{{Short description|Canadian filmmaker (1953–1995)}} {{use Canadian English|date=August 2025}} {{use mdy|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Phillip Borsos | birth_place = [[Hobart, Tasmania|Hobart]], Australia | birth_date = {{Birth date|1953|05|05}} | death_place = [[Vancouver]], Canada | death_date = {{Death date and age|1995|02|02|1953|05|05}} | occupation = {{hlist|[[Film director]]|[[film producer]]|[[screenwriter]]}} | known_for = {{ubl| * ''[[The Grey Fox]]'' * ''[[Nails (1979 film)|Nails]]'' * ''[[The Mean Season]]'' * ''[[Bethune: The Making of a Hero]]'' * ''[[Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog]]'' }} | spouse = Beret Paulsen Borsos | children = 2 }}
'''Phillip Borsos''' (May 5, 1953 – February 2, 1995) was an Australian-born Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter.<ref name=canenc>[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/phillip-borsos Phillip Borsos] at [[The Canadian Encyclopedia]], dated March 4, 2015, accessed September 2, 2019</ref> A four-time [[Canadian Film Award]] and [[Genie Awards|Genie Award]] winner and an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominee, he was one of the major figures of Canadian and [[British Columbia]]n filmmaking during the 1980s,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/phillip-borsos-fonds|title=Fonds PR-2086. Phillip Borsos fonds}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://povmagazine.com/articles/view/british-columbia-from-head-hunters-to-koneliine|title=British Columbia: From Head Hunters to Konelīne |website=povmagazine.com|date=25 September 2017 |language=en|access-date=2019-06-09}}</ref> earning critical acclaim and accolades at a time when Canadian filmmakers were still struggling to gain attention outside of North America.<ref name=canenc/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phillip-Borsos|title=Phillip Borsos {{!}} Canadian director|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2019-06-09}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Borsos was born in [[Hobart]], Australia, in 1953. His father was a Hungarian sculptor and his mother an English nurse. His family emigrated to [[Canada]] when he was five years old, settling in [[Trail, British Columbia]]. Borsos showed an early interest in filmmaking while attending high school in [[Maple Ridge, British Columbia|Maple Ridge]]. He acquired a 16mm [[Bolex|Bolex camera]] from his father and began making short films and documentaries. After high school, he studied film at the [[Banff Centre]] School for Fine Arts and at the Vancouver School of Art, now the [[Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design]].
== Career == His early work included several shorts notable for their cinematography and pacing. In 1976, he incorporated his own company, Mercury Pictures, to produce commercials and sponsored films. Borsos established himself as a filmmaker to watch in the 1970s with three assured short documentaries: ''[[Cooperage (film)|Cooperage]]'' (1976), ''[[Spartree]]'' (1977) and ''[[Nails (1979 film)|Nails]]'' (1979). All three won Best Theatrical Short at the [[Canadian Film Awards]], and ''Nails'' received a nomination for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] in the Documentary Short category.
In 1982, at the age of 27, he emerged as a major directing talent with his feature debut, ''[[The Grey Fox]]''. It told the story of [[Bill Miner]], Canada's first train robber, and starred [[Richard Farnsworth]] as Miner, along with [[Jackie Burroughs]] as his mistress. This dramatic, authentic dissection of the Canadian West won seven [[Genie Awards]], including Best Picture and Best Director, as well as being nominated for two [[41st Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]], including Best Foreign Film.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/grey-fox|title=Grey Fox, The|website=goldenglobes.com|language=en|access-date=2018-01-20}}</ref> It is still regarded as one of the best films ever made in Canada.
He followed that success with the serial killer thriller ''[[The Mean Season]]'' (1985), which starred [[Kurt Russell]] and [[Mariel Hemingway]]; and the family drama ''[[One Magic Christmas]]'' (1985), starring [[Mary Steenburgen]] and [[Harry Dean Stanton]]. Production problems dogged his biopic ''[[Bethune: The Making of a Hero]]'' (1990), which starred [[Donald Sutherland]] as Dr. [[Norman Bethune]], and took four excruciating years to make. There were delays, crew mutinies, technical disasters and endless feuds over the script. On location in remote areas of rural China, with Chinese bureaucrats as his co-producers, Borsos was pushed to his limit. In the end, the producers froze him out of the final editing process and finished the film without him. Regardless, it received critical accolades, and earned him a [[Genie Awards|Genie Award]] nomination for [[Canadian Screen Award for Best Director|Best Director]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://viff.org/Online/f28962-bethune-the-making-of-a-hero|title=VIFF {{!}} Bethune: The Making of a Hero|website=viff.org|access-date=2019-06-09|archive-date=July 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716201247/https://viff.org/Online/f28962-bethune-the-making-of-a-hero|url-status=dead}}</ref>
His final film, ''[[Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog]],'' was shot on and around his summer home on [[Mayne Island]]. Based on his script, with characters named after his children, it was his most personal film, an adventure about a boy stranded in the woods with his dog. It was released in 1995, only a month before his passing, and was nominated for Best Family Feature at that year's [[Young Artist Award]]s.
== Personal life == Borsos was married to his wife, Beret, with whom he had two sons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/phillip-borsos-obituary|title=Phillip Borsos (Obituary)|website=The Canadian Encyclopedia|access-date=September 2, 2019}}</ref>
== Death == In early 1994, he was diagnosed with [[acute myeloblastic leukemia|acute myeloblastic leukaemia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.northernstars.ca/borsos_phillip_tribute/|title=Tribute to Phillip Borsos|website=Northernstars.ca|date=5 May 2014|access-date=January 20, 2018|archive-date=September 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930052450/https://www.northernstars.ca/borsos_phillip_tribute/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He died on February 2, 1995, at age 41.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/05/obituaries/philip-borsos-film-director-and-writer-41.html|title=Philip Borsos; Film Director and Writer, 41|date=1995-02-05|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
==Legacy== The [[Whistler Film Festival]] annually presents the [[Borsos Competition]], a set of juried awards named in honour of Phillip Borsos, for which Canadian films screening at the festival are eligible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/festival-info/awards-and-juries|title=Awards & Juries|website=Whistler Film Festival|access-date=7 February 2016|archive-date=February 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203200632/http://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/festival-info/awards-and-juries|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/whistler-borsos-award-picture-day-396654|title=Kate Melville's 'Picture Day' Wins Best Canadian Feature at Whistler Film Festival|author=Etan Vlessing|date=2 December 2012|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=7 February 2016}}</ref> Borsos is considered a pioneer of the [[British Columbia]]n film industry, being among the early directors to utilize and highlight its abundant and visually-stunning landscapes, and helping to establish the province's reputation as [[Hollywood North]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://playbackonline.ca/2016/12/22/playbacks-2016-canadian-film-tv-hall-of-fame-phillip-borsos/|title=Playback's 2016 Canadian Film & TV Hall of Fame: Phillip Borsos|date=December 22, 2016|first=Sonya|last=Fatah|access-date=2019-06-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://victoriafilmfestival.com/archive/pre2000/borsos99.html|title=VIFVF, Philip Borsos Tribute|website=victoriafilmfestival.com|access-date=2019-06-09|archive-date=July 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716201248/https://victoriafilmfestival.com/archive/pre2000/borsos99.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! style="width:33px;" |Year !Film ! style="width:65px;" |[[Film director|Director]] ! width="65" |[[Film producer|Producer]] ! width="65" |[[Screenwriter|Writer]] !Notes |- |1982 |''[[The Grey Fox]]'' |{{Yes}} |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |[[Canadian Screen Award for Best Director|Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction]]<br>[[Montreal World Film Festival|Montréal World Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Film]]<br>Nominated - [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film]]<ref name=":0" /><br>Nominated - [[Taormina Film Fest|Golden Taormina Charybdis]] |- | rowspan="2" |1985 |''[[The Mean Season]]'' |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |[[Festival du Film Policier de Cognac|Cognac Festival du Film Policier TF1 Special Award]] |- |''[[One Magic Christmas]]'' |{{Yes}} |{{Yes}} |{{Yes}} |Nominated - [[8th Youth in Film Awards|Youth in Film Award for Exceptional Feature Film - Drama]] |- |1990 |''[[Bethune: The Making of a Hero]]'' |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Nominated - [[Canadian Screen Award for Best Director|Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction]] |- |1995 |''[[Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog]]'' |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |{{Yes}} |Nominated - [[17th Youth in Film Awards|Youth in Film Award for Best Family Feature]] |}
=== Short films === {| class="wikitable sortable" ! style="width:33px;" |Year !Film ! style="width:65px;" |[[Film director|Director]] ! width="65" |[[Film producer|Producer]] ! width="65" |[[Screenwriter|Writer]] !Notes |- |1974
|''Cadillac<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://collection.tiff.net/mwebcgi/mweb/mweb/mweb?request=record;id=223646;type=102|title=Cadillac|website=TIFF Film Reference Library|access-date=September 2, 2019|archive-date=September 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902210951/http://collection.tiff.net/mwebcgi/mweb/mweb/mweb?request=record;id=223646;type=102|url-status=dead}}</ref>'' |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} | |- |1975 |''The Barking Dog''<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://collection.tiff.net/mwebcgi/mweb/mweb?request=record;id=223645;type=102|title=The Barking Dog|website=TIFF Film Reference Library|access-date=September 2, 2019|archive-date=September 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902210957/http://collection.tiff.net/mwebcgi/mweb/mweb%3Frequest%3Drecord;id%3D223645;type%3D102|url-status=dead}}</ref> |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} | |- |1976 |''[[Cooperage (film)|Cooperage]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehazardgroup.com/cooperage/|website=The Hazard Group|title="Cooperage". A Film. Streaming Media online 17 minutes|access-date=2019-06-09|archive-date=June 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625002342/http://www.thehazardgroup.com/cooperage/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |[[Canadian Film Awards|Canadian Film Award for Best Theatrical Short]] Nominated - [[Chicago International Film Festival|Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo for Best Documentary]] |- |1977 |''[[Spartree]]'' |{{Yes}} |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |[[Canadian Film Awards|Canadian Film Award for Best Theatrical Short]] |- |1977 |''Spartree/Making the Film''<ref>{{cite book |first1=Blaine |last1=Allen |editor1-last=Beard |editor1-first=William |editor2-last=White |editor2-first=Jerry |date=June 2002 |title=North of Everything: English-Canadian Cinema Since 1980 |page=106 |url=https://www.uap.ualberta.ca/titles/350-9780888643902-north-of-everything |language=en |publisher=University of Alberta Press|isbn=978-0-88864-398-8}}</ref> |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} | |- |1979 |''[[Nails (1979 film)|Nails]]''<ref>{{Citation|website=National Film Board of Canada|title=Nails|url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/nails/|access-date=2019-06-09}}</ref> |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |[[Genie Award for Best Theatrical Short Film|Genie Award for Best Theatrical Short]]<br>Nominated - [[Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)|Academy Awards for Best Documentary, Short Subjects]]<br>Nominated - [[Genie Awards|Genie Award for Outstanding Direction in a Documentary (Non-Feature)]] |- |1979 |''Racquetball''<ref>{{cite book |first1=Blaine |last1=Allen |editor1-last=Beard |editor1-first=William |editor2-last=White |editor2-first=Jerry |date=June 2002 |title=North of Everything: English-Canadian Cinema Since 1980 |page=106 |url=https://www.uap.ualberta.ca/titles/350-9780888643902-north-of-everything |language=en |publisher=University of Alberta Press|isbn=978-0-88864-398-8}}</ref> |{{Yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} | |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0097491|Phillip Borsos}}
{{Phillip Borsos}} {{ACCT Best Director}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borsos, Phillip}} [[Category:1953 births]] [[Category:1995 deaths]] [[Category:Australian emigrants to Canada]] [[Category:People from Hobart]] [[Category:Film producers from British Columbia]] [[Category:Film directors from Vancouver]] [[Category:Writers from Vancouver]] [[Category:Canadian male screenwriters]] [[Category:Canadian people of English descent]] [[Category:Canadian people of Hungarian descent]] [[Category:Emily Carr University of Art and Design alumni]] [[Category:Best Director Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners]] [[Category:20th-century Canadian screenwriters]] [[Category:Directors of Genie Award winners for Best Theatrical Short]] [[Category:Screenwriters from British Columbia]] [[Category:Deaths from leukemia in Canada]]