Shelley Saywell is an Emmy Award winning Canadian documentary filmmaker. [1] A two-time winner of the [[Hot Docs Award for Best Canadian Feature Documentary, her films are focused on issues of social justice and conflict, with a particular emphasis on women and children. Her films have been officially selected by numerous international festivals and broadcast in more than 30 countries. Saywell has been personally honoured with an Award for Creative Excellence, by Women in Film and Television, and UNESCO’s Gandhi Medal for the Promotion of Peace. Her complete collection of research, footage, photographs, and transcripts is now held by the University of Toronto, Media Commons Archives.
Saywell is author of the upcoming “If Only Love, A Memoir of Second Chances,” Random House Canada, publication date spring 2026. Women in War:First Hand Accounts from World War II to El Salvador, Penguin Viking, 1986, contributing editor, Ourselves Among Others, St Martins Press, 1988
She was co-founder with Deborah Parks of Bishari Films. [2] Saying it Very Well, POV magazine, 2003, Hot Docs, Director in Focus, 2003
| Award | Year | Category | Film | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Screen Awards | 2017 | Best Writing in a Documentary | The War at Home | Nominated | [3] |
| Donald Brittain Award | Nominated | ||||
| Gemini Awards | 1995 | No Man's Land | Nominated | [4] | |
| Best Writing in an Information/Documentary Program or Series | Nominated | ||||
| 1997 | Donald Brittain Award | Fire and Water | Nominated | [5] | |
| Best Direction in a Documentary Program or Series | Nominated | ||||
| 1998 | Everyman - Kim's Story: The Road From Vietnam | Won | [6] | ||
| Won | |||||
| 1999 | Donald Brittain Award | Crimes of Honour | Won | [7] | |
| 2000 | Legacy of Terror: The Bombing of Air India | Nominated | [8] | ||
| Best Direction in a Documentary Program | Nominated | ||||
| Best Writing in a Documentary Program | Nominated | ||||
| Out of the Fire | Nominated | ||||
| 2003 | Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Series | A Child's Century of War | Nominated | [9] | |
| 2005 | Best Children's or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series | Angry Girls | Nominated | ||
| 2007 | Donald Brittain Award | Martyr Street | Nominated | [10] | |
| Best Direction in a Documentary Program | Nominated | ||||
| 2011 | Best Direction in a News Information Program or Series | The Nanny Business | Nominated | ||
| Genie Awards | 2011 | Best Feature Length Documentary | In the Name of the Family | Nominated | [11] |
| Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival | 2001 | Best Canadian Feature Documentary | Out of the Fire | Runner-up | [12] |
| 2006 | Martyr Street | Won | [13] | ||
| 2010 | In the Name of the Family | Won | [14] |