When I met Liz Marshall in the late 1980s, she had already begun what has become a lifelong commitment to empathy, compassion, social justice, and activism. At the age of 8, she wrote a letter to then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, to ask him to end poverty and war. She signed off with “please do it!”.
At 16, when Liz bought her first camera, she began documenting the world around her. Liz and I have had many conversations about how spirituality, love, and empathy are vital tools for change. In all of Liz’s films, her presence is palpable on both sides of the lens; it is clear that her subjects can feel her presence with them as their stories unfold. Non-fiction storytelling is a unique art. At the heart of Liz’s films are real life protagonists who are child survivors of war and trauma, animal survivors of torture, and others who share a vision of human needs and wants being satisfied without inflicting pain on other living souls.
Liz is not a person or artist who is forceful or evangelical. Her messages are potent and profound because she allows her subjects to narrate their own truths through the magic of her lens.
– By fogel fogel
What ‘hood are you in?
I am a proud east-ender, straddling Riverdale and Leslieville. I love the green space, the quiet, my yoga studio, shops I frequent, and that many great parts of the east-end are not gentrified!
What do you do?
I am a documentary filmmaker. My body of work spans 25 years and encompasses social-issue character-driven storytelling – a challenging and deeply fulfilling artform. I don’t like to be typecast though because I have a passion for music docs and music videos, fiction and series. Bring it on!
What are you currently working on?
I am in ‘release mode’ with my current feature documentary Meat the Future, which requires at least 50% of my time throughout the work-week, developing our impact campaign and working to get the film out into the world, effectively. As writer-director, I am developing an exciting feature music documentary with a producer colleague. And as director, I am working with an old friend who is a veteran writer, to develop my first narrative fiction film. I also have other ideas and discussions percolating!
Where can we find your work?
My work has been commissioned by broadcasters, sold around the world, and championed by activist groups. You can check it out by visiting my company website here: https://lizmars.com.
