Laurie Townshend

Director Laurie Townshend was raised by a Jamaican mother—the family’s eloquent griot—and learned early on that we shape stories; thereafter stories shape us. Her films include dramatic short, The Railpath Hero, Human Frequency Streetdocs, and Charley. Laurie’s feature documentary, A Mother Apart (’24) won Audience Top 3 honours at HotDocs, picked up three top awards at Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, including Best Canadian Feature, and made its highly anticipated US premiere at BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia, where it was one of the festival’s standout films.