Jordan Canning is a Canadian director for film and television. She is known for her independent feature films We Were Wolves (2014) and Suck It Up (2017), as well as her work directing on television series Baroness Von Sketch Show, Burden of Truth and Schitt's Creek.
Early life She was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. She attended Concordia University in Montreal.
Career Canning's films have won a number of awards, including two Golden Sheaf Awards,"2012 Golden Sheaf Award Winners" . Yorkton Film Festival"2010 Golden Sheaf Award Winners" . Yorkton Film Festival three awards at the NSI Online Short Film Festival,"Jordan Canning's Not Over Easy wins all three NSI Online Short Film Fest awards". National Screen Institute, September 13, 2012 and top prize at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival RBC Emerging Filmmaker Competition."RBC Emerging Filmmakers Competition Winners 2012" ."'Salty and sweet' pays off for Jordan Canning" The Telegram, Tara Bradbury September 06, 2012. She directed all twenty-three episodes of the IPF-supported web series Space Riders: Division Earth for CTV. The show won the 2014 Canadian Screen Award for Best Digital Series and four Canadian Comedy Awards, including Best Director.
Canning's 2014 feature film We Were Wolves made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and is distributed by Unobstructed View."Jordan Canning's We Were Wolves gets distribution". Playback Online, October 1, 2014 by Etan Vlessing We Were Wolves stars Peter Mooney and Steve Cochrane. Canning's debut feature was also awarded the Best Feature Prize from the Atlantic Film Festival.
In 2015, Canning was awarded the Women In the Director's Chair Feature Film Award"Jordan Canning Wins $120,000 Prize: WIDC Feature Film Award Announced". WIDC, March 2, 2015 by Carol Whiteman for her second feature film, Suck It Up (2017), which premiered at the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival and is distributed by Level Film. Suck it Up stars Grace Glowicki and Erin Carter, and won Best Feature Film at the 2017 B3 Frankfurt Biennale, and Canning was nominated for the Directors Guild of Canada's DGC Discovery Award.Barry Hertz, "Directors Guild of Canada reveals long list for Discovery Award". The Globe and Mail, September 5, 2017.
In 2016, Canning made a foray into television, directing on Saving Hope and This Hour Has 22 Minutes, where she became the first female director on the show. The following year, she directed episodes of the series The Detail (CTV), Burden of Truth (CBC/The CW), and Baroness Von Sketch Show (CBC/IFC). In 2018, she directed on Schitt's Creek, Little Dog (CBC) and season four of Baroness Von Sketch Show.
Canning was nominated for two 2020 Canadian Screen Awards: one for Best Direction, Comedy (Schitt's Creek, "Meet The Parents") and one for Best Direction, Variety or Sketch Comedy (Baroness Von Sketch Show, "Humanity is in An Awkward Stage" - with co-director Aleysa Young).
In 2023, Canning was recognized for her direction of the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "Charades", which was listed as one of the ten Best TV Episodes of 2023 by Rolling Stone. Canning's directorial work on "Charades" also garnered her recognition from Indiewire, which ranked the episode #22 on their list of the 25 best TV episodes of 2023, and Vanity Fair, which also listed the episode as one of the best of 2023.
Canning also directed a number of music videos, including: "Death is Quick" by Hey Rosetta! "There's an Arc" by Hey Rosetta "Best Served" by Pathological Lovers "All Hands" by Tim Baker "Dance" by Tim Baker
She is a 2010 graduate of the Director's Lab at the Canadian Film Centre and an alumnus of TIFF Pitch This! and Talent Lab.
It was announced that filming would begin in early 2026 for Oddly Flowers, a film based on the novel Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant, which would be written, directed, and produced by Canning.Jeremy Kay, "Emily Carey, Martin Freeman, Sam Spruell to star in ‘Oddly Flowers’; production set for Canada, UK". Screen Daily, February 10, 2026.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role GenreNotes 2005 Pillowtalk Writer, director Short Film 2006 Thick & Thin Writer, director Short Film 2007 Here On In Writer, director Short Film 2008 The House Series - Bedroom, Kitchen, Bathroom Director Short Film Trilogy 2009 Countdown Writer, director Short Film National Screen Institute Drama Prize 2010 Best Served Director Short Film 2010 Not Over Easy Director, Co-Writer Short AnimationNSI Short Film Festival Awards 2011 Oliver Bump's Birthday" Worldwide Short Film Festival 2012". Now Toronto by Norman Wilner June 7, 2012 Director Short Film Canadian Film Centre Short Dramatic Film; Yorkton Film Festival Golden Sheaf Award - Short Subject 2012 Seconds"Jordan Canning comes back for seconds". The Scope. Writer, director Short FilmTIFF RBC Emerging Filmmakers Award 2012 The Tunnel Director Short Film 2014 We Were Wolves Director, Co-Writer Feature Film 2014 Toronto International Film Festival2015Space Riders: Division EarthDirectorWeb SeriesCanadian Screen Award - Best Digital Series2017Suck It UpDirectorFeature FilmWIDC Feature Film Award2017Ordinary DaysCo-DirectorFeature FilmCanadian Film Festival - Best Director20204 North ACo-director, writerAnimated short
Television YearsTitleRoleNotes2016–17This Hour Has 22 MinutesDirectorSeason 24; four episodes2017Saving HopeDirectorSeason 5; one episode2018Burden of TruthDirectorSeason 1; two episodes2018The DetailDirectorSeason 1; two episodes2018–21Baroness Von Sketch ShowDirectorSeason 3; five episodes, Season 4; five episodes2019–20Schitt's CreekDirectorSeason 5; seven episodes2019Little DogDirectorSeason 2; two episodes2020–21NursesDirectorSeason 1; one episode, Season 2; one episode2021–24Family LawDirectorSeason 1; two episodes, Season 3; two episodes2022–24Fraggle Rock: Back to the RockDirectorSeason 1; three episodes, Season 2; five episodes2022Astrid & Lilly Save the WorldDirectorTwo episodes2023–26Star Trek: Strange New WorldsDirectorSeason 2; one episode, Season 3; two episodesSeason 4; one episode2024Brilliant MindsDirectorSeason 1; one episode2026Law & Order Toronto: Criminal IntentDirectorSeason 3; two episode
References
External links Get Set Films - Official website