Biography

Anne Wheeler is well-known Canadian documentary and dramatic filmmaker who currently resides in Vancouver, BC.  Early on in her career, she worked with the Aboriginal film collective Filmwest, which produced films dealing with the environment, native rights, women’s rights, western politics and people’s history.  After leaving the collective she worked primarily for the National Film Board of Canada, writing and directing out of Edmonton. Some of her documentaries include Great Grand Mother and the feature length A War Story.  Wheeler works mostly in television now but in 1998 she returned to feature filmmaking with Better Than Chocolate, a romantic comedy set in the lesbian community of Vancouver’s east end. It won numerous awards in gay-and-lesbian festivals in Europe and North America and was popular with audiences.

In television, Wheeler directed the TV features Cowboys Don’t Cry, The War Between Us, The Investigation and the television mini-series, A Sleep Room. Her television series work includes the pilot episodes for the internationally syndicated drama series Da Vinci’s Inquest. Other series work includes episodes of Cold Squad, This is Wonderland, Bradbury Theatre, Mysterious Ways, Beggars and Choosers, Godiva’s and Jozi-H, which was filmed in South Africa.

Wheeler has been a popular teacher of directing in programs across the country including Master Classes for the National Screen Institute and the national program, Women in the Director’s Chair. She is also an Adjunct Professor in Film Production at UBC’s Department of Theatre & Film. Wheeler has earned six Honourary Doctorates and in 1995, she received the Order of Canada.