About Nomad Films
Nomad Films develops and produces documentary and dramatic programming for film and television that focuses on a wide range of compelling stories on a range of subjects. We don’t discriminate: a great story can make for a terrific film. We are drawn to all sorts of subjects: social and political change, science, the environment, the arts, history, you-name-it. Known for its international treaty co-production work, Nomad has successfully produced films such as the award-winning In the Shadow of a Saint (CBC, BBC, IKON, and SBS Australia). Director/Writer/Executive Producer Mark Johnston is the Founder of Nomad Films. Three decades in the business, Mark has worked in a producer or director capacity on over eighty films. Amanda Handy has been a partner in Nomad since 2006, coming from a background in both dramatic films, television and documentaries.
Most recently, Nomad Films had season three of the smash-hit documentary format, Political Blind Date, broadcast for TVO and CPAC. A ground-breaking show that puts together politicians from opposite sides of the spectrum, they are forced to see each other as human beings as they debate some of the thorniest issues facing Canadians. Season four is nearly finished, and season five has been commissioned for TVO.
Much Too Young, the feature documentary about young caregivers of early-onset Alzheimer’s (TVO, Knowledge Network, and the TELUS Fund, was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Documentary in 2018. Giraffes: The Forgotten Giants, (2015), was a natural history/science title for CBC’s The Nature of Things, PBS International, and ARTE France. I Married My Family’s Killer (documentary channel in Canada), won the 2015 Student Academy Award for Best Documentary. Another title is the docu-reality series, Fight Xchange, for Superchannel in Canada and Globo in Brazil, a ground-breaking look at a group of mixed martial artists as they try to make it in that cut-throat world. To Russia With Love is a one hour film about the relationship between Canada and Russia in hockey. It won the prime time ratings in Canada for December 29th, 2012. The Jungle Prescription, a major documentary for CBC’s Nature of Things about ayahuasca, the Amazonian psychotropic medicine was broadcast in late 2011. Disfarmer, was a film for TVO, SBS Australia, AVRO Netherlands and SVT Sweden, about the “found” American photographer, Mike Disfarmer. Other major credits include: The Climb, (CBC, National Geographic Canada and Discovery HD Theater), about the first Canadian climb of Mount Everest; The Al Qaeda Code (CBC, WDR/ARTE, SBS); feature documentary When We Were Boys (documentary channel in Canada and Kino Smith); as well as the epic series Empire of the Word (TVO, TG4, SBS, TFO) about the history of reading and writing. The latest film is Company Town for CBC POV, which examines the last year in the life of the GM auto plant in Oshawa, Ontario.
Other titles produced, include: Beetalker (CBC’s Nature of Things/ARTE France); Riddle of the Polar Sky, (Discovery; WDR/ARTE; National Geographic; WDR); and To Bee or Not to Bee (also known as The Mystery of the Disappearing Bees) (CBC’s The Nature of Things/ARTE France); Blood, Smoke and Tears (CBC and TFO); The Man Who Became King (CBC, Sundance Channel and National Geographic International); The Life and Times of Sarah McLachlan (CBC); and Jean’s Marines (W Network). Nomad has worked for partners as diverse as the BBC, ARTE France, Discovery, National Geographic, PBS, the CBC, as well as a plethora of other media outlets.
Although documentary specialists, Nomad has more recently begun producing dramatic films, beginning with Nelofer Pazira’s 2010 Act of Dishonour (Entertainment One, the NFB and Daniel Iron’s Foundry Films). A film about the life story of Nigerian-Ogoni writer and anti-oil activist Ken Saro-Wiwa is planned for 2021.
Most recently, Nomad Films had season three of the smash-hit documentary format, Political Blind Date, broadcast for TVO and CPAC. A ground-breaking show that puts together politicians from opposite sides of the spectrum, they are forced to see each other as human beings as they debate some of the thorniest issues facing Canadians. Season four is nearly finished, and season five has been commissioned for TVO.
Much Too Young, the feature documentary about young caregivers of early-onset Alzheimer’s (TVO, Knowledge Network, and the TELUS Fund, was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Documentary in 2018. Giraffes: The Forgotten Giants, (2015), was a natural history/science title for CBC’s The Nature of Things, PBS International, and ARTE France. I Married My Family’s Killer (documentary channel in Canada), won the 2015 Student Academy Award for Best Documentary. Another title is the docu-reality series, Fight Xchange, for Superchannel in Canada and Globo in Brazil, a ground-breaking look at a group of mixed martial artists as they try to make it in that cut-throat world. To Russia With Love is a one hour film about the relationship between Canada and Russia in hockey. It won the prime time ratings in Canada for December 29th, 2012. The Jungle Prescription, a major documentary for CBC’s Nature of Things about ayahuasca, the Amazonian psychotropic medicine was broadcast in late 2011. Disfarmer, was a film for TVO, SBS Australia, AVRO Netherlands and SVT Sweden, about the “found” American photographer, Mike Disfarmer. Other major credits include: The Climb, (CBC, National Geographic Canada and Discovery HD Theater), about the first Canadian climb of Mount Everest; The Al Qaeda Code (CBC, WDR/ARTE, SBS); feature documentary When We Were Boys (documentary channel in Canada and Kino Smith); as well as the epic series Empire of the Word (TVO, TG4, SBS, TFO) about the history of reading and writing. The latest film is Company Town for CBC POV, which examines the last year in the life of the GM auto plant in Oshawa, Ontario.
Other titles produced, include: Beetalker (CBC’s Nature of Things/ARTE France); Riddle of the Polar Sky, (Discovery; WDR/ARTE; National Geographic; WDR); and To Bee or Not to Bee (also known as The Mystery of the Disappearing Bees) (CBC’s The Nature of Things/ARTE France); Blood, Smoke and Tears (CBC and TFO); The Man Who Became King (CBC, Sundance Channel and National Geographic International); The Life and Times of Sarah McLachlan (CBC); and Jean’s Marines (W Network). Nomad has worked for partners as diverse as the BBC, ARTE France, Discovery, National Geographic, PBS, the CBC, as well as a plethora of other media outlets.
Although documentary specialists, Nomad has more recently begun producing dramatic films, beginning with Nelofer Pazira’s 2010 Act of Dishonour (Entertainment One, the NFB and Daniel Iron’s Foundry Films). A film about the life story of Nigerian-Ogoni writer and anti-oil activist Ken Saro-Wiwa is planned for 2021.
Meet the Team
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Amanda Handy
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Mark Johnston
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