Tim Southam

Tim Southam (born October 1, 1961) is a Canadian television and film director.

Early signs of Southam's directing ability came in 1995 when he was nominated for the Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Variety or Performing Arts Program or Series for the 1994 documentary Satie and Suzanne about Erik Satie's relationship with the painter Suzanne Valadon, which he also wrote. The programme was nominated for a Grammy in 1997. He was a writer for the Canadian drama series Traders and was credited with four episodes, 1996-1998. His 1997 documentary, Drowning in Dreams, was shown at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for a Genie Award. In 1998 Southam directed the Canadian TV movie, L'histoire de l'Oie, known in English as The Tale of Teeka, which earned a Gemini nomination and won three other awards. In not the most shining moment of his career he directed the 2000 horror thriller, Island of the Dead starring Malcolm MacDowell.

While continuing to make films and documentaries, Southam started directing episodic TV in 2001 with two episodes of the Canadian TV series Blue Murder. He was one of the directors for the Canadian sitcom Naked Josh, 2004-2006.

In 2002 he directed the film The Bay of Love and Sorrows based on a 1998 novel by David Adams Richards. He also co-wrote the film. In 2005 his miniseries, Trudeau II: Maverick in the Making, was well received, as was his documentary, Danser Perreault on the life of a Canadian choreographer, which won the 2005 Montréal International Festival of Films on Art award for Best Canadian Work along with a 2006 Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Performing Arts Program or Series. His 2006 film One Dead Indian also won a Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series. In 2007-2008 Southam directed the Canadian television sitcom Moose TV starring Adam Beach.

Recently he has directed two episodes of Heartland (2008), an episode of Flashpoint (2009), three episodes of Bones (2009-2010), one of House (2011) and two of Haven (2010). He will be back on the sets soon for further episodes of Haven, House and Bones.

In July 2011 Southam directed the pilot for a new CTV comedy called Stay With Me starring Andrea Roth.

Tim Southam is currently the chair of the National Directors Division, a standing policy committee of the Directors Guild of Canada.

Southam is married to Eda Holmes, a Canadian theatre director.