Ally Pankiw
Directing
Biography
Ally Pankiw is a Canadian writer/director known for directing the full first season of Netflix's "Feel Good," and blocks on TV shows like Hulu's "Shrill" and "The Great." She has also written on "Schitt's Creek" and is developing a new, original series with its star and creator, Dan Levy, for Hulu and 20th Century Fox Animation. Pankiw is also the writer and director of the indie feature film, "I Used To Be Funny," a dramedy starring Rachel Sennott and Jason Jones, which was produced with Telefilm, Ontario Creates, and WME Independent and premiered at SXSW film festival in 2023. In 2021, she directed the pilot for the NBC comedy, "Someone Out There." Pankiw has directed and produced music videos for artists such as Ariana Grande, Janelle Monae, Phoebe Bridgers, MUNA, The Vamps, and Lil Jon. She has also directed commercials and branded content for top brands like Pepsi, Amazon, adidas, Nylon, WestJet, and Chanel. Bravo has funded two of her short films, "Stake" and "The Inherent Traits of Connor James," and her short films have screened at noted festivals like TIFF's Inside Out, Outfest, The LA Comedy Fest and Frameline. She has directed two CBC Comedy digital series, "An Awkward Girl Dates" and "Terrific Women," which was nominated for a 2018 Canadian Screen Award for best series. She was selected as one of Film Independent's 2018 Directing Lab fellows for her feature film, "The Hiding House," and her career has been supported by organizations such as TIFF, the Harold Greenberg Fund, Bell Media and the O
Known For
Twisted tales run wild in this mind-bending anthology series that reveals humanity's worst traits, greatest innovations and more.
Black Mirror
Formerly filthy rich video store magnate Johnny Rose, his soap star wife Moira, and their two kids, über-hipster son David and socialite daughter Alexis, suddenly find themselves broke and forced to live in Schitt's Creek, a small depressing town they once bought as a joke.
Schitt's Creek
A genre-bending, anti-historical ride through 18th century Russia following the rise of Catherine the Nothing to Catherine the Great and her explosive relationship with husband Peter, the emperor of Russia.
The Great
In 1977 Moscow, two "PONIES" ("persons of no interest") become CIA operatives and uncover a Cold War conspiracy their husbands were killed for.
PONIES
Recovering addict and comedian Mae tries to control the addictive behaviors and intense romanticism that permeate every facet of their life. Life is further complicated by a new and all-consuming relationship with their new girlfriend George.
Feel Good
Annie Easton is a fat young woman who wants to change her life — but not her body. She struggles to make it as a journalist while juggling bad boyfriends, sick parents, and a perfectionist boss, while the world around her deems her unsatisfactory due to her weight. Then, she realizes that she is just as good as anyone else and acts on it.
Shrill
A satirical look into the lives of a group of eternally bound, disgruntled guardian angels and the lessons they’ll eventually learn from not only the dysfunctional humans they’re in charge of protecting, but also each other.
Standing By
Behind the scenes of Sarah McLachlan’s legendary all-women music festival and features interviews with performers including Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Olivia Rodrigo, and Emmylou Harris.
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
Sam, an aspiring stand-up comedian and au pair struggling with PTSD, weighs whether to join the search for Brooke, a missing teenage girl she used to nanny. The story unfolds between the present—where Sam tries to recover from her trauma and return to the stage—and the past, where memories of Brooke make it increasingly difficult to ignore her disappearance.
I Used to Be Funny
A dark dramedy that follows Lea and Court Matheson, a happily-married lesbian couple, and their three-year-old son as they return to Lea's hometown to attend the funeral of her best friend from high school. The deceased, Connor James, also happens to be Lea's sperm donor and when his family discovers that the Matheson's little boy is biologically related to them, they decide they'll go to any lengths to keep him in their lives.
The Inherent Traits of Connor James
Stake follows the reunion of Trevor and Vanessa, estranged best friends from high school, ten years after Vanessa ran away to the big city to work for CSIS and left Trevor in their very small hometown.
Stake
An awkward Canadian teen befriends the mysterious girl next door, and discovers that her new neighbor is actually the “child bride” of a notorious, polygamous FLDS leader wanted by the FBI.