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A French-Canadian prairie girl, Danielle Sturk is a powerful storyteller, directing episodic drama for television, experimental film and unique award-winning documentaries since 2004. She is founder and president of STURKFILMS (previously Ray Films) since its inception in 2013. 

Her background in dance and choreography imbues her filmmaking with a kinetic energy and an intuitive sense of rhythm and space that set her apart in the screen arts landscape.

A multidisciplinary artist with the ability to create emotionally resonant, visually striking, and thought-provoking work, Danielle approaches her projects with a rare combination of rigour and openness, always seeking to deepen her practice and expand her storytelling capabilities.
    

The hybrid-documentary blending live action, animation, and miniatures, EL TORO was recognized with a 2020 nomination from the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC)for the Allan King Award for Best Documentary Film and awarded two Golden Sheaf Awards at the 2019 Yorkton Film Festival, one for Best Director Non-Fiction and one for Best Experimental Film. It also garnered a spot on the 2019 Hot Doc’s Top 5 Audience Pick list.

Sturk recently adapted the documentary into a six-part, one-hour drama series, which she wrote and directed. The original series was broadcast on Radio Canada’s prime time network, ART TV and is streaming on Radio-Canada’s TOU.TV and Apple TV. EL TORO received a nomination for both a Directors Guild of Canada Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Miniseries in 2023, and a Golden Sheaf Award for Best Series nomination from the Yorkton Film Festival in 2024.Sturk has also directed multiple episodes of dramatic series Padre (Unis TV), and Edgar (Crave, Bell Super Écran) for which she was nominated for a Directors Guild of Canada Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series.

Her work in English and French has been screened at national and international film festivals, and has been featured on platforms such as CBC, CBC Documentary Channel, CBC GEM, Radio-Canada, ICI TOU.TV, ART TV, Crave, Bell Super Écran, APTN, NFB/ONF, Vision TV, Bell MTS TV Stories From Home, TFO, TV5 and Unis TV.

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IMDB

 EN CV

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Nominations & Awards

Manitoba Film Hothouse Award
Yorkton Film Festival Golden Sheaf Award Best Experimental Film
Yorkton Film Festival Golden Sheaf Award Best Director Non-Fiction
Hot Docs Top 5 Audience Award
Gimli Film Festival Top 3 Audience Award
Vox Popular Media Arts Festival Audience Choice Award
Prix Gerbe d’or Cinémental
Prix L’œil du RACCORD
DGC Nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Mini-Series
DGC Nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series
DGC Nomination for the Allan King Award for Documentary Excellence
Windy Awards Nomination Best Documentary
Blizzard Award Nomination Best Director
King Charles III Coronation Medal