I’m a writer / director based in Vancouver, BC.  I have a BFA in Film from Simon Fraser University, a diploma from the Norman Jewison Canadian Film Centre in Toronto, and an MFA in Film Production and Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.  Over the past 15 years I’ve written a number of scripts, including the award winning 2000 feature film, Protection, which I also directed.  I’m also a film educator, a visual artist and a musician. Click here to see my Demo Reel or scenes from Protection.

DIRECTING
Protection had its world premiere in official competition at the Montreal World Film Fest in 2000 and was the opening Canadian feature at the Vancouver International Film Festival in that year. The film has played at numerous international festivals and won awards in Spain, Portugal and Canada. It was released theatrically across Canada in 2001, and has been broadcast on a variety of Canadian channels in the past 8 years.

WRITING
Over the past seven years I have written three feature films which are in official development with Telefilm Canada: Damage Done, Purple Heart, and Missionary. These films are in development with Red Storm Productions – the same production company behind Protection and the Sundance award winning drama Eve and the Firehorse.

My writing ranges from features to television, documentaries, web series, radio, and recently fiction. In terms of genre, I'm also eclectic, moving from drama to satirical comedy, and from reality to the surreal.

TEACHING
Teaching has become a major passion for me, and over the past 13 years I have taught hundreds of students in a variety of filmmaking courses at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and the Vancouver Film School.  Becoming a film mentor has been a very meaningful experience for me and I consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to work with the next generation of film and media makers.  The energy and innovation they bring to their creations is an inspiration to me and I know I have learned much from them about how to communicate in our new media world. 

In 2001, I wrote and directed the short film Wonderful, which received festival screenings and a broadcast on the Canadian Showcase channel. In 2002 I directed a music video for the Celtic ensemble "Winter Harp" which aired on Bravo. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, myself and producer / filmmaker Erik Paulsson organized shoots amongst video activists in 12 major international cities, which we then co-directed as a National Film Board funded short called Web of Dissent for IndyMedia.org. This film served as a bookend to an experimental documentary short I made in 1992 about the first Gulf War which was called New World Murder - a film which de-constructs corporate media complicity in the war. New World Murder has played at a number of international festivals in North America and Europe and won several awards.  Currently, I am seeking funding for a hybrid documentary installation called The Tree In My Head.

PERSONAL
I am very fortunate to live right next door to the British Columbia rainforest - and my connection to it is what inspired me to work on my proposed documentary about trees and our relationship to them as a species. I also love being in Vancouver, where we have a vibrant art scene and a strong film community. But, with our technology now, the power of storytelling is global. I have traveled the festival circuit with my films, but now I want to connect with larger and more diverse audiences. Good stories will entertain, and I love to create compelling work. But a great narrative can also provoke. It can ask questions. It can become a call to action. That is what I aspire to.

CONTACT
spangler.bruce@gmail.com /  778-378-5905