People

Paul Shkordoff

Canada

Biography

Paul is a self-taught filmmaker whose passion for film came later in life, making his first narrative short at the age of 31. A native of Oshawa, Ontario, his work draws inspiration from the lives of his childhood friends and the experience of growing up in the shadow of a General Motors assembly plant. His short film, Benjamin, Benny, Ben, followed the journey of an anxious young man on his way to a job interview - a story inspired by Paul's own struggles to find work as a young adult, and with it, a sense of purpose. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival and was programmed by Barry Jenkins as part of the Calling Cards section at Telluride. The film was later awarded Best Canadian Short Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. Import is his debut feature film.

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