{{Short description|Canadian actor}} '''Henri Pardo''' is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He is most noted as director of the documentary film ''Dear Jackie'',<ref>Charlie Smith, [https://www.straight.com/movies/doxa-fest-dear-jackie-demolishes-a-canadian-myth-about-racial-benevolence "DOXA Fest: Dear Jackie demolishes a Canadian myth about racial benevolence"]. ''The Georgia Straight'', May 14, 2022.</ref> which was a nominee for the Donald Brittain Award at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023.<ref>Pat Mullen, [https://povmagazine.com/2023-canadian-screen-award-nominations-for-documentary/ "2023 Canadian Screen Award Nominations for Documentary"]. ''Point of View'', February 22, 2023.</ref>
Born in Edmundston, New Brunswick to immigrant parents from Haiti,<ref>Karla Meza, [https://journalmetro.com/local/sud-ouest/3019090/le-film-cher-jackie-maintient-vivante-lhistoire-de-la-communaute-noire-de-la-petite-bourgogne/ "Le film Cher Jackie maintient vivante l’histoire de la communauté noire de la Petite-Bourgogne"]. ''Métro'', March 5, 2023.</ref> he moved with his family to Montreal, Quebec, in childhood.
He began his career as an actor, most notably starring in Jephté Bastien's 2010 film ''Exit 67 (Sortie 67)'',<ref>Charles-Henri Ramond, [https://www.filmsquebec.com/films/sortie-67-jephte-bastien/ "Sortie 67 – Film de Jephté Bastien"]. ''Films du Québec'', October 5, 2010.</ref> but after finding that as a Black Canadian he was generally only offered supporting roles without much depth, he enrolled at the Institut national de l'image et du son in the middle 2000s to learn filmmaking so that he could actively engage with improving Black representation in film and television.<ref>[https://lienmultimedia.com/spip.php?article62440 "La diversité crée de la richesse, foi d’Henri Pardo !"]. ''Lien Multimédia'', November 27, 2017.</ref> He directed the short films ''Sous bois'' (2013) and ''Jack'' (2020) prior to releasing ''Dear Jackie'' in 2021.
In addition to the Canadian Screen Award nomination for ''Dear Jackie'', Pardo was the winner of the Magnus Isacsson Award at the 2021 Montreal International Documentary Festival.<ref>André Duchesne, [https://www.lapresse.ca/cinema/2021-11-21/rencontres-internationales-du-documentaire-de-montreal/deux-prix-pour-zo-reken.php "Deux prix pour Zo Reken"]. ''La Presse'', November 21, 2021.</ref>
His narrative feature debut, ''Kanaval'', premiered in the Centrepiece program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival,<ref>John Hazelton, [https://www.screendaily.com/news/tiff-sets-centrepiece-line-up-of-international-cinema/5184801.article "TIFF sets Centrepiece line-up of international cinema"]. ''Screen Daily'', August 10, 2023.</ref> where it was named the winner of the Amplify Voices Award for Best Film, and received an honorable mention from the Best Canadian Film jury.<ref>Steve Pond, [https://www.thewrap.com/american-fiction-wins-toronto-film-festivals-audience-award/ "‘American Fiction’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s Audience Award"]. ''TheWrap'', September 17, 2023.</ref> He received two CSA nominations at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024 for ''Kanaval'', in the categories of Best Director and the John Dunning Best First Feature Award.<ref>[https://www.northernstars.ca/blackberry-leads-csa-nominations/ "BlackBerry Leads CSA Nominations"]. ''Northern Stars'', March 6, 2024.</ref>
In 2026, he was named the recipient of the Charles Officer Award at the opening of the Canada's Top Ten screening series.<ref>Jamie Casemore, [https://playbackonline.ca/2026/02/06/henri-pardo-wins-tiff-cbcs-2026-charles-officer-legacy-award/ "Henri Pardo wins TIFF, CBC’s 2026 Charles Officer Legacy Award"]. ''Playback'', February 6, 2026.</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0661102}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pardo, Henri}} Category:21st-century Canadian male actors Category:21st-century Canadian male writers Category:21st-century Canadian screenwriters Category:Canadian male film actors Category:Canadian male television actors Category:Canadian male screenwriters Category:Canadian documentary film directors Category:Black Canadian male actors Category:Black Canadian filmmakers Category:Black Canadian screenwriters Category:Film directors from New Brunswick Category:Male actors from New Brunswick Category:People from Edmundston Category:Canadian people of Haitian descent Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Screenwriters from New Brunswick