Directors & Staff
Melanie Friesen, Interim Director
Melanie Friesen has joined Praxis as Interim Director during 2011 while Patricia Gruben enjoys a temporary sabbatical year. In addition to her position at Praxis, she continues to work as the Producer and Presenter of Cinema Salon at the Vancouver International Film Festival, as a Lecturer at Vancouver Film School, and as a Board Member of Astral's Harold Greenberg Fund.
Her past experience includes being the Producer of Vancouver International Film Festival's Trade Forum, the Vice President of Scorsese Productions (later Cappa Productions, now Sikelia Productions) in New York, Vice President of Creative Affairs, Cineplex Odeon Films, Los Angeles, and Director of Creative Affairs, MGM/UA in Los Angeles.
Patricia Gruben, Director
Patricia Gruben founded Praxis in 1986 as part of the School for Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University. In addition to being the director of Praxis, she is a filmmaker whose work has been screened internationally at festivals including Vancouver, Toronto, Edinburgh, Sydney, Creteil, Sundance, the festival du nouveau cinema, the New York Film Festival and numerous others. She has written and directed two features, Low Visibility (1985) with Larry Lillo, and Deep Sleep (1990) with Megan Follows and Stuart Margolin, as well as a number of dramatic shorts and documentaries, including Ley Lines (1993).
She is an Associate Professor of Film at Simon Fraser University where she has taught poduction, screenwriting, directing and acting, and film studies courses since 1982. She has recently published articles in Film Literature Quarterly, Screentalk and Creative Screenwriting. She has a chapter in a new book on Atom Egoyan to be published by Wilfrid Laurier Press, and a chapter on Gary Burns for a book on Canadian fillmmakers edited by George Melnyk.
She is also director of SFU’s field school in Contemporary Art & Culture of India, and currently has funding to develop partnerships for Praxis as well as personal research projects in India. She currently has two screenplays in development.
Rebecca Cuttler, Program Manager
Rebecca Cuttler joined the Praxis team in 2007 after studying Contemporary Art & Culture in India with Patricia Gruben. A graduate of Emily Carr University, her prior work experience includes a position as Development Assistant at Omni Film Productions. In addition to coordinating Praxis’ Workshops and Events, she produces podcasts for Pivot Legal Society and the Women’s Health Research Network, and has published a number of short stories.
She is also currently working as Executive Assistant on the SFU Woodward's Programming and Production team with Michael Boucher, and Gorrman Lee.
Gorrman Lee, Program Assistant
Gorrman Lee is a Vancouver based independent filmmaker who graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BFA in Film. He has also studied screenwriting at the Praxis Centre for Screenwriters, and is currently working on his first feature length script, “Golden Delicious”, which was awarded a placement in the Praxis Fall 2008, and Summer 2009 Features Workshop. After participating in the two workshops, he was invited to join the Praxis team.
He is also a board member of The Suspension of Disbelief Film Society, and a founding member of Glass Curtain Pictures. In addition to working for Praxis, he is also the Production Coordinator on the SFU Woodward's Programming and Production Team, along with Michael and Rebecca.