Giles Walker

Giles Walker, born in 1946 in Dundee, Scotland, received a B.A. from the University of New Brunswick and an M.A. from Stanford University Film School in 1972. He joined the National Film Board of Canada soon after, directing documentaries, then switching to dramas in 1977. Bravery in the Field was nominated for a live-action short Oscar in 1979. The Masculine Mystique (directed with John N. Smith), the first of a trio of NFB movies dealing with issues of gender relations, showed Walker's experimental side, working with non-professional actors and the technique of improvisation. The two other films in the series, however, moved closer to an easy, palatable Hollywood style – successfully in 90 Days but less so in The Last Straw. Perhaps Walker's most successful fictional work is Princes in Exile, a film about a summer camp for children with cancer, notable for delicate treatment of the subject and a moving lack of sentimentality. Walker died in March 2020 after a 10-year battle with brain cancer.

Short film • Year — Title — Director — Writer • 1979 — Bravery in the Field • Twice Upon a Time... Feature film • Year — Title — Director — Writer — Producer • 1984 — The Masculine Mystique • 1985 — 90 Days • 1987 — The Last Straw • 1990 — Princes in Exile • 1993 — Ordinary Magic • 1996 — Never Too Late • 2001 — Blind Terror Television • Year — Title — Notes • 1999 — Little Men — 1 episode • 2001 — Tales from the Neverending Story — 2 episodes • 2004 — Fries with That? — 11 episodes • 2007 — Doctor*Ology — 2 episodes