Zoe Dirse

A pioneering female cinematographer with an illustrious career spanning many decades, Zoe is known for her innovative approach and remarkable contributions to documentary filmmaking. A graduate of the University of Toronto with degrees in Psychology and Education, she started her career in cinematography by joining the camera union IATSE 644 in Toronto in 1979, and became a full member of the CSC in 1997, the third woman to get her letters from the Canadian Society of Cinematographers, established in 1957. In 1982, she joined the camera department at the National Film Board of Canada in Montréal, Québec and worked there until 1997 shooting over 70 documentaries, many for Studio D and dramas. Her most notable films during this period were Forbidden Love: The Unabashed Stories of Lesbian Lives, Wisecracks, Fire Words, Sisters in the Struggle, Stolen Moments, Song for Québec and her directorial debut, Baltic Fire. Since 1997 she has been freelancing as a cinematographer, director and prof