Alison McAlpine | |
|---|---|
 McAlpine at SANFIC 2018 | |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 2000s-present |
| Notable work | Cielo (film) |
Alison McAlpine is a Canadian filmmaker and writer living in Montreal, Quebec, best known for her films CIELO [1] and perfectly a strangeness . [2]
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, she began her career as poet, playwright and theatre director.
She moved into filmmaking with her first film Second Sight, a cinematic non-fiction ghost story. Second Sight was presented at more than 35 international film festivals, winning the Special Jury Mention at Slamdance 2009. [3] The BBC commissioned her to make a version of Second Sight: Ghostman of Skye (2009), for BBC 2, Wonderland. [4]
CIELO , McAlpine’s first feature documentary, premiered at the New York Film Festival in 2017. [5] The film is about the beauty of the night sky as experienced in the Atacama Desert and was released in its final version in 2018. The film has been presented in over 400 international film festivals and cinemas, as well as winning several awards. [6] [7] Named as “One of the 10 best documentaries of 2018” by Esquire and “The best films of 2018…that you didn’t see” by The Guardian, Cielo has also been critically acclaimed by Variety, The Village Voice, The Globe and Mail, and Le Devoir. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
perfectly a strangeness, McAlpine's first short film, had its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Official Competition 2024. [13] [14] The film had its North American Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival [15] [16]
A 2021 Guggenheim Fellow and teacher, McAlpine is currently working on several new films and writings. [17]