I grew up in a treehouse overlooking Crescent Beach BC, in a home full of artists, writers and musicians. My father was a painter – the hardest working artist ever – with a 5am call time to his easel every morning, and the most beautiful paintings drying at the windows by night. Our house was full of still cameras from every vintage, 16mm Bolex film cameras, and Betamax video machines. By about age 4 it became clear that my twin sister had acquired the genes to paint, while my older brother got the musical talent, so I set a path down the long plastic hallway of film and television and never looked back. By my 20’s I was subsidizing an expensive filmmaking habit by working in post production as a sound, music, and picture editor, until my films started taking me to festivals around the world. I did a director’s residency at the Canadian Film Centre, and after 10,000 hours of hard work, I closed my eyes and opened them to this career that I love. Nowadays I’ve directed close to a hundred episodes of television, a dozen pilots, several short films and a feature. I love filmmaking because of the creative people that I spend these days with, all of us with an important part of the collaboration, all working hard to create something beautiful before wrap.
2017 DGC Award nomination for best director in a Comedy – Kim’s Convenience
2014 Canadian Screen Award nomination for best direction in a comedy series – Seed
2013 Canadian Comedy Award nominations for best film and best direction – Old Stock
2012 Gemini Nomination for Best Direction in a Comedy Series – Call Me Fitz
2009 Director’s Guild of Canada nomination for best direction in a series – Robson Arms
2005 Leo nomination for best director – The Dog Walker
2004 Genie Award nomination for “Best Live Action Short Drama” – The Dog Walker
2004 Leo Nominations for best screenwriting – The Dog Walker
2000 Leo nomination for Best Director – Second Date
1999 Genie Award Nomination for Best Overall sound (as sound designer) – Rupert’s Land
1997 Leo Award for Sound Editing (as sound designer) – Saint Monica
1996 Philip Borsos Award for Best BC short – Direct Lines
“Deliciously droll” – Toronto Sun
“Old Stock has charm in spades” – Dorkshelf.com
“A gem of a film” – The Art Scene
“Honest and different” – Scene Creek
“An amiably warm celebration” – The Globe and Mail
“an insightful script, introspective direction, and fine chemistry” – Sound on Sight
“TER’s picks for EIFF 2013 – Monster’s University and Old Stock” – The Edinburgh Reporter
James Genn – Film and TV Director
Canadian Agent: Carl Liberman // The Characters Agency
8 Elm Street Toronto ON // 416-964-8522
Email Characters
US Agents: Bill Douglass, Jennifer Good // Paradigm Agency
360 North Crescent Drive Beverly Hills CA // 310-288-8000
Email Paradigm
