Alyson M. Richards
Writer/Director/Producer

Alyson wrote and produced the feature THE RETREAT which sold to Showtime and hit #7 on Hulu. NBC called it a “Lesbian slasher that explores queer vulnerability and revenge”. She wrote and is set to direct the feminist zombie film MOMBIES for XYZ Films.

As a creative producer, she’s made a decade’s worth of films that have played festivals including Sundance, Sitges, TIFF, AFI and Locarno as well as producing the Roku original series CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING for CTV and The CW. Recently she was in Italy producing HOME SWEET ROME, a tween series created by Michael Poryes (HANNAH MONTANA) for HBO Max.

Alyson directed three short films, has a series she co-created in development with New Metric Media (LETTERKENNY) and was selected for the prestigious ‘Writer’s Lab’ in NYC, sponsored by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Oprah Winfrey.

Currently, she can be seen in the Shudder docuseries QUEER FOR FEAR, produced by Bryan Fuller and Steakhouse productions.

Select Awards

MOMBIES
-Selected Participant - International Finance Forum at Toronto International Film Festival 
-Selected - Inside Out LGBTQ+ Finance Forum
-Selected - ‘From Our Dark Side’, Women in Genre Lab

THE RETREAT
-Selected Participant - Meryl Streep/Nicole Kidman/Oprah Winfrey-funded, The Writers Lab
-Finalist - Screencraft Horror Competition
-Finalist - Slamdance Screenplay Competition (Top 6 in horror category)
-Official Selection - Frontiers Buyers Showcase Works in Progress Cannes
-Globe & Mail Critic’s Pick

DON’T TALK TO IRENE
-Winner Best Comedy Film - Austin Film Festival
-Winner Audience Award - Austin Film Festival
-Winner Best Feature - Canadian Comedy Awards
-Winner People’s Choice Award - Kingston Film Festival

DOCKING
-TIFF Top Ten
-Nominated Best Short - Canadian Screen Awards
-Best Short Film - Calgary Internartional Film Festival

GUIDANCE
-New York Times Critic’s Pick
-Winner Oslo International Film Festival: Jury Award for Best Feature 2015
-Seattle International Film Festival Jury Award

A BIRTHDAY STORY
-Award of Excellence - One-Reeler Short Film Competition
-Remi Award - Houston Worldfest Film Festival
-Nominated for Best Comedy - New Filmmakers Los Angeles)
-Award-Winner - Tokyo Cowboys Film Festival

JESSE JAMS
-Best Short Documentary (nominated) - Canadian Screen Awards
-Best Short Film – Calgary Underground Film Festival
-Lodestar Award – Dawson City International Short Film Festival

Select Talks

Texas A&M University
Guest Speaker
2023

Canadian Film Centre (CFC)
Guest Speaker and Mentor
2018-2023

QUEER FOR FEAR documentary series
Subject
2022

University of Miami
Guest Speaker
2022, 2020

University of Victoria
Guest Speaker
2022

University of Guelph-Humber
Professor - Screenwriting
2021

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Gender Representative in Film
2019

University of Toronto (U of T)
Screenwriting
2019

Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association
Producing Worksop
2018

Past Partners