Holly Dale
Holly Dale is a Canadian filmmaker and television director. Over the course of her career, Dale has worked in the Canadian film and television industry as a director, producer, writer, and editor. Although she has completed solo projects, the majority of Dale's work has been in collaboration with her former classmate, Janis Cole. The Thin Line, P4W: Prison for Women, and Hookers on Davie are some of their most recognized projects. Dale's work has been featured in festivals around the world including North America, Europe, and Australia. She has also received award nominations and wins, including a Gemini Award in 1982 for the Best Theatrical Documentary for P4W: Prison for Women.
Early life and education
Dale was raised in a low-income household in Toronto, Ontario. However, she decided to leave home as a teenager due to ongoing family conflict. During this time, she worked in non-therapeutic massage parlors in downtown Toronto. In the mid-1970s, Dale was accepted into the film studies program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. Here, she met Janis Cole, who she would continue to work with for the next 20 years.Career
Early career
Often working with a low budget, Dale began her film career as an independent documentary maker. Sharing the responsibilities of writing, directing, producing, and editing with Cole, the two women focused on showcasing social inequalities and hardships experienced by marginalized groups. Their choice to question and challenge class-based oppression and gender norms in their work prompted their reputation as feminist filmmakers.Short and feature films
As students, Dale and Cole completed their first short film, Cream Soda, in 1976. This documentary revealed the demands on women employed in Toronto-based body-rub parlors. Meanwhile, their next film, Minimum Charge No Cover, explored the lived experience of homosexuals, drag queens, sex workers, and substance users.Their following short, The Thin Line, documented the day to day lives of people who were deemed criminally insane and institutionalized in a maximum-security prison. While shooting this film, Dale and Cole admit they sought to emphasize the prisoners' humanity to provoke a sense of commonality with the audience, as opposed to solely focusing on their misconduct.
The content from this film motivated Dale and Cole's first feature documentary, P4W: Prison for Women. After four years of communicating with officials, Dale and Cole were granted permission to film inside an all-woman prison outside of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. This marked the beginning of the documentary P4W: Prison for Women. As co-directors and co-producers, Dale and Cole focused on the relationships between inmates as well as the prisoners' willingness to live despite ongoing challenges. This film was well received by critics and the public alike, winning several awards at film festivals and a Genie Award in 1982.
Later career
Later in their careers, Dale and Cole decided to develop and operate the Toronto-based independent production company called Spectrum Films.In addition to her career in film, Dale has directed and produced episodes of different Canadian television series, including Bliss, Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, Just Cause, Twice in a Lifetime, Durham County, Cold Case, and Being Erica. She has also directed two episodes of NCIS: Season 11's "Alibi" and Season 12's "Status Update".
Filmography
Director
| Year | Television Series Title | Episode Title |
| 1994 | Side Effects | "In Sickness and in Health" |
| 1996 | Traders | "Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth" |
| 1997 | Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science | "The Accident" "Bone of Contention" |
| 1999 | First Wave | "Blind Witness" "The Heist" "Night Falls" |
| 1999 | Twice in a Lifetime | "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" "Second Service" |
| 2000 | The City | "Motivation" |
| 2000 | First Wave | "The Believers" "Raven Nation" "Gulag" |
| 2000 | Twice in a Lifetime | "Birds of Paradise" "For Love and Money" "The Sins of our Fathers" "Curveball" "The Escape Artist" "Expose" "Grandma's Shoes" |
| 2001 | Nero Wolfe | "Door to Death" "Christmas Party" |
| 2001 | Tracker | Tracker |
| 2002 | Bliss | "Valentine's Day in Jail" "Leaper" |
| 2002 | Just Cause | "Above the Law" |
| 2002 | Tracker | "Double Down" "A Made Guy" |
| 2002 | Jeremiah | "Thieves' Honor" |
| 2003 | Bliss | "Nina's Muse" "Cat Got Your Tongue" |
| 2003 | Just Cause | "Buried Past" "Lies, Speculation & Deception" |
| 2003 | Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye | "Diplomatic Immunity" "He Said She Said" "The Sniper" |
| 2004 | The Collector | "The Rapper" "The Photographer" "The Actuary" "The Medium" |
| 2004 | Doc | "Blindsided" |
| 2004 | Stargate Atlantis | "Home" |
| 2004 | Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye | "To Grandmother's House we Go" "Rocket Man" "Adventures in Babysitting" |
| 2005 | 1-800-Missing | "Last Night" "Have You Seen This Man?" |
| 2005 | The Collector | "The Comic" "The Mother" |
| 2005 | Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye | "Fraternity" "Boy Meets World" "Troy Story" |
| 2006 | 1-800-Missing | "Double Take" "So Shall Ye Reap" |
| 2006 | Angela's Eyes | "Blue-Eyed Blues" |
| 2006 | The Collector | "The Chef" "The V.J." "The Junkie" |
| 2006 | Kyle XY | "The Lies that Bind" |
| 2006 | Wildfire | "Taking Off" "Who Are You?" |
| 2007 | Blood Ties | "Stone Cold" "Wrapped" |
| 2007 | Cold Case | "The Good-Bye Room" "Running Around" "Thick as Thieves" "Boy Crazy" |
| 2007 | The Dead Zone | "Drift" |
| 2007 | Durham County | "What Lies Beneath" "The Lady of the Lake" "Divide and Conquer" "Guys and Dolls" |
| 2008 | Cold Case | "The Road" "Roller Girl" "Breaking News" |
| 2008 | Flashpoint | "Who's George?" "Attention Shoppers" |
| 2008 | Heroes | "Chapter Eleven 'The Eclipse - Part 2'" |
| 2008 | Life | "Crushed" |
| 2008 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | "Self Made Man" |
| 2009 | Being Erica | "Dr. Tom" "Erica, the Vampire Slayer" |
| 2010 | Being Erica | "The Rabbit Hole" "Two Wrongs" |
| 2011 | Castle | "Head Case" |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | "Delinquent" |
| 2012 | Dexter | "Chemistry" |
| 2012 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | "Child's Welfare" |
| 2013 | The Americans | "COMINT" |
| 2013 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | "The Bridge" |
| 2013 | Castle | "Significant Others" "Get a Clue" |
| 2013 | Dexter | "Are We There Yet?" |
| 2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | "Betrayal's Climax" |
| 2013 | Mistresses | "Ultimatum" |
| 2013 | NCIS | "Alibi" |
| 2013 | Reign | "Kissed" |
| 2014 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | "A Hen in the Wolf House" |
| 2014 | Castle | "The Greater Good" |
| 2014 | Chicago Fire | "Keep Your Mouth Shut" "Santa Bites" |
| 2014 | Extant | "Wish You Were Here" |
| 2014 | Reign | "Royal Blood" "Coronation" |
| 2014 | Under the Dome | "Revelation" |
| 2015 | Blue Bloods | "In the Box" |
| 2015 | Chicago Fire | "2112" |
| 2015 | Chicago P.D. | "Disco Bob" |
| 2015 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | "Granting Immunity" |
| 2015 | Mistresses | "Threesomes" "Love Is an Open Door" |
| 2015 | NCIS | "Status Update" |
| 2015 | Reign | "Three Queens, Two Tigers" "Extreme Measures" |
| 2015 | The Whispers | "Whatever It Takes" |
| 2016 | Chicago Med | "Guilty" |
| 2016 | Chicago P.D. | "Now I'm God" |
| 2016 | The Family | "Fun Ways to Tell Your Boyfriend You're Pregnant" |
| 2016 | Game of Silence | "Into the Black" |
| 2016 | Limitless | "Hi, My Name Is Rebecca Harris" |
| 2016 | Quantico | "Right" |
| 2016 | Timeless | "Stranded" |
| 2017 | Bull | "Teacher's Pet" |
| 2017 | Chicago Fire | "Babies and Fools" |
| 2017 | Chicago Med | "Deliver Us" |
| 2017 | Chicago P.D. | "Favor, Affection, Malice or Ill-Will" |
| 2017 | Law & Order: True Crime | Episode 3 Episode 4 |
| 2017 | Mary Kills People | "Bloody Mary" "The River Styx" "Wave the White Flag" "Raised by Wolves" "The Judas Cradle" "Morning Glory" |
| 2017 | Reign | "All It Cost Her" |
| 2017 | S.W.A.T. | "Miracle" |
| 2017 | Taken | "I Surrender" |
| 2018 | God Friended Me | "Matthew 6:21" |
| 2018 | SEAL Team | "Takedown" |
| 2018 | Take Two | "Smoking Gun" "Death Becomes Him" "One to the Heart" |
| 2018 | Timeless | "The Kennedy Curse" |
| 2018 | The X-Files | "Familiar" |
| 2019 | SEAL Team | "What Appears To Be" "Dirt, Dirt Gucci" |
| 2019 | The Code | "Molly Marine" |
| 2019 | Blood & Treasure | "The Lunchbox of Destiny" "The Shadow of Project Athena" |
| 2019 | Batwoman | "Who Are You?" |
| 2019 | Batwoman | "A Mad Tea-Party" |
| 2020 | Transplant | "Pilot" |
| 2020 | Transplant | "Tell Me Who You Are" |
| 2020 | Transplant | "Your Secrets Can Kill You" |
| 2020 | Batwoman | "Off With Her Head" |
| 2021 | Batwoman | "What Happened to Kate Kane?" |
| 2021 | Batwoman | "Bat Girl Magic!" |
| 2021 | Batwoman | "Survived Much Worse" |
| 2021 | Batwoman | "Armed and Dangerous" |
| 2021 | Batwoman | "Power" |
| 2021 | Batwoman | "Mad as a Hatter" |
| 2021 | Batwoman | "Antifreeze" |
| 2021 | Batwoman | "Pick Your Poison" |
| 2022 | Batwoman | "We Having Fun Yet?" |
| 2023 | Will Trent | "A Bad Temper and a Hard Heart" |
| 2023 | FUBAR | "Stole Train" |
| 2023 | FUBAR | "Honeyplot" |
| 2024 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | "The Key to the Castle" |
| 2024 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | "The Real Eve" |
| 2024 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | "Three Points" |
| 2024 | Will Trent | "Capt. Duke Wagner's Daughter" |
| 2024 | The Irrational | "The Wrong Side of Maybe" |
| 2025 | Will Trent | "Mariachi Shelley's Frankenstein" |
| 2025 | Sheriff Country | "Exit Interview" |