Michelle Mama is a Canadian writer, director, producer, and LGBTQIA+ advocate known for her work in film and television. She directed the episode Fluid: Beyond the Binary for CBC's The Nature of Things and co-founded GAY AGENDA, a Toronto-based production company focused on LGBTQIA+ stories. [1] Mama has been nominated five times for Canadian Screen Awards [2] , including for her work on Lost Car Rescue and Shine True , and won one for Canada’s Drag Race . [3] She has won several industry awards for her documentary and reality television productions. [4]
Mama directed Fluid: Life Beyond the Binary (hosted by Mae Martin), a 2024 episode of CBC’s The Nature of Things that examines gender and sexual fluidity in humans and the natural world. [5] [6]
She was born and raised in Canada in Parsi-Zoroastrian Family. Her parents immigrated from Karachi, Pakistan, and her family traces its roots to both India and Pakistan. [7] [1] She is a vocal advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and representation in the media. [8]
Mama has worked for over two decades in various roles across the entertainment industry. As a writer, she contributed to Baroness Von Sketch Show (Season 5, IFC/CBC), a series known for its sharp humour and social commentary. She also directed the award-winning documentary 21 Days to Nawroz, a film out the struggles of women in Kurdistan in the north of war-torn Iraq [9] [7]
Mama also produced Your Beautiful Cul de Sac Home, a feature comedy, starring Valerie Buhagiar, Ennis Esmer, Charles Officer, and Matt Gordon. [1]
In 2023, Mama directed Fluid: Beyond the Binary, an episode of The Nature of Things featuring non-binary comedian Mae Martin. The episode explores the complexity of gender identity, with an emphasis on queer representation in media. [10]
She served as Executive Producer of Canada’s Drag Race (Season 3) and Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World (Season 1). [11] In addition, she worked on the 2023 series Lost Car Rescue , earning a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Direction in a Factual Program. [12]
Mama's production credits include In The Making , a CBC Arts documentary series featuring sixteen films profiling groundbreaking Canadian artists [13] which was nominated for several awards at the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards [14] and Summer Qamp (executive producer),a documentary that follows LGBTQIA+ youth attending Camp fYrefly in rural Alberta for a week of queer joy and discovery. [2] [15] She is also the showrunner, series producer, and director for the Shine True documentary series, which received recognition for its focus on LGBTQIA+ fashion and beauty. [16]
Her work often highlights issues of identity, belonging, and culture, with a special focus on the intersection of queer and South Asian narratives. This includes her ongoing involvement in the documentary AntiDiva: The Confessions of Carole Pope, which is set to delve into the life of Canadian rock icon Carole Pope. [17]
Mama is an outspoken advocate for increased LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC representation in Canadian film and television. She has commented on the structural barriers faced by queer creators, noting:
“From the beginning of producing I’ve always believed … if it’s queer content, and you have queer people in the room, it’s better.” [5]
She has also observed that decision-makers in Canadian broadcasting can be risk-averse, limiting authentic queer representation on screen. [8]
Mama emphasizes the importance of preserving generational memory in queer storytelling, stating:
“We focus too much on youth and beauty in the queer community … we also lost two generations of very wonderful … men to the AIDS crisis.” [18]
She was named in Toronto Life’s Most Influential People list for 2024. [19]
In 2023, she founded GAY AGENDA, a queer-owned production company based in Toronto, focused on telling stories by, for, and about queer communities. [20] GAY AGENDA was nominated as Top Emerging Indie by realscreen magazine. [21]
GAY AGENDA, has multiple documentary and scripted projects in development, including an untitled documentary about queer elders for TVO and the factual series Your Grandma Loves Me, featuring comedian Brandon Ash-Mohammed. [8]
Through Gay Agenda, Mama continues to expand her work across multiple formats, including factual, scripted, and animated projects. She also directs short films for the National Film Board of Canada, such as the 2024 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards tributes, and is developing additional large-scale documentary features. [5] Her current work increasingly highlights intergenerational and community-based themes, as seen in Queer Elders. [20]
| Year | Award/Festival | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Anchorage International Film Festival | Best Feature | Your Beautiful Cul de Sac Home | Nominated |
| Cinéfest Sudbury | Best Canadian Film | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | World Fest Houston - Platinum Remi | Best Documentary | 21 Days to Nawroz Producer | Won |
| Baghdad International Film Festival | Best International Documentary | Won | ||
| Mexico International Film Festival - Silver Palm | Best Documentary | Won | ||
| CINE International, Los Angeles - Golden Eagle | Best Documentary | Won | ||
| Accolade Competition, Los Angeles | Best in Show, Documentary | Won | ||
| 2019 | Golden Sheaf Awards | Best Documentary Series | In the Making Showrunner, Series Producer, Director | Nominated |
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Original Music | Nominated | ||
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Photography | Nominated | ||
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Direction, Documentary Series | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Direction, Documentary Series | Nominated | |
| 2022 | MIPCOM Diversity TV Excellence Award | Best LGBTQIA+ Unscripted | Shine True Showrunner, Series Producer, Director | Won |
| Imagen Awards | Best Variety/Reality Show | Won | ||
| Critic's Choice Awards | Best Lifestyle: Fashion/Beauty | Nominated | ||
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Direction, Factual | Nominated | ||
| 2023 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Direction, Factual | Lost Car Rescue Series Director | Nominated |
| 2023 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Reality/Competition Program/ Series | Canada's Drag Race Executive Producer | Nominated |
| 2023 | Calgary International Film Festival DGC Canadian Doc Feature Award | Summer Qamp Executive Producer | Special Jury Mention | |
| People's Choice Award - TIFF '23 Audience Award | First Runner-Up |