{{Short description|Canadian film and television director}} {{Indian patronymic|Renuka|Jeyapalan}} {{Infobox person | name = Renuka Jeyapalan | birth_place = | occupation = {{hlist|Film director|television director|screenwriter}} | education = [[University of Toronto]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BSc]]) | alma_mater = {{ubl|[[University of Toronto]]|[[Toronto Metropolitan University]]|[[Canadian Film Centre]]}} | years_active = 2005–present | known_for = ''[[Big Girl (film)|Big Girl]]'', ''[[Stay the Night (2022 film)|Stay the Night]]'' }}
'''Renuka Jeyapalan''' is a Canadian [[film director]], [[television director]], and [[screenwriter]] based in [[Toronto]]. She is best known for her award-winning short film ''[[Big Girl (film)|Big Girl]]'' (2005), which won the [[Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film]], and her feature film debut ''[[Stay the Night (2022 film)|Stay the Night]]'' (2022), which premiered at [[South by Southwest]]. As a television director, she has worked on series including ''[[Murdoch Mysteries]]'', ''[[Kim's Convenience]]'', ''[[Workin' Moms]]'', ''[[Ginny and Georgia]]'', ''[[Sort Of (TV series)|Sort Of]]'', and ''[[Wayward (TV series)|Wayward]]''.
==Early life and education== Jeyapalan is of [[Tamil people|Tamil]] and [[Indian Canadians|Indian]] descent.<ref name="ahearn">Victoria Ahearn, [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2019/05/01/cbc-gem-drama-series-the-410-dramatizes-drug-smuggling-case-involving-indo-canadian-truck-drivers.html "CBC Gem drama series 'The 410' dramatizes drug-smuggling case involving Indo-Canadian truck drivers"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', May 1, 2019.</ref> She earned an Honours [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[biochemistry]] from the [[University of Toronto]], where she had initially planned to pursue a career in medicine following the path of many family members.<ref name="cmf">Pahull Bains, [https://cmf-fmc.ca/now-next/articles/how-renuka-jeyapalan-built-her-directing-career-in-canadian-television/ "How Renuka Jeyapalan built her directing career in Canadian television"]. [[Canada Media Fund]], July 3, 2025.</ref><ref name="directors">[https://www.directors.ca/directors/renuka-jeyapalan "Renuka Jeyapalan"]. Directors.ca. Retrieved February 2, 2026.</ref> While at university, she took a film studies class that sparked her interest in filmmaking.<ref name="widerlens">[https://thewiderlens.ca/series/creative-spotlight/wayward-director-renuka-jeyapalan-on-exploring-the-ups-and-downs-of-relationship-dynamics-on-screen/ "Wayward Director Renuka Jeyapalan on Exploring the Ups and Downs of Relationship Dynamics on Screen"]. Wider Lens, November 28, 2025.</ref>
After graduating, Jeyapalan enrolled in night school film production classes at [[Toronto Metropolitan University]] (formerly Ryerson University).<ref name="widerlens" /> She subsequently attended the [[Canadian Film Centre]]'s Directors' Lab, an experience she has credited with changing her life.<ref name="widerlens" /><ref name="cfc">[https://cfccreates.com/content-hub/big-girl/ "Big Girl"]. Canadian Film Centre. Retrieved February 2, 2026.</ref> She also participated in the Women in the Director's Chair (WIDC) Story & Leadership program.<ref name="widc">[https://www.widc.ca/director/renuka-jeyapalan/ "Renuka Jeyapalan"]. WIDC. Retrieved February 2, 2026.</ref>
==Career==
===Short films=== Jeyapalan's debut short film ''[[Big Girl (film)|Big Girl]]'' (2005), made during her time at the Canadian Film Centre, premiered at the [[2005 Toronto International Film Festival]], where it won the [[Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film|Short Cuts Canada Award for Best Canadian Short Film]].<ref>[http://playbackonline.ca/2016/04/27/two-scripted-projects-nab-cbc-development-deals/ "Two scripted projects nab CBC development deals"]. ''[[Playback (magazine)|Playback]]'', April 27, 2016.</ref><ref>"Toronto film fest deemed a hit". ''[[Peterborough Examiner]]'', September 19, 2005.</ref> The 14-minute drama, which explores the relationship between a nine-year-old girl and her mother's new boyfriend, subsequently screened at over 35 film festivals worldwide, including the [[Berlin International Film Festival]], [[Tribeca Film Festival]], and [[San Francisco International Film Festival]].<ref name="widc" /> The film was a shortlisted [[Genie Award]] finalist for [[Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Action Short Drama|Best Live Action Short Drama]] at the [[27th Genie Awards]].<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/trailer-park-boys-bon-cop-compete-for-best-picture-genie-1.664136 "Trailer Park Boys, Bon Cop compete for best picture Genie"]. [[CBC News]], January 9, 2007.</ref>
Following ''Big Girl'', Jeyapalan struggled for years to get her feature projects made while working as an assistant at a [[Bay Street]] investment bank, a job she intended to last six months but which extended to six years.<ref name="cmf" /> During this period, she continued to write and directed the short films ''Arranged'' (2014) for [[The Movie Network|TMN]], Movie Central, and the [[Harold Greenberg Fund]], and ''A Bicycle Lesson'' (2016).<ref name="directors" /><ref name="widc" /> Her 2019 short ''Life Support'', adapted from a ''[[The Globe and Mail|Globe and Mail]]'' First Person column, premiered in the [[Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]] Short Cuts programme.<ref name="directors" />
In 2010, Jeyapalan received the Kodak New Vision Mentorship Award from [[Women in Film and Television International|Women in Film and Television Toronto]] and was mentored by director [[Catherine Hardwicke]] (''[[Twilight (2008 film)|Twilight]]'', ''[[Thirteen (2003 film)|Thirteen]]'').<ref name="widc" />
===Television=== Jeyapalan's agent encouraged her to consider television work, and she pitched a series inspired by her years on Bay Street to [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]], which earned a development deal. Although the project was not produced, it introduced her to CBC executives.<ref name="cmf" /> She subsequently shadowed on ''[[Murdoch Mysteries]]'' and was given an episode to direct, launching her television directing career around 2016.<ref name="cmf" /><ref name="widerlens" />
Since then, she has directed episodes of numerous Canadian and American television series, including ''[[Murdoch Mysteries]]'', ''[[Kim's Convenience]]'', ''[[Workin' Moms]]'', ''[[Ginny and Georgia]]'', ''[[Sort Of (TV series)|Sort Of]]'', ''[[Son of a Critch]]'', ''[[North of North]]'', ''[[Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent]]'', and the [[Hulu]] series ''[[How to Die Alone]]'' starring [[Natasha Rothwell]].<ref name="ahearn" /><ref name="directors" /> She directed the pilots for [[Bell Media]]'s ''[[Children Ruin Everything]]'' and CBC's ''[[Son of a Critch]]''.<ref name="directors" /> In 2025, she directed episodes of the [[Netflix]] limited series ''[[Wayward (TV series)|Wayward]]'', starring [[Mae Martin]] and [[Toni Collette]].<ref name="widerlens" /><ref name="directors" />
Jeyapalan was nominated for [[Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series|Best Director in a Comedy Series]] at the [[10th Canadian Screen Awards]] for directing the ''[[Sort Of (TV series)|Sort Of]]'' episode "Sort Of A Party".<ref>Brent Furdyk, [https://web.archive.org/web/20220215130202/https://etcanada.com/news/867531/2022-canadian-screen-awards-nominees-announced/ "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, 'Sort Of' & 'Scarborough' Lead The Pack"]. ''[[ET Canada]]'', February 15, 2022.</ref>
===Feature films=== Jeyapalan co-directed her first feature film, the 2017 thriller ''[[Ordinary Days (film)|Ordinary Days]]'', with Kris Booth and [[Jordan Canning]].<ref>[https://nowtoronto.com/movies/special-screenings/what-to-see-canadian-film-fest-what-the-film-fest/ "What to see at Canadian Film Fest and What The Film Festival"]. ''[[Now (newspaper)|Now]]'', March 19, 2018.</ref>
Her solo feature directorial debut, ''[[Stay the Night (2022 film)|Stay the Night]]'', premiered at the [[South by Southwest|South by Southwest Film Festival]] in March 2022.<ref name="cmf" /> The [[romantic drama]] film, which she also wrote and produced, stars [[Andrea Bang]] and [[Joey Scarpellino]] as two strangers who form an unexpected connection over the course of one night in [[Toronto]].<ref name="starstay">Marriska Fernandes, [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2022/11/17/can-wandering-toronto-streets-in-winter-be-sexy-new-film-stay-the-night-tackles-the-one-night-romance-story.html "Can wandering Toronto streets in winter be sexy? New film 'Stay the Night' tackles the 'one night' romance story"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', November 17, 2022.</ref> The film was released theatrically in Canada on October 7, 2022, and received positive reviews, holding an 88% approval rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref name="letterboxd">[https://letterboxd.com/film/stay-the-night-2022/ "Stay the Night (2022)"]. [[Letterboxd]]. Retrieved February 2, 2026.</ref> ''Stay the Night'' was nominated for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing at the [[11th Canadian Screen Awards|2023 Canadian Screen Awards]].<ref name="letterboxd" />
==Filmography==
===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 2005 || ''[[Big Girl (film)|Big Girl]]'' || Director, writer || Short film |- | 2014 || ''Arranged'' || Director, writer || Short film |- | 2016 || ''A Bicycle Lesson'' || Director, writer || Short film |- | 2017 || ''[[Ordinary Days (film)|Ordinary Days]]'' || Co-director || Co-directed with Kris Booth and [[Jordan Canning]] |- | 2019 || ''Life Support'' || Director || Short film |- | 2022 || ''[[Stay the Night (2022 film)|Stay the Night]]'' || Director, writer, producer || |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Notes |- | 2016–present || ''[[Murdoch Mysteries]]'' || |- | 2018–2021 || ''[[Kim's Convenience]]'' || |- | 2019–2023 || ''[[Workin' Moms]]'' || |- | 2021 || ''[[Ginny and Georgia]]'' || |- | 2021–2022 || ''[[Sort Of (TV series)|Sort Of]]'' || CSA nomination for Best Direction, Comedy |- | 2022 || ''[[Children Ruin Everything]]'' || Pilot episode |- | 2022–present || ''[[Son of a Critch]]'' || Pilot episode |- | 2024 || ''[[North of North]]'' || |- | 2024 || ''[[Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent]]'' || |- | 2024 || ''[[How to Die Alone]]'' || |- | 2025 || ''[[Wayward (TV series)|Wayward]]'' || |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|2045250}} * [https://www.directors.ca/directors/renuka-jeyapalan Renuka Jeyapalan] at Directors.ca
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeyapalan, Renuka}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:Canadian people of Indian descent]] [[Category:Canadian people of Tamil descent]] [[Category:People of Indian Tamil descent]] [[Category:Canadian women film directors]] [[Category:Canadian television directors]] [[Category:Canadian women television directors]] [[Category:Canadian women screenwriters]] [[Category:Canadian Film Centre alumni]] [[Category:University of Toronto alumni]] [[Category:Toronto Metropolitan University alumni]] [[Category:Asian-Canadian filmmakers]] [[Category:21st-century Canadian screenwriters]] [[Category:21st-century Canadian women writers]] [[Category:Canadian writers of Asian descent]] [[Category:Film directors from Toronto]]