Independent filmmaker Helene Klodawsky is a passionate storyteller committed to portraying political and social struggles, as well as to exploring the documentary art form. Her work, spanning over thirty-five years, is screened, televised and discussed around the world.

Helene’s most recent feature documentary, Stolen Time (2023), confronts the corporate nursing home industry through the eyes of a young elder rights lawyer.  Produced by Intuitive Pictures and the National Film Board of Canada, Stolen Time premiered at RIDM and FIPADOC, soon to hit screens in Canada, Europe and the US.

Helene is known for poignant daring films such as Undying Love (2002), combining documentary and recreation to explore stories of romance and marriage that emerged from the Holocaust, No More Tears Sister (2004) about a slain Sri Lankan human rights activist and Family Motel  (2007) a riveting alternative drama about Canadian immigration and homelessness. Malls R Us(2009) artfully deconstructs the global shopping mall. In Come Worry With Us! (2013) Helene followed the Canadian music cult sensation Thee Silver Mt. Zion, exploring the complexities of economic precarity, political engagement and gender. Grassroots in Dry Lands (2015), a cinéma vérité feature, takes us into low income, “off the radar” Middle East neighbourhoods, where a network of social workers strives to transform despair into hope.  From Janet With Love (2017), a digital photo-essay, tells the love story of a Filipina immigrant and care worker.  The Invisible, Everywhere (2019) is a short web based project on the global crisis of care.

Her work has received awards and nominations from the Academy of Canadian Cinema, Hot Docs, RIDM, Les Rendez-vous du Cinema Quebecois, World Press Photo Festival, the Jerusalem International Film Festival, and the International Festival of Films on Art, to name a few.  Reviews and articles about her work have appeared in numerous publications, including the Globe and Mail, National Post, New York Times, Newsweek International, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, La Presse, Le Devoir, Nouvelle Observateur, The Independent, BBC News Service, Asian Tribune, Art in America, and Art Forum.  Helene’s films appear in university curricula worldwide.

A graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Klodawsky is a member of Doc Organization, the Writer’s Guild of Canada, Film Fatales and Réalisatrices Équitables.  Helene lives in Montreal.

Contact: heleneklodawsky@gmail.com