Joanne Sarazen

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Joanne Sarazen
Joanne Sarazen at the 2017 Cineplex Entertainment Film Program Showcase (38122331165).jpg
Born
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)Actress, screenwriter
Years active1996–present

Joanne Sarazen is a Canadian actress and writer. [1] She is most noted as co-writer with Sook-Yin Lee of the 2024 film Paying for It , for which they won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 13th Canadian Screen Awards in 2025. [2]

Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, she began her career as a stage actress and playwright in Montreal, Quebec, with her plays including Jesus Jell-O, [3] The Ronda M. Leacock Memorial Beauty Pageant, [4] Miss Ellen Q, [5] and The Doll Play. [6]

She studied screenwriting at the Canadian Film Centre in 2017. Her first screenplay, Tammy's Always Dying , was directed by Amy Jo Johnson and premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. [7]

Her second screenplay, Backspot , was directed by D. W. Waterson and premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, [8] and Paying for It premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. [9]

References

  1. "Play debating merits of procreation opens in Nanaimo". Nanaimo News Bulletin, February 27, 2020.
  2. Charles-Henri Ramond, "Écrans canadiens 2025: les nominations". Films du Québec, March 27, 2025.
  3. Pat Donnelly, "Jesus Jell-O: The Miraculous Confection at MainLine Theatre". Montreal Gazette , December 3, 2010.
  4. Tanya Foubert, "Banff Pride a success, but no flag flown". Rocky Mountain Outlook , October 30, 2014.
  5. Tanya Foubert, "The evolution of Miss Ellen Q". Rocky Mountain Outlook , February 28, 2019.
  6. Carly Maga, "The Doll Play dramatizes the effects of sexual trauma through abused toys". Toronto Star , May 23, 2019.
  7. Victoria Ahearn, "How 'Power Rangers' star's tragic past helped her direct film debuting at TIFF". CTV News, September 5, 2019.
  8. Sarah-Tai Black, "Backspot focuses on the challenges, vulnerabilities of teenage cheerleaders". The Globe and Mail , September 12, 2023.
  9. Peter Howell, "This Toronto pair put their unorthodox sex lives on film in ‘Paying for It,’ premiering at TIFF". Toronto Star , September 5, 2024.