Richard Boyce is a documentary filmmaker with 25 years experience, specializing as a cameraman/DOP, who lives on Vancouver Island. As a cinematographer Boyce has shot documentary films with some of Canada’s most respected filmmakers, in extreme conditions from the icy streets of Montreal to the heat of the Sahara Desert, across the USA and Canada, to the wilds of the Pacific Coast Rainforest.

His work on the streets of Montreal contributed to our national film identity and launched his professional career as a documentary cinematographer and co-director on:

‘The Street – a film with the homeless.’

Boyce returned to the west coast, working as cinematographer on several documentaries including: ‘A Chronicle’ The journey of a woman crossing the USA to the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. ‘Holocaust in Paradise – The Struggle for East Timor’ The struggle for independence from Indonesian occupation by the Timorese people. ‘Bananas of the Sahara Desert,’ A plantation in Western Sahara, drawing from an aquifer 1000 meters below the sand.

January of 2000 Boyce founded ISLAND BOUND MEDIA, producing short documentaries about local social issues and the environment. In 2005 Boyce completed a half-hour film entitled: ‘The Art of Rainforest’ exploring the cycle of rain in the life of an ancient temperate rainforest. This work lead Boyce to further his immersion into the delicate ecosystem of the temperate rainforest on Vancouver Island, continuing to film for many years. In 2011 Boyce released ‘RAINFOREST – The Limit of Splendour’ This film played at Festivals across Canada and Europe winning several awards, notably the 2011 Best Mountain Culture Award at the Whistler Film Festival where the jury praised the film for: “re-exposing our most critical environmental issue while at the same time pushing the cinematic experience and limits of storytelling, cinematography and editing.”

Boyce also drew attention to the environment by writing his column Island Lens published in the Parksville-Qualicum News from 2004-2009. In this same time frame Richard collaborated with Daniel Cross, producer/director of ‘The Street’ by working as the Victoria Outreach Worker for HomelessNation.org This non-profit society provided homeless people with the tools to voice their opinions and stories via text, photos, and videos posted on a website which grew to include 5,000 people across Canada. This internet-based media project was recognized by national and international awards.

In 2012 Boyce was invited to Toronto’s Environmental Film Festival ‘Planet in Focus’ where he was honoured with the Mark Haslam Award for “giving voice to individuals, communities, struggles or stories that are under-represented in the media… The selected work demonstrates the power to inspire reflection and positive action towards the social and ecological health of the planet.”

In 2013 Boyce embarked upon a cinematic kayak journey exploring the narrow channels and maze of islands of BC’s North Coast precisely where hundreds of supertankers loaded with millions of barrels of Alberta Tarsands will navigate if the Enbridge Corporation is allowed to build the Northern Gateway Pipeline to access oil markets in China. This film takes a first-hand look at the coast, its natural features, the weather, the currents, the wildlife, and the people who live there.

‘COASTAL TARSANDS – Journey to Deleted Islands’ was released in October 2014, screening at grassroots film festival. Boyce continues to work on social and environmental documentaries from his home on Vancouver Island where he also works as a location scout, having guided several international production crews filming in the wilderness.

Awards:

*2012 Mark Haslam Award-Planet in Focus Film Festival-Toronto *2011 Best Mountain Culture Film – Whistler Film Festival *2009 World Summit Award (United Nations based) *2009 New Media Web Award *2007 Canadian New Media Award *1997 People’s Choice Award – Hot Docs’! Canadian Documentary Film Festival, Toronto *1997 Best Political Documentary – Hot Docs’! Canadian Documentary Festival, Toronto *1997 Best Social Issue Documentary – Vermont Film Festival *1997 Silver Plaque – Chicago International Film Festival *1996 Jury Award & Most Popular Documentary- Vancouver International Film Festival *1991 Special Commendation for Cinematography – Montreal Film Festival *1991 Golden Sheaf Award – Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival *1990 Award for Outstanding Work in the Documentary – Concordia University

Education:

1990 BFA specializing in Film Production – Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec

1995 MFA specializing in Film Production – University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Full Resume Available Upon Request:

info@richardboyce.com