Founded in 1986, Praxis is a part of the
School for the Contemporary Arts at
Simon Fraser University Screenwriter/director Patricia Gruben has been director of Praxis since its creation. Patricia Gruben's films include Low Visibility (1984), Deep Sleep (1990) and Ley Lines (1993).
"At Praxis we're looking first of all for scripts that the writers care about. Craft is one thing, but that has to be combined with originality and meaning -- why should this film be made? What does it have to say? That doesn't mean that we're looking for messages or that we never go for 'genre' scripts -- we've had some terrific thrillers, romantic comedies, and even a horror film. But the scripts must communicate. Most of the time (though not always) that means character-based writing. (ScreenTalk Interview)