David Vaisbord

Director / Producer / Arts administrator and advocate |Educator

David Vaisbord is a Gemini nominated Canadian filmmaker who brings a unique vision and a dramatic intensity to all of the films that he makes. He is graduate of the University of British Columbia (BA) and Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design (BFA, MFA).

David’s first one-hour documentary titled MISCHA was an international search for clues about the life of his reclusive uncle, the violin-prodigy Mischa Weisbord. Completed in 1996 with funding from the Canada Council, NFB and the CBC (Adrienne Clarkson Presents) it received a Gold Apple (USA), and a nomination for The Chalmers Award.

Vaisbord then produced, directed and wrote a psychedelic road trip titled JUICY DANGER MEETS BURNING MAN supported by TVO, CTV, and BRAVO! It was one of TVO’s highest rated documentaries of 1998 and raised the hair-raising comedic/thrill-seeking duo; Tom Comet and Christine Taylor (The Juicy Danger Show) to cult status among the thousands of participants of the Burning Man Festival. The film received the Special Jury Prize at the Yorkton Short Film festival.

David then moved on to develop new projects with new partners. As co-producer, director and writer, David collaborated with Screen Siren Pictures for BRITANNIA BEACH (1998 – 2001) and for DRAWING OUT THE DEMONS: A film about the artist Attila Richard Lukacs (1999 – 2004).

BRITANNIA BEACH, the story of a mining town, the dreams of its residents, and its legacy of environmental devastation, was made with support from the BC Cultural Fund, CTV, TVO, SCN, Knowledge, and the NFB. A Gala premiere at Toronto’s Planet in Focus film festival was followed by broadcast on the CBC’s “Docs on the Coast.”

DRAWING OUT THE DEMONS: A film about the artist Attila Richard Lukacs was funded by BRAVO! TVO and Telefilm Canada. Shot to a large extent by the director himself as he accompanied the artist through some of his darkest days in his New York Studio, the film follows gifted “bad-boy” of the art world, Attila Richard Lukacs, on a very intimate journey from international art celebrity, through drug addiction to spiritual and creative renewal. Since it’s premiere in Toronto at Hot Docs 2004, the film has screened at over a dozen international festivals including the Cork (Ireland) International Film Festival and the Northwest (USA) Film and Video Festival. Nominated for 2 Gemini Awards including Best Director of a Documentary, and Best Arts Documentary, the Atlantic Film Festival wrote that “Drawing Out the Demons may be the most honest and substantial documentary ever made about a world-class artist.”

With Laughing Mountain Communications David directed and co-wrote the one-hour docu-drama DARK PINES for BRAVO! which premiered in October of 2005 and won several top prizes at the Golden Sheaf Awards.

Lightspeed Productions Ltd. (David’s company) loans out David’s services as a director “for hire”. For Insight Productions and Global Television David has directed for the series DRIVER’S SEAT (13 X 30) and for the History Television’s series, GHOST TOWNS OF SASKATCHEWAN.

In September of 2008, Vaisbord launched the Little Mountain Project a hyperlocal media project about four public housing tenants who stood in defiance of the destruction of their community. The project grew into a series of short advocacy films, a website, art installations, and social media projects. Vaisbord completed a master’s degree in digital media in 2012 at ECU with a thesis on the Little Mountain Project and exhibition which won the Farris Award for Art and Social Media. An excerpt of the thesis was published in Point of View Magazine – Summer 2013 issue. In 2014 David launched a successful crowd funding campaign for the feature documentary under the title, The Little Mountain Film, which received attention through print, radio, television and social media including support from media celebrities such as Margaret Atwood, Judy Rebick and Bif Naked.

The film is currently titled “Forgetting Little Mountain: 2008 – 2025” and in post production as a 3-part mini series.

In the interim Vaisbord created short videos for local community and union clients, and collaborated with the UBC School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) on an international conference and exhibition titled: The Future of Public Housing.

From 2013 – 2019 Vaisbord volunteered his leadership skills to steer the evolution and growth of the several documentary filmmakers’ organizations. He led DOC BC (now known as DOC Northwest) as the board chair; was the BC/National Rep and Treasurer of DOC National, and served on the board of the Hot Docs Film Festival.

From 2019 through 2020 Vaisbord studied education pedagogy at Simon Fraser University and taught media studies for high school students under the  mentorship of (living legend) Phil Byrne, the head of the film and broadcast program at Burnaby North Secondary School.

David teaches documentary filmmaking in Vancouver, and resides here with his partner and their two children. 

Banner image:  Little Mountain Housing Project in the late 1950’s.