R. Bruce Elder

Who is R. Bruce Elder?

R. Bruce Elder, born June 12, 1947, is a Canadian filmmaker and critic.

Described by New York filmmaker and critic Jonas Mekas as “the most important North American avant-garde filmmaker to emerge during the 1980′s,” Elder combines images, music and text to create works that reflect his interest in philosophy, technology, science, spirituality and the human body.

His first major film cycle, “The Book of All the Dead”, inspired by Dante Alighieri’s “Commedia” and Ezra Pound’s “Cantos”, grew out of his preoccupation with the horrors of modernity, its faith in progress and the loss of a sense of what is good and evil. His current film cycle, “The Book of Praise” makes extensive use of computer-image generation, highlighting his fascination with mathematics and digital technology.

Elder received the 2007 Governor General Award in Visual and Media Arts. The jury described him as “highly innovative”, “influential” and “acutely intelligent” noting the enormous span of his practice and the demanding nature of his films.