Words With

Words With is a series of short films by award-winning actor/director Matt Austin. The films feature well-known Canadians discussing what Canadian literature means to them.

words with

Words With Presents: Caitlin Cronenberg

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Daughter of prolific filmmaker David Cronenberg, Caitlin is making a name for herself as a tremendously talented photographer. Her works is both beautiful and daring. Check it out at www.caitlincronenberg.com.

Words With Presents: Leah McLaren

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Leah McLaren is a columnist and feature writer for the Globe & Mail. Her first novel The Continuity Girl, was published by HarperCollins last year.

Words With Presents: Jian Ghomeshi

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Jian Ghomeshi is a broadcaster, writer and musical artist from Toronto. He is currently best known as a national on-air personality on CBC Television and Radio as the host of the show Q. He has hosted various programs on television and radio including The National Playlist, Sounds Like Canada, Zed and The End. He spent three years as the host of the Gemini-award winning TV program, Play, where he interviewed subjects ranging from Woody Allen to Johnny Rotten to Jane Fonda. He has written for numerous publications including the Sunday Washington Post and The Globe and Mail. He first came to public attention as a singer and songwriter in the multi-platinum selling folk rock group, Moxy Früvous.

Words With Presents: Jeff Stober

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Originally hailing from Montreal, Jeff has always been into the arts & culture scene and 'giving back'. He is the owner of the Drake Hotel on Queen West and a tireless supporter of unknown artists.

Words With Presents: Cara Pifko

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What haven't you seen Cara Pifko in? Cara is one of Canada's brightest young actresses. Most noteworthy is her Gemini award winning role as Alice on This is Wonderland.

Words With Presents: Sean Cullen

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This triple Gemini and Canadian Comedy Award winner is impossible to categorize with his unique comedy, acting and musical talents and also impossible to resist. A regular on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Sean has also appeared in his own specials on Comedy Central and The Comedy Network as well as writing and starring in The Sean Cullen Show on CBC. His acting credits include the hit series Slings & Arrows, the hit film Phil The Alien and playing Max Bialystock in the Canadian production of Mel Brooks' runaway Broadway hit The Producers. Sean is also an award-winning author of the books Hamish X and The Cheese Pirates and Hamish X and The Hallow Mountain, and he is a favourite CBC radio personality with his hit program Simply Sean.

Click here for more Words With films by award-winning actor/director Matt Austin.

Words With Presents: Emily Schultz

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Emily Schultz is the author of the short story "The Value of x," which won second place in This Magazine's Great Canadian Literary Hunt 2002 and has since been adapted for television. She is the editor of Outskirts: Women Writing from Small Places (Sumach Press 2002). Schultz lives in Toronto and is the author Joyland (ECW Press, 2006) and Songs for the Dancing Chicken (ECW Press, 2007).

Words With Presents: Linda Spalding

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Linda Spalding was born in Kansas and lived in Mexico and Hawaii before immigrating to Toronto in 1982. She is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, Daughters of Captain Cook, The Paper Wife, and (with her daughter Esta) Mere. Her non-fiction, The Follow, was shortlisted for the Trillium Book Award and the Pearson Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize. She has been awarded the Harbourfront Festival Prize for her contribution to the Canadian literary community.

Words With Presents: Jonas Chernick

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Jonas Chernick most recently co-wrote, co-produced and starred in the feature film Lucid (2005), which premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, screened in competition at the 2006 Shanghai International Film Festival, and won the City TV Award for Best Canadian Film at the 2005 Vancouver International Film Festival. He has a recurring role on the CBC comedy Little Mosque on the Prairie (2007), appeared in several episodes of Ken Finkleman's award-winning series At the Hotel (2006), and had recent guest roles on the series 'Til Death Do Us Part (2006) and This Is Wonderland (2004).

Words With Presents: Kari Skogland

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Kari's most recent work is as writer/director on her theatrical feature, The Stone Angel, based on the novel by Margaret Laurence, starring Ellen Burstyn, Kevin Zegers, Ellen Page, Dylan Baker. Kari's early work as one of Canada's A-list commercial and Music Video directors, gives her a distinct style and approach. Kari was named as one of Hollywood Reporter's 10 Directors to Watch in 2001.

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Words With Presents: Nicholas Campbell

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Nicholas Campbell is a critically-acclaimed and multi-award winning actor and director. He has won multiple Gemini Awards for his portrayal of Domenic DaVinci in Da Vinci's Inquest. He made his film debut in The Omen and appeared in The Eagle has Landed before going on to work with Sir Richard Attenborough in A Bridge Too Far and opposite Sir Laurence Olivier and Joanne Woodward in Come Back Little Sheba. He has over 40 starring film and television credits.

Visit our Words With page for more films by award-winning actor/director Matt Austin.

Words With Presents: Justin Zaza

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Justin in a unknown Toronto writer that should be known. Through his company Human Warnings, he has self published two books: Why Can't I Be Normal & Men Are All Muderers, Women Are All Whores. They're short, simple, well written and funny.

Words With Presents: Dmitry Chepovetsky

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Dmitry was born in Russia but now calls Canada his home. While here he has amounted an impressing amount of film and television credits including a lead role on CTV's Regenesis. You can next catch him in the film adaptation of the award winning Canadian novel, Fugitive Pieces.

Words With Presents: Jennifer Podemski

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Jennifer Podemski is an award-winning, Gemini nominated actress born and raised in Toronto. Since beginning her professional career at the age of 14, Jennifer has achieved great success as an actor in film, television and theatre. Best known for her roles in Bruce McDonald's acclaimed feature film Dance Me Outside, CBC's The Rez, and Riverdale, Jennifer's more recent work includes: The Eleventh Hour; North of 60 -- Distant Drumming and Sue Thomas FBEye. Watch out for Jennifer in the new Showcase comedy series Moose TV, premiering in January 2007; the sixth season of Degrassi TNG in her recurring role as Ms. Sauve; the feature film Fugitive Pieces and CBC's MOW, The Robber Bride starring Mary-Louise Parker.

Words With Presents: Brian Joseph Davis

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Brian is an installation artist and a writer. Look for his new book I, Tania (ECW 2007) this fall and his previous title Portable Altamont (Coach House, 2005). To read more about his writing and audio art, visit his website.

Words With Presents: Shauna MacDonald

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Shauna is a versitile performer who has starred opposite Billy Zane in the camp/horror flick The Mad, countless episodes of This Hour Has 22 Minutues, and was heard on CBC Radio as their On-Air Promo Girl.

Words With Presents: Jake Gold

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Responsible for managing one of Canada's greatest bands, The Tragically Hip, Jake has produced some of Canada's best musical talent. He continues to support and nurture emerging voices as one of the judges on Canadian Idol.

Words With Presents: Kristin Booth

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Kristin Booth is a versatile performer experienced in film, television and theatre. She won her first Gemini Award in 2005, for her guest performance in an episode of ReGenesis entitled "Spare Parts". Kristin stars in the films Young People F*cking and This Beautiful City.

Words With Presents: RM Vaughan

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RM Vaughan is a Toronto-based writer, playwright and video artist originally from New Brunswick. His books include the poetry collections A Selection of Dazzling Scarves (ECW, 1996) and Invisible to Predators (ECW, 1999), the novel A Quilted Heart (Insomniac, 1998), the plays Camera, Woman (Coach House, 2000) and The Monster Trilogy (Coach House, 2003), and the novel Spells (ECW, 2003). He writes about art and culture for a wide range of publications. You can pick up a copy of his latest book, Troubled, a "poetic account of the true story of a patient/psychiatrist relationship gone horribly wrong," at the Coach House Books Spring Launch on April 11.

Words With Presents: Tara Spencer-Nairn

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You may recognize Tara as Officer Karen Pelly from CTV's #1 hit show Corner Gas as well as a slew of award-winning Canadian independent feature films.