Danishka Esterhazy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1969 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, director |
| Known for | Black Field, Alexis Kochan, Sara Canning |
| Website | danishkaesterhazy |
Danishka Esterhazy (born in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian screenwriter and film director. [1] [2] She is best known for her thriller and horror movies, such as Black Field (2009), Level 16 (2018), The Banana Splits Movie (2019), and the Slumber Party Massacre (2021) remake.
Esterhazy is well known for her haunting stories and female-driven films. Her debut feature, Black Field , won the Best Feature Drama award at Vancouver's Women in Film Festival and the Best Canadian Feature award at Toronto's Female Eye Film Festival. [3]
Esterhazy's films have screened in festivals and theaters and around the world including the Rome International Film Festival, the Puchon International Film Festival in South Korea, the Short Film Festival of India, La Maison Rouge in Paris and Kölner Filmhaus in Germany. [4]
Her films have been broadcast on CBC Television, Bravo and Super Channel. Danishka is also a recipient of the prestigious Kodak New Vision Award for Most Promising Female Canadian Director awarded by Women in Film and Television Toronto. She also won the UBC Creative Writing Award for Best Screenplay at the 2015 Vancouver International Women in Film Festival. [5]
She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a TV Movie at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022, for I Was Lorena Bobbitt . [6]
Esterhazy graduated from the Canadian Film Centre and the National Screen Institute. [7]
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | DoP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Embowered | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2004 | Threefold | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2005 | The Snow Queen | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| 2006 | Protection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2009 | The Red Hood | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Infectious | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| 2012 | Fallen | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Endings | Yes | No | No | |
| 2009 | Black Field | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2010 | Suddenly Ever After | Yes | No | No | |
| 2011 | The Trials of Rasputin | Yes | No | No | |
| 2013 | H and G | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2018 | Level 16 | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2019 | The Banana Splits Movie | Yes | No | No | |
| 2021 | Slumber Party Massacre | Yes | No | Executive | |
| TBA | Shadowy Lines | Yes | Yes | No | Also cinematographer |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Bullies – Not Cool! | Yes | No | Also editor |
| 2011 | Where the Funny Comes From | Yes | No | |
| 2020 | Vagrant Queen | Yes | No | Episodes "Nobody's Queen" and "In a Sticky Spot" |
| I Was Lorena Bobbitt | Yes | No | TV movie | |
| 2021-present | SurrealEstate | Yes | Yes | Directed 5 episodes |
| 2022 | Astrid & Lilly Save the World | No | Yes | |
| 2023 | Ginny & Georgia | Yes | No | 2 episodes |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Toronto Female Eye Film Festival | Best Canadian Feature for: Black Field | Won |
| 2013 | Women in Film and Television International | Most Promising Female Canadian Director | Won |
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