Marianne Thodas is a lesbian filmmaker and sound artist born in Okotoks, AB, now based in Vancouver, BC. Deeply interested in expanded modes of film and sound production, her pieces contextualize images and sounds of the familiar. During her BFA at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts, she studied with world-renowned filmmakers and theorists whose work specialized in challenging the traditional boundaries between creative and critical practice in film. Inspired by the thematic, narrative, and technological experimentation taught during her degree, Thodas has fashioned a special brand of hybrid film to examine topics of memory, belonging, mortality, lineage and place-based attachment. Outside of creating her own films, she works with artist-run organizations—such as Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society—to run workshops and create community-based initiatives promoting engagement with independent cinema. Her new film, ‘Over the Island’, has now completed post-production and is currently in distribution.
