Ally Pankiw

Ally Pankiw
Born (1986-11-14) November 14, 1986 (age 38)
Occupations
  • Director
  • Screenwriter

Ally Pankiw (/ˈpæŋkjuː/[1]) (born November 14, 1986[2]) is a Canadian film and television writer and director from Toronto, Ontario,[3] whose debut feature film I Used to Be Funny premiered in 2023.[4]

Career

Pankiw began her career with Partizan Midi-Minuit, directing music videos for artists such as Kira Isabella, Ralph, Muna, Janelle Monáe and Arkells,[3] as well as making short films. Beginning in 2017 she directed the comedy web series Terrific Women for CBC Gem,[5] as well as becoming a story editor on the television sitcom Schitt's Creek.[3]

She subsequently directed the entire first season of Mae Martin's semi-autobiographical comedy series Feel Good,[6] as well as episodes of Shrill and The Great.[7]

In 2022, she was announced as co-creator with Dan Levy of Standing By, an animated comedy series about a group of disgruntled guardian angels, for Hulu.[7][8]

I Used to Be Funny premiered at the 2023 South by Southwest festival,[9] and had its Canadian premiere at the 2023 Inside Out Film and Video Festival.[4] She also directed "Joan Is Awful", a 2023 episode of the anthology series Black Mirror which starred Annie Murphy and Salma Hayek.[10]

Lilith Fair, following the concert tour of the same name is slated to premiere on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation schedule in 2025–2026.[11]

Awards

She received a Canadian Comedy Award nomination for Best Direction in a Web Series at the 18th Canadian Comedy Awards in 2018, for Terrific Women.

At Inside Out, I Used to Be Funny won the Audience Award for best narrative feature film.[12]

Personal life

Pankiw came out as queer in 2008.[13] She was in a relationship with Naomi McPherson of the band Muna.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ "Ally Pankiw on the Credit That Changed Her Life". IMDb. April 14, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "Ally Pankiw". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  3. ^ a b c Lyndsey Havens, "How Pitching ‘Weirder, More Queer Stuff’ Helped Ally Pankiw Direct MUNA’s ‘Silk Chiffon’ & More". Billboard, June 3, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Rachel Ho, "Inside Out 2023: 'I Used to Be Funny' Signals the Arrival of Canada's Next Filmmaker to Watch". Exclaim!, May 31, 2023.
  5. ^ Jordan Pinto, "Aircraft eyes an older demo with new digital series". Playback, July 13, 2017.
  6. ^ Norman Wilner, [https://nowtoronto.com/movies/mae-martin-feel-good-netflix/ "TV review: Feel Good is one of the year’s best shows". Now, March 14, 2020.
  7. ^ a b BreAnna Bell, "Dan Levy, Ally Pankiw Set Adult Animated Comedy ‘Standing By’ at Hulu". Variety, December 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Bergenson, Samantha (2023-03-08). "28 Rising Female Filmmakers to Watch in 2023". Indie Wire. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  9. ^ Jason Bailey, "‘I Used To Be Funny’ Review: Rachel Sennott Shines In A Narratively Tricky Seriocomic Drama (SXSW)". The Playlist, March 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Abbey White, "Annie Murphy and ‘Black Mirror’ Director on “Joan Is Awful’s” Feminist Themes and “Spookily Timely” AI Story". The Hollywood Reporter, June 19, 2023.
  11. ^ Corcoran, Nina (2024-07-10). "Lilith Fair Documentary Announced With Sarah McLachlan, Erykah Badu, Bonnie Raitt, More". News. Pitchfork Media. Condé Nast. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  12. ^ Valerie Complex, "InsideOut 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival Announces 2023 Award Winners". Deadline Hollywood, June 6, 2023.
  13. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (2024-06-10). "Don't Expect a 'Coming Out' Movie from Queer 'I Used to Be Funny' Director Ally Pankiw Any Time Soon". Indiewire. Archived from the original on 2024-06-11. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  14. ^ Walker, Sophie L. "MUNA on the genesis and success of "Silk Chiffon" | Interview". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  15. ^ "Muna Are Holding Space For All Your Gay Feelings". MTV. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved 2023-09-27.