Over the span of four decades, Concordia’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema has become the largest university-based centre for the study of film in Canada and has graduated more than 2,500 students.
Thanks to a $1-million gift in 1997 from film-industry entrepreneur and supporter Mel Hoppenheim, the school has developed into a foremost training ground for future filmmakers, animators and researchers.
Alumni have been nominated for — and have won — Academy Awards, Emmy Awards and Canadian Screen Awards and have had works screened at the likes of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Cannes Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival.
Meet some of the Hoppenheim grads strengthening Concordia’s reputation as a leader in film production, film animation and film studies.
DIRECTOR
Credits include: The Hummingbird Project (2018), Eye on Juliet (2017), Two Lovers and a Bear (2016), Rebelle (2012)
“I did some horrible movies at Concordia, and I am really thankful for that. I made huge mistakes, but I had those painful lessons very early. Concordia let us make flawed movies and learn from the critiques afterwards. I learned a lot.”
Read more: Lights! Camera! Action! A candid close-up of Oscar-nominated director Kim Nguyen
DIRECTOR
Credits include: Umbrella Academy (2019-20), Lost in Space (2018-19), Jessica Jones (2015-19), Da Vinci’s Inquest (1998-2005)
“Creativity is a shared phenomenon, and it grows with time, exposure and trust.”
Read more: From Concordia to Netflix: The journey of Hollywood director Stephen Surjik
DIRECTOR
Credits include: Suga (2021), ZOO (2020)
“Film production at Concordia was so exciting but challenging. It’s the connections that you get that are the best. It feels like whoever comes out of that school is bound to make it or is already on their way.”
Read more: Meet the director highlighting social issues through film
DIRECTOR
Credits include: Big Giant Wave (2020), Un cri au bonheur (2007), Arrival (second unit director, 2016)
“For me, a documentary is a narrative piece of art in the same way as fiction. I want people to dive into my films and forget about whether it’s documentary or fiction.”
Read more: Filmmaker Marie-Julie Dallaire explores the power of music
Photo: Arcpixel
DIRECTOR
Credits include: Routes en février (2018), Le gardien d’hiver (2010), Atlas sur l’aube (2004)
“Many art forms have been with us for centuries, but I think cinema is the most globalized one. It is in the best position to build bridges between people with different views and experiences around the planet.”
Read more: ‘Film is where all my differences, experiences and influences merge’
FILM ANIMATOR
Credits include: Archipel (2020), Ville Neuve (2018), Transatlantique (2014)
“The [Film Animation] program created a dialogue between film and visual arts where I could exchange ideas, techniques and visual strategies.”
Read more: How the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema helped harness the artist in Félix Dufour-Laperrière
Photo: Wang Shiqing
DIRECTOR
Credits include: Gatekeeper (2016), China Heavyweight (2012), Up the Yangtze (2007), Earth to Mouth (2003), The Fish Market (2002)
“The great thing about Concordia’s cinema school is that the professors take the onus off the idea of having to make it in Hollywood, and instill a certain value in the craft of filmmaking. They encouraged us to define our own vision. That’s something I’ll never forget.”
DIRECTOR
Credits include: Brotherhood (2018), Born in the Maelstrom (2017), Gods, Weeds and Revolutions (2012)
“[Filmmaking] is an intersection of storytelling, history and technology. I had to follow my dream, which is why I became a Concordia student in film production. My love for filmmaking was nurtured most at Concordia.”
Read more: ‘This journey has been surreal’: Concordia grad nabs an Oscar nomination
DIRECTOR AND CAMERA OPERATOR
Credits include: The Mule (2018), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Gran Torino (2008), Million Dollar Baby (2004), The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
“Concordia is where I learned to pick up a camera and really make professional movies.”
Read more: Meet Clint Eastwood's go-to cameraman
Photo: Luis Mora
DIRECTOR
Credits include: No Crying at the Dinner Table (2019), Tundra (2018), Every Grain of Rice (2017), Façade (2016)
“Through the years, I just fell in love with filmmaking. It gave me an outlet to speak — to express my inner feelings, grief and traumas I hadn’t yet been able to articulate. Being able to share those stories with audiences made it feel that much more worthwhile.”
Read more: Meet award-winning filmmaker Carol Nguyen
Photo: Patrick Joseph Dufort
DIRECTOR
Credits include: Souterrain (2020), Chien de garde (2018), Forces Tranquilles (2015)
“I have never felt that I was taken less seriously [in the industry] because I am a woman. I have previous generations of female filmmakers to thank for this. They really laid the groundwork for someone like me.”
Read more: Montreal filmmaker Sophie Dupuis gets noticed around the world
Photo: Nish Media
DIRECTOR
Credits include: Rustic Oracle (2019), Last Call Indian, Skindigenous (2018), Wapikoni (2017), Le Dep (2015), The Oka Legacy (2015)
“Together, we can break down stereotypes that have been perpetuated in the media and reclaim Indigenous narratives in order to reshape our collective memory.”
Read more: Filmmaker Sonia Bonspille Boileau on decolonizing the screen through Indigenous cinema
Photo: Christopher Saunders
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Credits include: Severance (2021), Mrs. America (2020), All Day and a Night (2020), Escape at Dannemora (2018), Daddy (2017)
“Concordia was very free and open, and got me to discover — without forcing me into a style or aesthetic — my own self.”
Read more: Up on the silver screen with cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné
COMPUTER GRAPHICS ANIMATOR
Credits include: Soul (2020), Toy Story 4 (2019), The Angry Birds Movie (2016), The Little Prince (2015)
“I remember the first day because I was so hungry to be around people with similar interests. At the time, Concordia was the only university in Montreal that had a specific film animation program.”
Rad more: Fine arts grad among team behind Oscar-winning film, Soul
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Credits include: Nine Perfect Strangers (2021), The Mule (2018), Big Little Lies (2017), Brooklyn (2015), Wild (2014), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), Laurence Anyways (2012)
“Concordia gave me so much. It opened my eyes to new realities and perspectives. Beyond that, it introduced me to my cinematic family.”
Read more: Cinematographer Yves Bélanger on filmmaking and finding success in Hollywood
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