Documentary Filmmaker P.J. Marcellino Signs to TrePalm

TrePalm has signed P.J. Marcellino, D.G.C. its roster of eclectic directors for music video and commercial representation. P.J. has had an extraordinary career prior to filmmaking as a journalist, editor, scholar and political adviser which shaped his filmmaking career, facilitating the dissemination of marginalised voices, and stories from oppressed communities. Through his work, P.J. Marcellino has attempted to bridge the gap between politics and art, working with musicians who are prominent in social activism. His work includes short and medium-length pieces for Canadian North Airlines, the African Union, UNESCO, the Foundation for Environmental Education, the Museum of Latvian Occupation, and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.

Since entering Toronto’s burgeoning film scene, he founded Anatomy of Restlessness Films, a film development hub focusing on socio-political impact storytelling, has directed two feature films. His first feature, After the War: Memoirs of Exile, dealt with issues of memory, PTSD, and intergenerational trauma in a family of German-Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. Marcellino co-directed When They Awake, his second feature, which recognizes and celebrates the reemergence and mainstreaming of Indigenous music and culture in Canada, featuring the works of Buffy Sainte-Marie, A Tribe Called Red, Susan Aglukark, Tanya Tagaq, The Jerry Cans, Logan Staats, IsKwe, among other Indigenous artists crossing into genres of hip hop, rock, and beyond. It was the opening night gala feature at Calgary International Film Festival, one of Canada’s largest, as well as Telefilm Movie Nights Across Canada and WOMEX 17 film selection, going on to screen at over sixty festivals worldwide.

Having an extensive career outside of filmmaking, P.J. brings a distinct voice and visual palette to the TrePalm roster and a unique approach to storytelling with hints of architectural formality, journalistic rigour, and homages to classic cinema.

P.J. is an alumnus of Seneca’s Documentary Filmmaking Institute, and a member in good standing with the Directors Guild of Canada, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, Canadian Media Producers Association, Directors Rights Collective of Canada, Liaison of Independent Filmmakers Toronto, Documentary Organization of Canada, Toronto Animated Image Society, and Women In Film Toronto. Alex Rozanec of TrePalm says: “I’m really happy to be working with P.J. We already have a few projects in the works with him and we’re excited to be bringing them to life!”