Film and Television Director Jeremy Podeswa donates archive to Toronto Metropolitan University
Toronto, February 19, 2025 – Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) today announced that film and television director Jeremy Podeswa—Fugitive Pieces, Six Feet Under, Queer as Folk, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones and many more—has gifted an archive of materials from his career to the TMU Libraries. A TMU Image Arts graduate from 1984, Podeswa has helped shape the phenomenon known as prestige television.
The donation includes scripts, storyboards, photos, concept art pieces, architectural drawings, site plans, set drawings and handwritten and typed notes. The archive spans genres from drama to horror to fantasy, allowing insight into the creative process from beginning to end, from script to screen.
Podeswa is hopeful the archival materials will act as a kind of roadmap for young filmmakers wanting to learn about the process.
“There are papers in these archives that show all the steps that lead from script through to production–how a script is broken down and prepped, and all of the other work that a director does at every stage leading to the final cut. Also evident here is the progression from my first and second feature films, to Queer as Folk to Six Feet Under and onward. You can see the trajectory in the materials, and I hope that can be inspiring and instructive to young filmmakers who may want to shape a similar path,” said Jeremy Podeswa.
Mark Robertson, Dean of Libraries at TMU, said: "We are deeply grateful for Jeremy Podeswa's donation of archival materials. It is so meaningful to have original work of such an illustrious alumnus represented in our Archives and Special Collections. This collection will be invaluable to students and researchers who want to explore and learn from Podeswa's creative processes. This donation also complements other strengths of our collections in media and the creative industries."
“My success,” notes Podeswa, “started with two short films I made at Ryerson (now, TMU). The faculty and program really helped with every aspect of filmmaking, but I think the biggest thing I learned was an appreciation for film as an art form. It was about finding your voice as a filmmaker and that was really important for me.”
The donation of Podeswa’s archival materials offers students and researchers the opportunity to hear the echoes of that voice as it developed, and follow its call.
The archive will be available to the public by appointment. For more information visit/contact asc@torontomu.ca.
MEDIA CONTACT
Michelle LePage
PR and Communications Specialist
Toronto Metropolitan University
michelle.lepage@torontomu.ca
