Biography of filmmaker Liz Marshall

Liz Marshall majored in film, video, and photography in the Media Arts Program at Ryerson University. Using a multimedia approach, her thesis project, “Identity Portraits,” explored the complexities of identity and revealed a dedication to intimate character development as well as to social issues. Liz’s documentary work continues to reflect these beginnings.

Passionate about conceptual cinematic storytelling, social-justice, nature, animals, and world travel, Liz has shot in West Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Central and South America, Europe, and North America. She has focused on censorship issues for writers, war-affected children, the anti-corporate-globalization movement, gender discrimination and empowerment, sweatshop labour, refugees, HIV/AIDS, popular culture, music, and the arts.

Liz also works as a director for-hire on docu-soap television series. Currently, Liz is the series director on the second season of “Stuck”, a 13-part series for the W network, produced by 52 Media in Toronto.

In 2008, Liz directed “Girls of Latitude”, a documentary about the rights of girls in Colombia, Haiti and South-Sudan, for Plan Canada and MTV Canada. She directed episode 6 for the 8-part music series “The Rawside of …” about the reunion of the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, for Georgian Entertainment and the Independent Film Channel. In 2006-2007, Liz directed and produced three half-hour documentaries for the Stephen Lewis Foundation about women, orphans and grandmothers infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2005, on behalf of “CBC News: Sunday,” she shot “The Afterlife of Einstein’s Brain”. In 2004, Liz shot and co-directed “Inside Your Threads,” a multi-award-winner about sweatshop labour in Mexico and Bangladesh, featuring music celebrities Sam Roberts, Jully Black and Hawksley Workman. While working as the Media Director for War Child Canada between 1999 and 2001, Liz directed “Musicians in the WarZone,” an international multi-award-winning program for MuchMusic that attracted half-a-million viewers, it features music celebrities the Rascalz, David Usher, Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida. Between 1998 and 2003, Liz worked as an Arts, News, and Specials television producer, and videographer for award-winning shows at Bravo!, MuchMusic, and BookTelevision: The Channel. And, in 1996, fresh out of university, Liz directed a unique collage-style approach to filming life on the road with folk-icon and troubadour Ani DiFranco.

Additionally, over the last thirteen years, Liz has created a body of arts-based films and music videos featuring the following artists: acclaimed dancer and choreographer Peggy Baker; celebrated singer-songwriters Ron Sexsmith, Don Kerr, and Kyp Harness; Canadian-Egyptian chanteuse Maryem Tollar; and the world music ensemble Maza Meze.

Liz’s work has premiered for diverse audiences: The 2006 International AIDS Conference in Toronto; 150 world leaders at the 2001 Winnipeg Conference on War-Affected Children; PEN International; Canadian Journalists for Freedom of Expression; at film festivals in Canada and abroad; for grassroots groups across Canada, the US and Australia; for the Tragically Hip and 200,000 of their fans; for Canadian and international broadcast, and on the Internet.

Liz is also a published 35mm documentary stills photographer.