Tony Dean Smith

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Tony Dean Smith first fell in love with the power of the moving image when, as a kid, he recognized he could lift his father's video camera and reshape his world by the push of a button. Since moving to Vancouver, Canada with his family, and after writing and directing numerous shorts as a teenager, as well as a pre-film-school feature film as a 21 year-old, Tony went on to become an award-winning film school graduate, which lead to him receiving the coveted Directors' Guild of Canada "Kickstart" award, given to five Canadian filmmakers a year. That prize funded his first 35mm short film, "Reflection," which played in numerous festivals, taking home a first prize award at Stephen Simon's (Producer of What Dreams May Come, Somewhere in Time, Bill & Ted's Adventures) Film Festival and earning five Leo Award nominations (including best picture, director, cinematography, male and female performances). While focusing on his feature film passions, he went on to direct three episodes of CTV's critically acclaimed comedy series, "Robson Arms," the series "Health Nutz," co-directing "Summerhood" - and dozens of visually rich music videos and short films. An avid film buff, Tony has also dedicated his mind to the craft of film editing, and has garnered acclaim for his work with prizes from the Toronto International Film Festival, the Leo Awards and numerous other film festivals. He has edited features, indie-films and TV movies for NBC, Universal, Syfy, Hallmark, Lifetime and more recently with Neill Blomkamp. As a writer, he is the recipient of the Super Channel Super Catalyst Screenwriting Award for "The Sensational," a fantasy/adventure screenplay that he co-wrote with his brother and oft-creative partner, Ryan W. Smith. Together, they co-wrote the sci-fi/thriller "Volition," which Tony will direct. He is represented by Barbara J. Bird at The Characters Agency. Show less «