I've Heard the Mermaids Singing, released in 1987, established Patricia Rozema as a key figure within the Toronto New Wave of Canadian filmmakers. The feature comedy, which focuses on an art gallery secretary aspiring to be a photographer, secured the Prix de la Jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival and marked her emergence as a director of international note.
Early Background and Education
Born in 1958 in Kingston, Ontario, Rozema was raised in Sarnia. Her parents, Jacoba Berandina Vos and Jan Rozema, were Dutch Calvinists who maintained a home environment where television consumption was strictly limited. She did not experience cinema in a public theater until the age of 16. Rozema pursued higher education in Michigan, where she studied philosophy and English literature at Calvin University.
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Following early career experience as a journalist for CBC Television's The Journal, Rozema transitioned into directing. After the success of her debut, she directed the 1990 neo-noir White Room and the 1995 romance When Night Is Falling. Her filmography includes a revisionist adaptation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park in 1999 and the 2000 film version of Samuel Beckett’s play Happy Days. In 2008, she directed Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. Her later work includes the 2015 drama Into the Forest, starring Elliot Page and Evan Rachel Wood, and the 2018 film Mouthpiece, which she co-produced through her own company, Crucial Things.
Television and Collaborative Projects
Rozema’s work extends to television, where she directed the episode Six Gestures for the series Yo-Yo Ma Inspired by Bach. This project, which blended musical performance with figure skating by Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean, earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program. Her broader television credits include episodes for HBO series such as Tell Me You Love Me and In Treatment, as well as the Canadian sitcom Michael, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Additionally, she served as a director for the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle and the Netflix series Sex/Life. She also shared an Emmy nomination for writing the 2009 HBO production Grey Gardens.
Fast facts
- Born: 1958, Kingston, Canada
- Education: Calvin University
- Feature debut: I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987)
- Production company: Crucial Things (founded 2017)
- Notable TV award: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program
- Primary occupations: Director, screenwriter, film editor
Questions readers ask
What was Patricia Rozema's first feature film?
Her first feature film was I've Heard the Mermaids Singing, released in 1987.
Did Patricia Rozema direct for HBO?
Yes, she directed episodes for the HBO series Tell Me You Love Me and In Treatment, and co-wrote the HBO movie Grey Gardens.
Achievements
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program
- Worked as film director, screenwriter and film editor
