Bio
Richard B. Pierre was born in Oakland, California immigrating to Toronto at the age of nine. As a multiracial black filmmaker, Richard’s goal is to tell stories that depict the lives of diverse individuals and their cultures while making films that are deeply personal.
A graduate of Ryerson University’s film program, Richard’s professional experience ranges from writing, shooting, editing and directing. Richard’s first feature-length screenplay ‘Crooked’ was selected as a quarter-finalist for the 2009 Nicholl Fellowship, sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Richard’s work has been selected for the St. Louis International Film Festival, Festival International des Très Courts, the ReelWorld Film Festival and many others worldwide. In 2011 he received the Naish McHugh Award for Emerging Filmmaker at the Toronto Urban Film Festival. His first dramatic 35 mm short film ‘The Toboggan,’ funded by the Ontario Arts Council, premiered at the 2011 Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. In 2012 his first interactive short film ‘Far From The Heart’ was nominated for a Golden Sheaf Award and he was named a ReelWorld Film Festival 2012 Emerging 20 Filmmaker. He received the 2015 Curtíssima Award for Best Short Under Five Minutes for his film ‘The Toboggan.’
His first documentary “What Are You?” was nominated for a 2020 Golden Sheaf Award and premiered on TVO in 2021. His newest fiction short, “An Uninvited Guest” funded by the Ontario Arts Council won BEST THRILLER at the 2020 HollyShorts Film Festival and in the fall of 2020 had its broadcast debut on CBC.
Current
What Are You? – Short Documentary
This film explores the lives of multiracial people as they reveal the struggles of living in a racially divided world. Find out more at whatareyoufilm.com
• African Diaspora International Film Festival 2019, Twin Cities Black Film Festival 2019, St. Louis International Film Festival 2019, Africa International Film Festival 2019, Los Angeles CineFest 2020, Toronto Short Film Festival 2020, National Black Film Festival 2020, Yorkton Film Festival 2020 (Golden Sheaf Award Documentary Social/Political Nominee), San Francisco Black Film Festival 2020, Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival 2020, Rapport Festival 2020, Lunenburg Doc Fest 2020, Culture & Diversity Film Festival 2020 (WINNER: InkTip Prize and Best Recorded Sound), CineOdyssey Film Festival 2020, TIDE Film Festival 2020, NorthwestFest International Documentary Festival 2020.
An Uninvited Guest – Short Film
When a Black man is viciously assaulted by police right outside their window, all of the guests at a dinner party seem to consider the attack unremarkable except for one. Find out more at anuninvitedguest.com
• 2020 San Diego Black Film Festival, CaribbeanTales International Film Festival 2020 (Impact Award), Montreal Black Film Festival 2020, Social Justice Film Festival 2020 (Short Narrative Silver Prize), Grimmfest Film Festival 2020, ReelWorld Film Festival 2020 (Stand Out Actor for a Short Film Award), Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2020, HollyShorts Film Festival 2020 (Best Thriller Award), Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival 2020, Rogers Inclusion Film Festival 2020, Whistler Film Festival 2020, Toronto Black Film Festival 2021, Us: A Black Peoples Month Festival 2021.