Jeff Barnaby


Jeff Barnaby is a Mi'kmaqi director, writer, composer and film editor. He is best known for his feature films Rhymes for Young Ghouls and Blood Quantum.

Early life

Barnaby was born on a Mi'gmaq reserve in Listuguj, Quebec. He graduated from Dawson College's Cinema-Communications program and 2001 and film production from Concordia University in 2004.

Career

Barnaby began his career directing short films. His 2010 short film File Under Miscellaneous was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Live Action Short Drama.
Barnaby made his feature film debut with Rhymes for Young Ghouls. The film premiered in the Discovery section of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It was given an independent release in Canada by its production company, Prosptector Films in 2014. In July 2014 Monterrey Media acquired the film for U.S. distribution. For his direction Barnaby was named Best Director of a Canadian Film by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.
In 2015 Barnaby was invited by the National Film Board of Canada to participate in Souvenir, a collective made up of four First Nations filmmakers invited to use their archival material in order to create a short documentary. Barnaby's contribution was the short film Etlinisigu’niet .
In 2019, Barnaby premiered his sophomore feature Blood Quantum at the Toronto International Film Festival, as the opener for the festival's Midnight Madness section. The film was named the second runner-up for the festival's. The film has been acquired for U.S. and international distribution on the Shudder streaming service, with Canadian streaming rights to be held by Crave.

Personal life

Barnaby is Mi'kmaq. He is married and has one son.

Filmography