Holly Dale

Holly Dale
Born	(1953-12-23) December 23, 1953 (age 71) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Director, film editor, film producer, screenwriter
Years active	1976–present

Holly Dale (born December 23, 1953) is a Canadian filmmaker and television director. ^{[1] [2]} Over the course of her career, Dale has worked in the Canadian film and television industry as a director, producer, writer, and editor. ^{[3] [4]} Although she has completed solo projects, the majority of Dale's work has been in collaboration with her former classmate, Janis Cole. ^{[1] [4]} The Thin Line (1977), P4W: Prison for Women (1981), and Hookers on Davie (1984) are some of their most recognized projects. Dale's work has been featured in festivals around the world including North America, Europe, and Australia. ^[1] She has also received award nominations and wins, including a Gemini Award in 1982 for the Best Theatrical Documentary for P4W: Prison for Women. ^{[1] [3]}

Early life and education

Dale was raised in a low-income household in Toronto, Ontario. However, she decided to leave home as a teenager due to ongoing family conflict. During this time, she worked in non-therapeutic massage parlors in downtown Toronto. ^{[1] [3]} In the mid-1970s, Dale was accepted into the film studies program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. Here, she met Janis Cole, who she would continue to work with for the next 20 years. ^{[1] [3]}

Career

Early career

Often working with a low budget, Dale began her film career as an independent documentary maker. Sharing the responsibilities of writing, directing, producing, and editing with Cole, the two women focused on showcasing social inequalities and hardships experienced by marginalized groups. Their choice to question and challenge class-based oppression and gender norms in their work prompted their reputation as feminist filmmakers. ^[1]

Short and feature films

As students, Dale and Cole completed their first short film, Cream Soda, in 1976. This documentary revealed the demands on women employed in Toronto-based body-rub parlors. Meanwhile, their next film, Minimum Charge No Cover (1976), explored the lived experience of homosexuals, drag queens, sex workers, and substance users. ^{[1] [3]}

Their following short, The Thin Line (1977), documented the day to day lives of people who were deemed criminally insane and institutionalized in a maximum-security prison. While shooting this film, Dale and Cole admit they sought to emphasize the prisoners' humanity to provoke a sense of commonality with the audience, as opposed to solely focusing on their misconduct. ^[1]

The content from this film motivated Dale and Cole's first feature documentary, P4W: Prison for Women (1981). ^[3] After four years of communicating with officials, Dale and Cole were granted permission to film inside an all-woman prison outside of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. This marked the beginning of the documentary P4W: Prison for Women (1981). As co-directors and co-producers, Dale and Cole focused on the relationships between inmates as well as the prisoners' willingness to live despite ongoing challenges. ^[1] This film was well received by critics and the public alike, winning several awards at film festivals and a Genie Award in 1982. ^{[3] [4]}

Later career

Later in their careers, Dale and Cole decided to develop and operate the Toronto-based independent production company called Spectrum Films. ^[5]

In addition to her career in film, Dale has directed and produced episodes of different Canadian television series, including Bliss, Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, Just Cause, Twice in a Lifetime, Durham County, Cold Case, and Being Erica. ^[3] She has also directed two episodes of NCIS: Season 11's "Alibi" and Season 12's "Status Update". ^[6]

Filmography

Director

Year	Film Title	Additional Roles
1975	Cream Soda	co-filmmaker with Janis Cole
1976	Minimum Charge No Cover	co-filmmaker with Janis Cole
1977	Nowhere to Run	co-producer, co-editor
	The Thin Line	co-filmmaker with Janis Cole
1981	P4W: Prison for Women	co-filmmaker with Janis Cole
1984	Hookers on Davie	co-filmmaker with Janis Cole
1985	Quiet on Set	co-filmmaker with Janis Cole
1988	Calling the Shots	co-filmmaker with Janis Cole
1989	Dead Meat
1994	Historica Minutes: Agnes Macphail
1995	Blood and Donuts
1996	Dangerous Offender
1999	Amazon
2006	Absolution
2007	Hush Little Baby

Year	Television Series Title	Episode Title
1994	Side Effects	In Sickness and in Health
1996	Traders	Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth
1997	Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science	The Accident Bone of Contention
1999	First Wave	Blind Witness The Heist Night Falls
	Twice in a Lifetime	O'er the Ramparts We Watched Second Service
2000	The City	Motivation
	First Wave	The Believers Raven Nation Gulag
	Twice in a Lifetime	Birds of Paradise For Love and Money The Sins of our Fathers Curveball The Escape Artist Expose Grandma's Shoes
2001	A Nero Wolfe Mystery	Door to Death Christmas Party
	Tracker	Tracker ("pilot")
2002	Bliss	Valentine's Day in Jail Leaper
	Just Cause	Above the Law
	Tracker	Double Down A Made Guy
	Jeremiah	Thieves' Honor
2003	Bliss	Nina's Muse Cat got your Tongue
	Just Cause	Buried Past Lies, Speculation & Deception
	Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye	Diplomatic Immunity He Said She Said The Sniper
2004	The Collector	The Rapper The Photographer The Actuary The Medium
	Doc	Blindsided
	Stargate Atlantis	Home
	Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye	To Grandmother's House we Go Rocket Man Adventures in Babysitting
2005	1-800-Missing	Last Night Have you Seen this Man?
	The Collector	The Comic The Mother
	Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye	Fraternity Boy Meets World Troy Story
2006	1-800-Missing	Double Take So Shall ye Reap
	Angela's Eyes	Blue-Eyed Blues
	The Collector	The Chef The V.J. The Junkie
	Kyle XY	The Lies that Bind
	Wildfire	Taking Off Who are you
2007	Blood Ties	Stone Cold Wrapped
	Cold Case	The Good-Bye Room Running Around Thick as Thieves Boy Crazy
	The Dead Zone	Drift
	Durham County	What Lies Beneath The Lady of the Lake Divide and Conquer Guys and Dolls
2008	Cold Case	The Road Roller Girl Breaking News
	Flashpoint	Who's George? Attention Shoppers
	Heroes	Chapter Eleven 'The Eclipse - Part 2'
	Life	Crushed
	Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles	Self Made Man
2009	Being Erica	Dr. Tom Erica, The Vampire Slayer
2010		The Rabbit Hole Two Wrongs
2011	Castle	Head Case
	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Delinquent
2012	Dexter	Chemistry
	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Child's Welfare
2013	The Americans	COMINT
	Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.	"The Bridge"
	Castle	Significant Others Get a Clue
	Dexter	Are we There Yet
	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Betrayal's Climax
	Mistresses	Ultimatum
	NCIS	Alibi
	Reign	Kissed
2014	Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.	"A Hen in the Wolf House"
	Castle	The Greater Good
	Chicago Fire	Keep your Mouth Shut Santa Bites
	Extant	Wish You Were Here
	Reign	Royal Blood Corontation
	Under the Dome	Revelation
2015	Blue Bloods	In the Box
	Chicago Fire	2112
	Chicago P.D.	Disco Bob
	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Granting immunity
	Mistresses	Threesomes Love is an Open Door
	NCIS	Status Update
	Reign	Three Queens, Two Tigers Extreme Measures
	The Whispers	Whatever it Takes
2016	Chicago Med	Guilty
	Chicago P.D.	Now I'm God
	The Family	Fun Ways to tell your Boyfriend You're Pregnant
	Game of Silence	Into the Black
	Limitless	Hi, my Name is Rebecca Harris
	Quantico	Right
	Timeless	Stranded
2017	Bull	Teacher's Pet
	Chicago Fire	Babies and Fools
	Chicago Med	Deliver Us
	Chicago P.D.	Favor, Affection, Malice or Ill-Will
	Law & Order: True Crime	Episode 3 Episode 4
	Mary Kills People	Bloody Mary The River Styx Wave the White Flag Raised by Wolves The Judas Cradle Morning Glory
	Reign	All it Cost Her
	S.W.A.T.	Miracle
	Taken	I Surrender
2018	God Friended Me	Matthew 621
	SEAL Team	Takedown
	Take Two	Smoking Gun Death Becomes Him One to the Heart
	Timeless	The Kennedy Curse
	The X-Files	Familiar
2019	SEAL Team	What Appears To Be Dirt, Dirt Gucci
	The Code	Molly Marine
	Blood & Treasure	The Lunchbox of Destiny The Shadow of Project Athena
	Batwoman	Who Are You?
		A Mad Tea-Party
2020	Transplant	"Pilot"
		"Tell Me Who You Are"
		"Your Secrets Can Kill You"
	Batwoman	Off With Her Head
2021		What Happened to Kate Kane?
		Bat Girl Magic!
		Survived Much Worse
		Armed and Dangerous
		Power
		Mad as a Hatter
		Antifreeze
		Pick Your Poison
2022		We Having Fun Yet?
2023	Will Trent	A Bad Temper and a Hard Heart
	FUBAR	"Stole Train"
		"Honeyplot"
2024	Law & Order: Organized Crime	"The Key to the Castle"
		"The Real Eve"
		"Three Points"
	Will Trent	"Capt. Duke Wagner's Daughter"
	The Irrational	"The Wrong Side of Maybe"
2025	Will Trent	"Mariachi Shelley's Frankenstein"

Producer

• Thin Line (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1977)
• Starship Invasions (1977; assistant producer)
• Plague (1978)
• P4W: Prison for Women (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1981)
• Hookers on Davie (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1984)
• Calling the Shots (co-produced with Janis Cole) (1988)

Awards and nominations

Year	Name of the Award	Awarding Institution	Name of Film or Television Series	Status
1981	Gold Hugo: Best Documentary	Chicago International Film Festival	P4W: Prison for Women	Nominated
1982	Genie Award: Best Theatrical Documentary	Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television	P4W: Prison for Women	Won
1982	Red Ribbon Award	The American Film Festival	P4W: Prison for Women	Won
1982	Grand Prize: the Best Human Condition	York Film and Video Festival	P4W: Prison for Women	Won
1982	Grand Prize: the Best Cinematography	York Film and Video Festival	P4W: Prison for Women	Won
1984	Theatrical Producers Achievement Award	Canadian Film and Television Association		Nominated
1984	Gold Plaque: Best Documentary	Chicago International Film Festival	Hookers on Davie	Won
1985	Genie Award: Best Theatrical Documentary	Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television	Hookers on Davie	Nominated
1988	Lillian Gish Award	Los Angeles Women in Film Festival	Calling the Shots	Won
1989	Genie Award: Best Feature Length Documentary	Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television	Calling the Shots	Nominated
1994	Toronto Arts Award in Media			Won
1998	Gemini Award: Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries	Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television	Dangerous Offender: The Marlene Moore Story	Nominated
2002	DGC Craft Award: Outstanding Achievement in Direction	Directors Guild of Canada	A Nero Wolfe Mystery, "Christmas Party"	Nominated
2003	DGC Craft Award: Outstanding Achievement in Direction	Directors Guild of Canada	Just Cause, "Buried Past"	Won
2003	Gemini Award: Best Direction in Dramatic Series	Academy of Canadian Film and Television	Bliss	Nominated
2008	Gemini Award: Best Direction in Dramatic Series	Academy of Canadian Film and Television	Durham County, "What Lies Beneath"	Won
2008	DGC Team Award: Television Series - Drama	Academy of Canadian Film and Television	Durham County, "What Lies Beneath"	Nominated
2008	DGC Craft Award: Direction - Television Series	Academy of Canadian Film and Television	Durham County, "What Lies Beneath"	Won
2009	DGC Craft Award: Outstanding Achievement in Direction	Directors Guild of Canada	Flashpoint, "Attention Shoppers"	Won
2010	DGC Craft Award: Outstanding Achievement in Direction	Directors Guild of Canada	Flashpoint, "Perfect Storm"	Nominated
2013	DGC Craft Award: Outstanding Achievement in Direction	Directors Guild of Canada	The Firm, "Chapter Eighteen".	Nominated
2017	DGC Team Award: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series	Directors Guild of Canada	Mary Kills People, "The River Styx"	Won
2018	Best Drama Series	Canadian Screen Awards	Mary Kills People	Nominated
2018	Best Direction, Drama Series	Canadian Screen Awards	Mary Kills People, "The River Styx"	Won
2020	Outstanding Directorial Achievement	Directors Guild of Canada	Transplant, "Pilot"	Won
2021	Best Direction, Drama Series	Canadian Screen Awards	Transplant, "Pilot"	Won

See also

• List of female film and television directors
• List of lesbian filmmakers
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women

References

1. Felando, Cynthia (1999). "Cole, Janis and Holly Dale". St. James Women Filmmakers Encyclopedia. Canton, MI: Visible Ink Press. pp. 92–94.
2. Townsend, Paul (2000). "A Cinematic Map of Ontario A to Z listing of Ontario Actors, Producers and Filmmakers". Take 1. 28: 48 – via International Federation of Film Archives' International Index to Film Periodicals.
3. Wise, Wyndham (October 24, 2011). "Holly Dale | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
4. Armatage, Kay (1991). "A Brief History of Women Filmmakers in Canada". Changing the Focus: The Future for Women in the Canadian Film and Television Industry. Toronto, ON: Toronto Women in Film and Television. p. 138.
5. "History: Janis Cole & Holly Dale-- Filmmakers". Spectrum Films. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
6. "Holly Dale Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved October 17, 2018.

Further reading

• Hays, Matthew (2007). "Janis Cole and Holly Dale: Out From the Margins". The View From Here: Conversations with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Arsenal Pulp Press. pp. 55–65. ISBN   978-0739483961.

External links

• Official website
• Holly Dale at IMDb
• Spectrum Films website
• Holly Dale ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]} at Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
• Holly Dale at Film Reference
• Holly Dale at Queer Media Database Canada-Québec