A fighter pilot’s daughter, Carolyn Saunders grew up in the air force. Thirty-one houses later, she can still pack a suitcase at Mach 2, and frequently writes about identity and home.
Carolyn’s feature sci-fi script Island West was selected for the 2020 Meryl Streep/Nicole Kidman-supported Writer’s Lab. Her short On Island West, set in the same world, was a 2020 Challenge Alexa winner, sponsored by ARRI and Directors UK. Starring Tallulah Evans (White Lines), it wrapped in Cornwall as the UK locked down, and is in post-production.
Carolyn co-wrote Amazon’s feminist take on Ted Bundy, the critically acclaimed series Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer. Her period drama Starfighter Baby draws on her air force childhood and was shortlisted for the 2020 Sundance Screenwriter Lab.
Carolyn’s feature directorial debut, The Wasting, played to sold-out festival theatres in 2017 and won Best Feature at Vittorio Veneto, one of Italy’s top festivals for youth. It had a Canadian theatrical release and is on Amazon Prime.
Carolyn story-edited the 2019 Richard Dreyfuss feature Astronaut, wrote episodes of the award-winning comedy webseries Tokens and spent 13 years analyzing scripts for the Harold Greenberg Fund. She has written numerous doc series including Mighty Ships and Forensic Factor for Discovery.
In 2016, Carolyn was selected for Canada’s prestigious Women In the Director’s Chair program. She now does double duty, directing projects she has written, as well as taking on films by other writers. A dual citizen of Canada and the UK, she spends time between Vancouver, Toronto and London.
Awards & Nominations
Island West (feature film script)
2020, The Writers Lab, Official Selection
Starfighter Baby (feature film script)
2020 Sundance Screenwriting Lab, Finalist
On Island West (short)
2020, Challenge Alexa, Winner
The Wasting (feature film)
2017, Best Feature, Vittorio Veneto Film Festival. Winner
2017, Best Horror, Austrian Film Festival. Winner
2017, Best Feature, Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. Nominated
Personal Achievements
2017, Laurissilva Amabassador Award, Madeira Film Festival
2016, Best Story (writer nomination), Nice International Film Festival
2004, Best Narrative (director), Regina 24-Hour Film Festival