Episode 163: Anne Wheeler

Anne Wheeler is a screenwriter, a director, a mentor, and a legend in the Canadian film and television industry. Her films include Bye Bye Blues, Loyalties, Better Than Chocolate, and Chi, and her growing television directing filmography includes Chesapeake Shores, Anne with an E, The Romeo Section, and Firefly Lane. She’s garnered seven honorary doctorates and an Order of Canada. But who was Anne before she was an icon? Anne brings us into her origin story in her new book, Taken by the Muse: On the Path to Becoming a Filmmaker. It’s the Anne Wheeler before she became “celebrated filmmaker Anne Wheeler” – the 20-something who was navigating a world that was slowly rejecting the idea that women should just be happy with what they have. The book takes readers to distant climes in Africa and India, as well as a Canadian long-term care home and an icy lake in Alberta. In this compelling interview, Anne talks about her book, as well as her journey from wandering 20-something to iconic filmmaker and her thoughts about the current state of the Canadian film and television industry. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment