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John Kent Harrison

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John Kent Harrison, film director,
John Kent Harrison at work on Beautiful Dreamers. Scanned from an original in the Northernstars Collection.

John Kent Harrison was Assistant Professor of film studies at Concordia University in Montreal and had made two short films before making his feature directorial debut with Beautiful Dreamers in 1990. Harrison attended Columbia University and Appleby College in Oakville, a short drive west of Toronto where Raymond Massey had studied in a much earlier time. Harrison’s work has been recognized with an Emmy Award for Helen of Troy (2003), and the mini-series A Wrinkle in Time, which won the International Children’s Film Festival in 2003. His Hallmark Hall of Fame production, Old Man won two Emmy Awards, the Humanitas Prize and the Columbus Gold Medal. He added a Directors Guild of America nomination in 2009 for his Hallmark Hall of Fame production of The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler starring Anna Paquin in the title role. His first feature was nominated for four Genie Awards in 1991. He is a writer-producer-director and we list his credits as a Director first.

Features & TV Movies:
VR indicates Direct-to-Video Release

The Way of the Willow (1981, short)
Thanks for the Ride (1983, short)

Beautiful Dreamers (1990)
The Sound and the Silence (TV-1991)
Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby Jessica (TV-1992)
City Boy (TV-1992)
For the Love of Aaron (TV-1994)
Johnny’s Girl (TV-1995)
The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky (TV-1995)
Old Man (TV-1997)
What the Deaf Man Heard (TV-1997)
You Know My Name (TV-1999)

A House Divided (TV-2000)
In Love and War (TV-2001)
A Wrinkle in Time (TV-2003)
A Bear Named Winnie (TV-2004)
The Water is Wide (TV-2006)
Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness (TV-2007)
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (TV-2009)

When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story (TV-2010)
A Walk in My Shoes (TV-2010)
Game of Your Life (TV-2011)
Christmas in Conway (TV-2013)
Hattie’s Heist (2014, short)
Anne of Green Gables (TV-2016)
L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars (TV-2017)
L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables: Fire & Dew (TV-2017)

TV Series:
Helen of Troy (2003, mini-series)
Judging Amy (2005)
Pope John Paul II (2005, mini-series)

Credits as a Screenwriter:
Shock Waves (1977)
Voice of the Fugitive (1978, short)
Bravery in the Field (1079, short)

Coming Out Alive (1980)
The Way of the Willow (1981, short)
Murder by Phone (1982)

Beautiful Dreamers (1990)
The Sound and the Silence (TV-1991)
City Boy (TV-1992)
Johnny’s Girl (TV-1995)
Calm at Sunset (TV-1996)
You Know My Name (TV-1999)

A Bear Named Winnie (TV-2004)
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (TV-2009)

Change of Plans (TV-2011)
Game of Your Life (TV-2011)
Hattie’s Heist (2014, short)
Anne of Green Gables (TV-2016)
L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars (TV-2017)

TV Series:
Sweating Bullets (1991)
Pope John Paul II (2005, mini-series)

Credits as a Producer:
The Way of the Willow (1981, short)
Game of Your Life (Executive Producer, TV-2011)
SHReD: The Story of Asher Bradshaw (Executive Producer, 2013, documentary)