Grizzly Proof
March 9th- April 12th, 2007

Peter Lynch - Filmmaker

“Over the past few years, Peter Lynch has proven to be one of the most important filmmakers in Canada.”
-Liz Czach, Programmer, Toronto International Film Festival

A widely acclaimed filmmaker, Peter Lynch’s work is frequently compared with that of Werner Herzog and Errol Morris. Fans of Lynch’s films range from Quentin Tarantino (“Kill Bill”) to Matthew Barney (“Cremaster series”). His stories about the frailties, dreams, and ambitions of human beings resonate with audiences the world over. They also present a significant cultural view of Canada and many have already become cult classics.

His first dramatic short “Arrowhead” received a Genie Award in 1994. In 1996, Lynch made the wildly successful “Project Grizzly,” one of the most acclaimed Canadian documentaries of all time, and referenced the next year on “The Simpsons”. This was followed by “The Herd” which Lynch co-wrote and directed. “The Herd” was a festival hit worldwide and is still a regular fixture on CBC movies. In 2001 “Cyberman”, a portrait of Steve Mann played to critical acclaim at over fifty international film festivals and was listed as one of the top ten feature films of 2002 by Film Comment.

Lynch comes out of an interdisciplinary background in the arts and is responsible for staging many seminal multimedia cultural events in Toronto and around the world, notably Kitchen Sync. This video and performance spectacle, staged in 1982, featured performances of over thirty artists including Eric Bogosian (“Talk Radio”) and Fab Five Freddy and the Rock Steady Crew.

During this period, Lynch was a major player in the early video/new media revolution and chronicler of punk, new wave music, hip-hop, dancehall, and the avant-garde music scene. Between 1983-1987 Lynch co-founded, co-produced and co-directed Video Culture International, a landmark video new media festival. These projects ranged from staging works with Brian Eno and a major installation work with Nam June Paik to producing shorts for artists like Stuart Sherman and video wizard John Sanborn.

Lynch is currently finishing a one-hour documentary for The History Channel called “Bloodlines”. He has also just completed a short film on artist Max Deans, “Robotic Chair”, which will be part of a larger collaboration with the artist on a film about falling. In addition to his filmmaking, Lynch is a regular advisor to the selection committee at the Canadian Film Centre, where he also gives workshops and consults.

Peter Lynch lives and works in Toronto, Canada. He is a self-proclaimed amateur archeologist an avid collector of contemporary art, a soccer freak, a foodie, and extensive traveler.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0528426/