Justin Simms (born 1973) is a
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
filmmaker, born in
Labrador City
Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border. With a population of 7,412 as of 2021, it is the second-largest population cent ...
, 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
The 69th Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 to 22 May 2016. Australian filmmaker George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller was the president of the jury for the main competition. French actor Laurent Lafitte was the host for the opening and ...
as part of
Telefilm Canada
Telefilm Canada is a Canadian Crown corporation that supports Canada's audiovisual industry. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm Canada provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in Vancouver, British Colu ...
’s Perspectives Canada program.
His non-fiction credits include the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...
documentaries ''Hard Light'' (2011), winner of the Founder's Prize at
Yorkton Film 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 ...
;
''
Danny'' (2014), co-directed with
William D. MacGillivray; and the short ''Hand.Line.Cod.'' (2016), which premiered at the
2016 Toronto International Film Festival
The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 September 2016. The first announcement of films to be screened at the festival took place on 26 July. Almost 400 films were shown.
Awards
The festival's final awards were ...
.
In 2024 he released ''Sons'', a documentary film about his process of grappling with the question of how to model a positive
masculinity
Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there i ...
to his young son Jude.
[Elizabeth Whitten]
"Newfoundland filmmaker explores raising son in era of toxic masculinity"
CBC News
CBC News is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC ...
Newfoundland and Labrador, November 9, 2024.
Filmography
Features
*''
Down to the Dirt'' (2008)
*''Hold Fast'' (2013)
*''
Danny'' (2014) (co-directed with
William D. MacGillivray)
*''Away From Everywhere'' (2016)
*''Hand.Line.Cod'' (2016)
*''Becoming Labrador'' (2019)
*''Sons'' (2024)
Short films
*''The Audience'' (2001)
*''Heartless Disappearance Into Labrador Seas'' (2002)
*''Ashore'' (2002)
*''The King Hunt'' (2004)
*''Face Machine'' (2006)
*''Punch-Up at A Wedding'' (2006)
References
External links
*
*Watc
documentaries by Justin Simmsat NFB.ca
1973 births
Living people
People from Labrador City
Film directors from Newfoundland and Labrador
Canadian male screenwriters
Writers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
21st-century Canadian screenwriters
21st-century Canadian male writers
Screenwriters from Newfoundland and Labrador
Canadian documentary film directors
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