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Jim Donovan

Originally from Montreal and now based in Toronto, I caught the film bug in my teens. Since then my body of work has flowed through the eclectic worlds of music videos, commercials, independent film, docs and scripted television.

In episodic TV, I work on both English and French prime time series with such accomplished producers such as Epitome, Lighthouse Films, Cineflix, 7-24, Casablanca Films, Attraction Image; and for networks such as CTV, CBC, SRC, MTV, CBS, LMN, NatGeo, Discovery, Fox, and Showcase. Highlights include: Are You Afraid of the Dark, Instant Star, Flashpoint, Heartland, Republic of Doyle, Le Clan, and Cracked.

 

My second feature, Pure, was nominated for Best Direction at the 2005 DGC Awards. 3 Saisons, my follow up film, was invited to over 25 international festivals and won multiple awards including the Borsos for best Canadian feature at the 2008 Whistler Film Festival, and a triple nomination at the 2010 Genie Awards including for Best Picture. 

 

In 2013, I won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a TV series for Flashpoint, "A Day in the Life."  The episode of Cracked, "Ghost Dance," that I directed was nominated for Best TV Drama at the 2014 DGC Awards.

Jim Donovan photo

In 2014-2015 I was tapped for 2 seasons as series director on the acclaimed French-language drama Le Clan for SRC, now streaming on Netflix. In 2016 I directed the pilot for soccer drama 21 Thunder for CBC, also streaming on Netflix. In 2017, I helmed the 6-part mini-series entitled Le Siège for SRC and TV5 Monde produced by Attraction Images which received a DGC Nomination for Best Director in the 2018 gala. Recent projects include the true-crime television movie Believe Me, The Abduction of Lisa McVey for Cineflix which received 6 nominations at the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards, winning for Best TV Movie.

This past winter I completed a first person documentary with producer Byron A. Martin entitled Mancation, gearing up for a festival run in the coming months.

Currently in post-production is a new comedy series Edgar for Bell’s Super Écran and the newly launched French language, premium streaming service Crave.  I am also writing a french-language feature with Telefilm Canada support entitled L’Apprenti with Montreal producer Attraction Images.

Pure - Jim Donovan with actors Robert Crooks and Karen Simpson on the set of Pure 2003
Pure - Director Jim Donovan lining up a shot on the set of Pure 2003
Pure - Director Jim Donovan and Actors Gianpaolo Venuta and Brian D. Wright on the set 2003
Pure - Director Jim Donovan and Actor Gianpaolo Venuta and Actress Laura Jordan on the set 2003
Pure - Director Jim Donovan and Actress Laura Jordan on the set of Pure 2003
Pure - Director Jim Donovan and Actor Gianpaolo Venuta and Actress Laura Jordan on the set 2003
Pure - Actress Karen Simpson and Actor Tim Rozon and Director Jim Donovan 2003
Pure - Director Jim Donovan and 1st AD Richard Lehun on the set 2003
Pure - Writer Eugene Garcia and Director Jim Donovan on the set 2003
Pure - Actress Karen Simpson and Jim Donovan on the set 2003
Pure - Actor Gianpaolo Venuta on set 2003
Pure - Actor Gianpaolo Venuta on the set 2003
Pure - Actor Gianpaolo Venuta on the set of Pure 2003
Pure - Actors Gianpaolo Venuta and Brian D Wright on the set 2003
Pure - Firedancer performing on the set 2003-4
Pure - Firedancer performing on the set 2003-3
Pure - Firedancer performing on the set 2003-2
Pure - Firedancer performing on the set 2003-1
Pure - Firedancer performing on the set of Pure 2003
Pure - Actress Laura Jordan and Actor Gianpaolo Venuta on the set 2003
Pure - Actress Laura Jordan and Actor Gianpaolo Venuta on set 2003
Pure - Director Jim Donovan on the set of Pure 2003
Pure - Cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier lining up a crane shot on set 2003
Pure - Cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier lining up crane shot on the set 2003
Pure - Cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier lining up a crane shot 2003
Pure - Laura Jordan and Abeille Gélinas and Gage Pierre on the set 2003
Pure - Cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier lining up a shot on the set of pure  2003
Pure - Actors Abeille Gélinas and Laura Jordan and Gage Pierre 2003
Pure - Cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier and actress Laura Jordan on set 2003
Pure - Actress Rachel Lefevre on the set 2003
Pure - Cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier lining up a crane shot on the set of pure 2003
Pure - Jim Donovan and Cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier and Actress Laura Jordan 2003
Pure - Actors Gianpaolo Venuta and Karen Simpson and cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier 2003
Pure - Actors Robert Crooks and Karen Simpson on set 2003-2
Pure - Actors Robert Crooks and Karen Simpson on set 2003-1
Pure - Actress Karen Simpson on set at the Rialto 2003
Pure - Actress Karen Simpson on the set at the Aria 2003
Pure - Actors Robert Crooks and Karen Simpson on set 2003
Pure - Actors Robert Crooks and Karen Simpson on set 2003
Pure - Actors Abeille Gélinas and Gage Pierre on set 2003
Pure - Actors Robert Crooks and Karen Simpson on set 2003
Cracked 109 - Director Jim Donovan & Creator Calum De Hartog & Producer  Peter Raymont 2012
Cracked 206 - Episode 206 Ghost Dance  2013
Cracked 208 - ”Voices” with showrunner Bruce M. Smith 2013
Cracked 208 - ”Voices” with actor David Sutcliffe and Dayo Ade 2013
Cracked 208 - ”Voices” with actress Luisa D’Oliveira 2013
Cracked 208 - ”Voices” with actors David Sutcliffe and Dayo Ade 2013
Cracked 208 - Season 2 Episode 208 ”Voices” 2013-3
Cracked 208 - Season 2 Episode 208 ”Voices” 2013-2
Cracked 208 - Season 2 Episode 208 ”Voices” 2013-1
Cracked 208 - ”Voices” with showrunner Bruce M. Smith 2013
Cracked 208 - ”Voices” with writer and Executive Producer David Barlow
Cracked 208 - ”Voices” with actors David Sutcliffe and Dayo Ade and Gavin Fox 2013
Cracked 208 - ”Voices” with actor David Sutcliffe 2013
Cracked 208 - _Voices” with actors David Sutcliffe and Brooke Nevin 2013
Cracked 206 - ”Ghost Dance” NOMINATED - Best Dramatic Series DGC Awards 2014 with actress Tamara Pod
Cracked 206 - ”Ghost Dance” NOMINATED - Best Dramatic Series DGC Awards 2014 with actress Tamara Pod
Cracked 206 - ”Ghost Dance” NOMINATED - Best Dramatic Series DGC Awards 2014 with actress Tamara Pod
Cracked 206 - ”Ghost Dance” NOMINATED - Best Dramatic Series DGC Awards 2014 with actor Dayo Ade
Cracked 206 - ”Ghost Dance” NOMINATED - Best Dramatic Series DGC Awards 2014 with actor David Burke
Cracked 109 - Lining up a shot Season 1 with cinematographer Naroayr Kasper 2012-3
Cracked 109 - Lining up a shot Season 1 with cinematographer Naroayr Kasper 2012-2
Cracked 109 - Lining up a shot Season 1 with cinematographer Naroayr Kasper 2012-1
Cracked 109 - With Actress Stephanie Von Pfetten 2012
Cracked 109 - With Actor David Sutcliffe 2012-5
Cracked 109 - With actor David Sutcliffe 2012-1
Cracked 109 - With actor David Sutcliffe 2012-2
Cracked 109 - With actor David Sutcliffe 2012-3
Cracked 109 - With actor David Sutcliffe 2012-4
Cracked 109 - On the set 2012
Cracked 109 - Lining up a shot with cinematographer Naroayr Kasper 2012
Le Clan - Shooting Le Clan Season 1 with cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier 2014
Le Clan - Shooting Le Clan Season 1 with cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier 2014
Le Clan - Shooting Le Clan Season 1 with actors Pierre-Yves Cardinal 2014
Le Clan - Lining up a shot on Le Clan Season 1 2014
Le Clan - Shooting Season 1 with actor Louis-Phillipe Dandenault 2014
Le Clan - Season 1 in the port of Cocagne NB 2014
Le Clan - Jim Donovan at the monitor on the set of Season 1 2014
Le Clan - Shooting Season 1 with actors Pierre-Yves Cardinal and Roger Léger and Louis-Phillipe Dand
Le Clan - Shooting Season 1 2014
Le Clan - Shooting Season 1 with actress Denise Bouchard 2014
Le Clan - Season 1 with actors Pierre-Yves Cardinal and Roger Léger and Jean-Sébastien Courchêsne 20
Le Clan - Shooting Season 1 with actors André Roy and Denise Bouchard 2014
Le Clan - Season 1 with Actors Louis Philippe Dandenault - Jean-Sébastien Courchêsne - Pierre-Yves C
Le Clan - Shooting Le Clan Season 1 2014
Le Clan - Shooting, Season 1 with actor Sébastien Ricard 2014
Le Clan - Shooting Season 1 with cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauther 2014
3 Seasons - Streets of Montreal with actors Romano Orzari & Carinne Leduc 2008
3 Seasons - Punk performance with band “Rockets Away” Montreal Foufounes Electriques 2008
3 Seasons - Shooting on St-Catherine Street, 2008 with actor Frank Schorpion
3 Seasons - Shooting with Caroline Néron, Romano Orzari and cinematographer Jean-Pierre Gauthier 200
3 Seasons - Shooting on the streets of Montreal 2008
3 Seasons - Shooting with Caroline Néron 2008
3 Seasons - Shooting with Caroline Néron and Romano Orzari 2008
3 Seasons - Shooting with Caroline Néron, Romano Orzari and Dino Tavarone, 2008
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