Stephen Surjik
Encyclopedia
Stephen Surjik is a Canadian
film
and television
director mostly working in television. Surjik was nominated three times for Gemini Awards for best direction, for Little Criminals, Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery, Intelligence
, and received four Emmy Award nominations for Weapons of Mass Distraction
.
in 1960, he studied at the Concordia University in Montreal
and received a Best Director award at the 14th Canadian Student Film & Video Festival in 1982 for "Second story man". After working as production designer and art director in the mid-80s, he moved on, directing for the series The Kids in the Hall
. In 1993 Surjik made his feature film debut with Wayne's World 2
, starring fellow Canadian Mike Myers
.
For television, he has directed films such as the 1996 Grand Prix "Cinéma Tout Ecran
" award-winning Little Criminals, the Emmy-nominated Weapons of Mass Distraction
, starring Ben Kingsley and Gabriel Byrne, and the CBC movie Intelligence. His episodic credits include Da Vinci's Inquest
, Legacy, The Handler
, Road to Avonlea
, Due South
, X-Files and pilots for Bull, Miss Miami and Zoe Busick: Wildcard and "Intelligence".
Surjik on directing: "My directing style is determined by the script– not by the type of shoes that I prefer. I therefore attempt to reinforce what is on the page and I keep my tube-top fetishes to myself".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
director mostly working in television. Surjik was nominated three times for Gemini Awards for best direction, for Little Criminals, Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery, Intelligence
Intelligence (TV series)
Intelligence is a Vancouver-based television crime drama starring Ian Tracey and Klea Scott that aired on the CBC. With its pilot first airing on November 28, 2005, the series began regular broadcasting on October 10, 2006. CBC reaired the pilot on June 7, 2007 and began broadcasting reruns of...
, and received four Emmy Award nominations for Weapons of Mass Distraction
Weapons of Mass Distraction
Weapons of Mass Distraction is a 1997 film starring Gabriel Byrne, Ben Kingsley, Mimi Rogers, Jeffrey Tambor, and other stars in an ensemble cast, about two media moguls and their fight over ownership of a professional football team...
.
Career
Born in Regina, SaskatchewanRegina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
in 1960, he studied at the Concordia University in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and received a Best Director award at the 14th Canadian Student Film & Video Festival in 1982 for "Second story man". After working as production designer and art director in the mid-80s, he moved on, directing for the series The Kids in the Hall
The Kids in the Hall
The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy group formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1988 to 1994 on CBC in Canada, and 1989 to 1995 on CBS and HBO in the United States...
. In 1993 Surjik made his feature film debut with Wayne's World 2
Wayne's World 2
Wayne's World 2 is a 1993 comedy film starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a Public-access television cable TV show from Aurora, Illinois. The film was adapted from a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live and is the sequel to Wayne's World....
, starring fellow Canadian Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
.
For television, he has directed films such as the 1996 Grand Prix "Cinéma Tout Ecran
Cinéma Tout Ecran
Cinéma Tous Ecrans , is an international film festival held annually in the city of Geneva, Switzerland since 1995. The current Artistic and General Director is Claudia Durgnat....
" award-winning Little Criminals, the Emmy-nominated Weapons of Mass Distraction
Weapons of Mass Distraction
Weapons of Mass Distraction is a 1997 film starring Gabriel Byrne, Ben Kingsley, Mimi Rogers, Jeffrey Tambor, and other stars in an ensemble cast, about two media moguls and their fight over ownership of a professional football team...
, starring Ben Kingsley and Gabriel Byrne, and the CBC movie Intelligence. His episodic credits include Da Vinci's Inquest
Da Vinci's Inquest
Da Vinci's Inquest is a Canadian dramatic television series that aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. Seven seasons of thirteen episodes each were filmed for a total of ninety-one episodes....
, Legacy, The Handler
The Handler (TV series)
The Handler is a crime series created by Canadian writer-producer Chris Haddock, airing in the United States on CBS in the 2003-04 season. The show starred Joe Pantoliano as Joe Renato, an FBI agent assigned to train and handle young undercover officers in the FBI. Other cast members included...
, Road to Avonlea
Road to Avonlea
Road to Avonlea was a television series which was first broadcast in Canada and the United States between 1990 and 1996. It was created by Kevin Sullivan and produced by Sullivan Films in association with CBC and the Disney Channel, with additional funding from Telefilm Canada.It was adapted from...
, Due South
Due South
Due South is a Canadian crime drama series with elements of comedy. The series was created by Paul Haggis, produced by Alliance Communications, and stars Paul Gross, David Marciano, and latterly Callum Keith Rennie...
, X-Files and pilots for Bull, Miss Miami and Zoe Busick: Wildcard and "Intelligence".
Surjik on directing: "My directing style is determined by the script– not by the type of shoes that I prefer. I therefore attempt to reinforce what is on the page and I keep my tube-top fetishes to myself".
Selected filmography
- "FlashpointFlashpoint (TV series)Flashpoint is a Canadian police drama television series that debuted on July 11, 2008, on CTV in Canada and ran on CBS in the United States for its first three and a half seasons. In 2011, Ion Television began airing new episodes of the series in the United States...
" (2008) TV series - I Want Candy (2007)
- "IntelligenceIntelligence (TV series)Intelligence is a Vancouver-based television crime drama starring Ian Tracey and Klea Scott that aired on the CBC. With its pilot first airing on November 28, 2005, the series began regular broadcasting on October 10, 2006. CBC reaired the pilot on June 7, 2007 and began broadcasting reruns of...
" (2006-7) TV series - "PsychPsychPsych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
" (2006) TV series - "MonkMonk (TV series)Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
" (2006) TV series - Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery (2005) (TV)
- "The HandlerThe Handler (TV series)The Handler is a crime series created by Canadian writer-producer Chris Haddock, airing in the United States on CBS in the 2003-04 season. The show starred Joe Pantoliano as Joe Renato, an FBI agent assigned to train and handle young undercover officers in the FBI. Other cast members included...
" 2004 TV series - "Da Vinci's InquestDa Vinci's InquestDa Vinci's Inquest is a Canadian dramatic television series that aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. Seven seasons of thirteen episodes each were filmed for a total of ninety-one episodes....
" (1998) TV series (as Steve Surjik) - Weapons of Mass DistractionWeapons of Mass DistractionWeapons of Mass Distraction is a 1997 film starring Gabriel Byrne, Ben Kingsley, Mimi Rogers, Jeffrey Tambor, and other stars in an ensemble cast, about two media moguls and their fight over ownership of a professional football team...
(1997) (TV) - Little CriminalsLittle Criminals (film)Little Criminals is a 1995 Canadian movie. It was directed by Stephen Surjik. The movie was shot in Vancouver in the spring of 1995. The camerawork is mostly done hand-held and at eye level for a more realistic feeling.- Characters :...
(1995) - Mary Silliman's War (1994) (TV)
- Wayne's World 2Wayne's World 2Wayne's World 2 is a 1993 comedy film starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a Public-access television cable TV show from Aurora, Illinois. The film was adapted from a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live and is the sequel to Wayne's World....
(1993) - Grand Larceny (1991) (TV)
- "Road to AvonleaRoad to AvonleaRoad to Avonlea was a television series which was first broadcast in Canada and the United States between 1990 and 1996. It was created by Kevin Sullivan and produced by Sullivan Films in association with CBC and the Disney Channel, with additional funding from Telefilm Canada.It was adapted from...
" (1989) TV series - "The Kids in the HallThe Kids in the HallThe Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy group formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1988 to 1994 on CBC in Canada, and 1989 to 1995 on CBS and HBO in the United States...
" (1988) TV series (film segments)