Thyrone Tommy is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. After writing and directing the short film Mariner (2016), Tommy received acclaim for his work on the feature film Learn to Swim (2021), both of which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.[1][2]
Thyrone Tommy | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Tommy at the 2017 Cineplex Entertainment Film Program Showcase | |
| Occupation(s) | Director, writer |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Works | Learn to Swim |
In 2023, he received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for directing an episode of the web series Revenge of the Black Best Friend.[3]
Career
editTommy first attracted acclaim for his short film Mariner, which was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list of the year's best Canadian short films in 2016,[1] and was the winner of the Lindalee Tracey Award in 2017.[4]
Tommy is an alumnus of the Canadian Film Centre's film program, graduating in 2017.[5]
Tommy's debut feature film, Learn to Swim, premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.[2] The film received positive reviews from critics,[6] was a nominee for the DGC Discovery Award at the 2021 Directors Guild of Canada awards,[7] and was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2021.[8] In 2022, the film was acquired for release on Netflix by Ava Duvernary's distribution company ARRAY.[9]
Tommy's short film, Draft Day, was also screened at TIFF as part of NBA Films for Fans, a special event program of five Canadian short films about basketball.[10]
Tommy received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Direction in a Web Program or Series at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023 for "The One Who Dies First", an episode of the comedy web series Revenge of the Black Best Friend.[3]
In 2024 he was named as the recipient of the Company 3 TFCA Luminary Award's "pay it forward" grant, selected by representatives of the estate of film director Charles Officer.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "TIFF announces lineup for Canada's Top 10 Film Festival". CBC News, December 7, 2016.
- ^ a b Rebecca Rubin, "Toronto Film Festival Unveils Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery Lineup". Variety, July 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Noel Ransome (February 22, 2023). "Clement Virgo and Bilal Baig on being among leading Canadian Screen Awards nominees". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press.
- ^ Pat Mullen, "‘Unarmed Verses’, ‘The Other Side of the Wall’ Top Hot Docs Award Winners". Point of View, May 5, 2017.
- ^ Regan Reid, "CFC names film program residents". Playback, July 7, 2017.
- ^ Norman Wilner, "TIFF 2021, Day 3: Don't let Learn To Swim be drowned out by bigger pictures". Now, September 11, 2021.
- ^ "TV & Film News – DGC reveals Discovery Award long list of emerging directors to watch". Broadcast Dialogue, September 23, 2021.
- ^ Norman Wilner, "TIFF announces Canada’s Top Ten films of 2021". Now, December 6, 2021.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (2022-08-02). "Ava DuVernay's Array Releasing Acquires Thyrone Tommy's Feature Directorial Debut 'Learn To Swim'". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ Rick Mele, "‘NBA Films for Fans’ Brought Basketball Back to Toronto During TIFF". Complex, September 21, 2021.
- ^ Mullen, Pat (March 5, 2024). "Swan Song Wins Rogers Best Canadian Documentary from Toronto Film Critics". Point of View.