Laurie Townshend
Writer-Director
(she/her)
Laurie Townshend is a Toronto-based filmmaker, writer and educator. Raised by a Jamaican mother—the family’s eloquent griot—Laurie learned early on that before we shape stories, stories shape us. Her films centre on the human capacity to transform small acts of courage into quiet revolutions, as seen in the dramatic short “The Railpath Hero” (2013, TIFF Black Star Festival, starring Stephan James), the unscripted series “Human Frequency Streetdocs” (2014) and the award-winning short doc “Charley” (2016). Laurie’s upcoming feature documentary, “A Mother Apart,” explores identity, motherhood, and forgiveness through the journey of Jamaican-American poet and LGBTQ+ activist Staceyann Chin.
March 24, 2023
From Classroom to Camera: Teaching, Representation, and Filmmaking | Feat. Laurie Townshend
In this episode, Natalie Nadeen interviews her former teacher, Laurie Townshend, who has been a middle school teacher for 22 years. They discuss the challenges and obstacles Laurie faced as a Black female educator, the importance of representation for students, and the lack of diversity in the teac…