowsmith was approached by English singer/songwriter
Lloyd Cole Lloyd Cole (born 31 January 1961) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was lead vocalist of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989 and subsequently worked solo. Early life Cole was born in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. He ...
about video work to support tracks from his album Guesswork. “Night Sweats” (2019
earMusic Edel SE & Co. KGaA is a German independent media company based in Hamburg. As a label and publishing group, it also operates marketing and sales for artists and smaller music labels. The repertoire of the Edel labels includes dance, rock and po ...
) features Cole's hands writing, cutting up, and reassembling strips of lyrics on a black background. “Violins” (2019
earMusic Edel SE & Co. KGaA is a German independent media company based in Hamburg. As a label and publishing group, it also operates marketing and sales for artists and smaller music labels. The repertoire of the Edel labels includes dance, rock and po ...
) features repurposed video installation work from Scottish artist Douglas Gordon's “The End of Civilisation” an exhibition commissioned by Great North Run Culture and Locus+ and the Arts Council of England.


Cherry Red Records


Nicky Haslam

In 2013 Arrowsmith was commissioned by UK celebrity designer
Nicky Haslam Nicholas Ponsonby Haslam (born 27 September 1939) is an English interior designer and socialite, and founder of the London-based interior design firm, Nicky Haslam Studio. Early life and education Haslam was born at Great Hundridge Manor, Ame ...
to direct a series of music videos to support the release of the LP "Midnight Matinee, a collection of Haslam's favourite cabaret songs, performed and recorded by Haslam and special guest artists for Cherry Red Records. The videos were designed to capture biographical pieces from Haslam's life and were shot in the UK for the tracks "Total Control", "Illusions" and "Real Live Girl". The video for “Total Control” features Haslam driving across London's Albert Bridge as well as footage of Haslam gaining access to a derelict Romanian ball room in the city of Cluj. "Illusions" (feat.
Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...
) is filmed on 16mm (b/w) at Haslam's famous Hunting Lodge near the ancient Hampshire village of Odiham, previously the home of John Fowler. "Real Live Girl" was shot with cast and crew in London's Soho district with the performance sequences taking place on stage at the Shadow Lounge, Brewer Street. The video was the final of the series and produced by Sonya Sier with cinematography by Jake Scott.


Lawrence - Felt

In 2017 Arrowsmith was commissioned by English singer, songwriter, and guitarist
Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...
(
Felt Felt is a textile that is produced by matting, condensing, and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic fiber, acrylic or acrylonitrile or ...
,
Denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more Warp (weaving), warp threads. This twill weave produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. Denim, as it is recognized today, was f ...
and
Go Kart Mozart Mozart Estate, formerly known as Go-Kart Mozart, are an English indie pop band founded by Lawrence, previously of the bands Felt and Denim. Lawrence formed the group as a reaction to his previous bands' lack of commercial success. He has calle ...
) to produce and direct the first video authorized by the artist since the days of Felt. The video for the track "Depressed" was shot over a period of time at locations in the UK and edited in Toronto, Canada, and officially released in February 2018 by Cherry Red Records.


Margaret Atwood & the Ursula K. Le Guin Tribute

In March 2018 Literary Arts of Portland, Oregon commissioned Arrowsmith to produce and direct Margaret Atwood's tribute to fantasy/science fiction writer, feminist, and essayist
Ursula Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin ( ; Kroeber; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the ''Earthsea'' fantas ...
(
Earthsea ''The Earthsea Cycle'', also known as ''Earthsea'', is a series of high fantasy books written by American author Ursula K. Le Guin. Beginning with '' A Wizard of Earthsea'' (1968), '' The Tombs of Atuan'', (1970) and '' The Farthest Shore'' (1 ...
series and
The Left Hand of Darkness ''The Left Hand of Darkness'' is a science fiction novel by the American writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Published in 1969, it became immensely popular, and established Le Guin's status as a major author of science fiction. The novel is set in the f ...
). In the video Atwood reads selected portions from Le Guin's works and states, among other things, that she could always count on her colleague, Le Guin, to "get it." The video was screened as part of a tribute gala on June 13, 2018, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland Oregon.


Witness to a City: David Miller’s Toronto (Book)

Arrowsmith is also the co-author of the book ''Witness to a City: David Miller's Toronto'', which presents stories of Toronto citizens who act for the greater public good, following personal loss and hardship. The book was co-authored with former Toronto mayor, David Miller and was nominated for the Heritage Toronto Award in 2011. Arrowsmith conducted in-depth field interviews with each subject who appears in the book, the list includes a group of extraordinary individuals whose stories affected Miller as both a citizen of Toronto and as a vocal leader for social and environmental justice.


Published works

* Arrowsmith, Douglas; and Miller, David. ''Witness To A City: David Miller's Toronto'',
Cormorant Books Cormorant Books Inc is a Canadian person. book publishing company."Two house ...
, 2010. * Arrowsmith, Douglas. ''Topia: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies'', "Melancholy in the Field of Self-Mastery: Memory, Desire and Lost Objects", 17, pp. 143–149. * Arrowsmith, Douglas; David Levinson, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of Human Emotions'', "Literature", New York: MacMillan Press, 2000.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrowsmith, Douglas
Living people Film directors from Toronto 21st-century Canadian screenwriters Canadian Screen Award winning directors York University alumni Canadian documentary film directors Canadian music video directors Canadian male screenwriters Year of birth missing (living people)