Chelsea McMullan (they/their) is one of Canada’s leading filmmakers. They make documentary, experimental narrative, and hybrid films that explore the work of leading international artists. Chelsea’s next feature, Ever Deadly, created in collaboration with Tanya Tagaq, captures Tanya’s incandescent and unforgettable artistic voice through the frame of a live concert performance shot in a single take, punctuated by documentary elements and animation by the internationally renowned Inuit artist Shuvinai Ashoona. Chelsea’s previous features, including My Prairie Home, a musical documentary about the pioneering transgender musician Rae Spoon, have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, True/False, and other leading festivals and venues internationally. They have also directed for television, including episodes of the documentary series This Is Pop (Netflix/Crave) and In the Making (CBC). Premiering on CBC and on broadcast channels internationally in 2023, their new documentary series Swan Song follows the National Ballet of Canada as it rebuilds from the COVID-19 crisis to mount one of the most ambitious productions in its history. Chelsea has also made numerous acclaimed short films about and in collaboration with major international artists such as Eileen Myles, Zhang Huan, Isabelle Marant and Ken Lum.
