Simon Garez is a Saskatoon-based actor and director who works in French and English. Raised in Saskatchewan, he holds a BFA in theatre performance from Simon Fraser University, a diploma in acting from the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, and is a recipient of the RBC YFF Mentorship Program. His directorial debut, Torch Narrows, won the Saskatchewan Independent Film Awards for Best Short Film and Best Technical Achievement. His films examines themes of rural life and humanity’s interactivity to its ecological environment. Alongside his art practice, Simon works with bees and honey production.
Two small-town friends revisit a traumatic memory they shared on the Saskatchewan River.
We are excited to be able to include Torch Narrows in our program this year! Simon has another short, The Gentle Hum of Spring, that is currently taking the festival circuit by storm. You may also recognize the name of Torch Narrows' producer, Nathan Douglas who won our very first Audience Choice Award in 2015 with his short Son in the Barbershop, which screened again virtually as part of our Choice Cuts program in 2021!