Danishka Esterhazy (born in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian screenwriter and film director.[1][2] She is best known for her thriller and horror movies, such as Black Field (2009), Level 16 (2018), The Banana Splits Movie (2019), and the Slumber Party Massacre (2021) remake.
Danishka Esterhazy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1969 |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, director |
| Known for | Black Field |
| Website | danishkaesterhazy |
Career
editEsterhazy is well known for her haunting stories and female-driven films. Her debut feature, Black Field, won the Best Feature Drama award at Vancouver's Women in Film Festival and the Best Canadian Feature award at Toronto's Female Eye Film Festival.[3]
Esterhazy's films have screened in festivals and theaters and around the world including the Rome International Film Festival, the Puchon International Film Festival in South Korea, the Short Film Festival of India, La Maison Rouge in Paris and Kölner Filmhaus in Germany.[4]
Her films have been broadcast on CBC Television, Bravo and Super Channel. Danishka is also a recipient of the Kodak New Vision Award for Most Promising Female Canadian Director awarded by Women in Film and Television Toronto. She also won the UBC Creative Writing Award for Best Screenplay at the 2015 Vancouver International Women in Film Festival.[5]
She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a TV Movie at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022, for I Was Lorena Bobbitt.[6]
Education
editEsterhazy graduated from the Canadian Film Centre and the National Screen Institute.[7]
Filmography
editShort film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | DoP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Embowered | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2004 | Threefold | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2005 | The Snow Queen | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| 2006 | Protection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2009 | The Red Hood | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Infectious | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| 2012 | Fallen | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Endings | Yes | No | No | |
| 2009 | Black Field | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2010 | Suddenly Ever After | Yes | No | No | |
| 2011 | The Trials of Rasputin | Yes | No | No | |
| 2013 | H and G | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2018 | Level 16 | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2019 | The Banana Splits Movie | Yes | No | No | |
| 2021 | Slumber Party Massacre | Yes | No | Executive |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Bullies – Not Cool! | Yes | No | Also editor |
| 2011 | Where the Funny Comes From | Yes | No | |
| 2020 | Vagrant Queen | Yes | No | Episodes "Nobody's Queen" and "In a Sticky Spot" |
| I Was Lorena Bobbitt | Yes | No | TV movie | |
| 2021–present | SurrealEstate | Yes | Yes | Directed 5 episodes |
| 2022 | Astrid & Lilly Save the World | No | Yes | |
| 2023 | Ginny & Georgia | Yes | No | 2 episodes |
Awards
edit| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Toronto Female Eye Film Festival | Best Canadian Feature for: Black Field | Won |
| 2013 | Women in Film and Television International | Most Promising Female Canadian Director | Won |
References
edit- ^ "Indy Filmmaking – Directing with Danishka Esterhazy". Winnipeg Film Group. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
- ^ King, Randall (28 May 2010). "Gothic girls". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
- ^ "Danishka Esterhazy". thrillermagazine.it (in Italian). Retrieved 17 April 2013.[dead link]
- ^ Hagenlocher, Sam (28 May 2010). "Manitoban Gothic". The Uniter. Winnipeg. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
- ^ "Danishka Esterhazy Wins UBC Creative Writing Award for Best Screenplay". reelwest.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ David, Greg (7 April 2022). "Tim Rozon, Ayisha Issa, Kaniehtiio Horn and Tallboyz win during Night 4 of the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards". tv-eh.com. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "WAG Screening Danishka Esterhazy Films" (Press release). Winnipeg Art Gallery. Retrieved 17 April 2013.[dead link]
