Blake Mawson
Directing
Biography
Canadian filmmaker BLAKE MAWSON, a 2017 fellow of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Norman Jewison’s CFC Director’s Lab, is celebrated for his distinctive storytelling, unique characters, and striking visual style. His debut short PYOTR495 (2016), addressing anti-LGBTQ+ violence in Russia, won acclaim at over 100 festivals worldwide, earning a Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance, a Best Direction nomination, the NFB’s A&E Filmmaker Award, and a nomination for SITGES’ Paul Naschy Award. Mawson’s work includes music videos for Orville Peck (Vogue premiere) and Crown Lands (Rolling Stone premiere). In 2022, he created a horror teaser for Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club. Mawson directed all six episodes of the queer dark comedy series I Hate People, People Hate Me, which premiered at Tribeca 2023 and played at NewFest and Just For Laughs. Emmy-winning WOW Presents+ (producers of RuPaul’s Drag Race) recently acquired the series as its first-ever scripted show, set to premiere globally in 2025. Currently, Mawson is developing his debut feature Perennials, a supernatural horror, with Wildhood producer Gharrett Paon and Good Question Media/Scythia Films (The VVitch, The Apprentice).
Known For

A high concept thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.
The Strain

Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees return to terrorize the teenagers of Elm Street. Only this time, they're out to get each other, too.
Freddy vs. Jason

Abby Russell, a beautiful, dedicated nurse with a sinister side, has a secret life in which she targets and punishes dishonest men.
Nurse 3-D

The Cromwell clan lives in the real world, except for their grandmother who lives in Halloweentown, a place where monsters go to escape reality. But now the son of the Cromwells' old enemy Kalabar has a plan to use the grandmother's book to turn Halloweentown into a grey dreary version of the real world while transforming the denizens of the real world into monsters.
Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge

A mysterious death of a young college student occurs late one night at a prestigious New England college...
Poison Ivy: The Secret Society

Perpetually disturbed by the world around them, two twenty-somethings navigate their lives as underdogs in Toronto’s queer community. As a chubby gay man and misanthropic trans girl, they don’t exactly adhere to the “ideal gay image,” While the pair have their share of grievances with fellow queers AND society at large this jaded and judgmental duo aren’t completely innocent either.
I Hate People, People Hate Me

Golden boys, teen lust, self-conscious dolls, chance encounters, a vengeful creature, holiday romance, hidden sexuality — Boys On Film celebrates it's (not so) sweet sixteen with an astonishing selection of the latest international gay short films. Volume 16: Possession features ten complete films: Kai Stänicke's "Golden" with Christian Tesch and Maximilian Gehrlinger; Christopher Manning's "Jamie" starring Sebastian Christophers and Raphael Verrion; Kai Stänicke's "B." starring Susanne Bormann and Andreas Jähnert; Blake Mawson's "PYOTR495" starring Alex Ozerov; Charlie Francis's "When A Man Loves A Woman" starring Tommy Jay Brennan, Jemima Spence, and Diane Brooks Webster; Anthony Schatteman's "Follow Me" starring Ezra Fieremans and Maarten Ketels; Jake Graf's "Chance" starring 'ABS' and Clifford Hume; Andrew Keenan-Bolger's "Sign" starring John McGinty and Preston Sadleir; Oliver Mason's "Away With Me" starring Chris Polick and Lee Knight; and "We Could Be Parents" by Björn Elgerd.
Boys On Film 16: Possession

Set one evening in present-day Moscow, 16-year-old Pyotr is baited by an ultra-nationalist group known for their violent abductions and attacks bolstered by Russia's LGBT Propaganda Law, but Pyotr has a dangerous secret.
PYOTR495
Gore, Quebec tells the story of two acquaintances who are set up by their mutual friends on a cottage weekend in Quebec. What was supposed to be an exciting and fun weekend, quickly turns into the blind date from hell, as the Couple discover that the cottage is not safe, and that their friends are already dead. The film begins in a home movie found-footage style, but quickly shifts into a more cinematic style once things start unraveling. With a serial killer terrorizing them, the Couple have to either protect one another to survive, or try to escape separately. Do you protect your fellow man, or is survival a solitary journey?
Gore, Quebec

From award-winning directors Blake Mawson, Francis Luta and Dominic Poliquin comes a collection of edgy and suspenseful short films exploring the monsters within us. Films included are: PYOTR495, Attention of Men, Forces, Wolf, and Turbulence.