Genie Award-winning director Leon Marr died at his Toronto home on July 22, 2019. He was 71.

Marr was a writer, director and teacher. He gained acclaim with his 1986 film Dancing in the Dark, which picked up three Genie Awards including Best Adapted Screenplay in 1987. Based on Joan Barfoot’s novel of the same name, the film follows the story of a hospitalized woman who recounts her 20-year marriage. Written and directed by Marr, the drama stars Martha Henry and Neil Munro.

Most recently, his film The Second Time Around world premiered at the U.K. International Jewish Film Festival and screened as part of the Whistler Film Festival in 2016. Written and produced by Marr and Sherry Soules, the feature stars Linda Thorson as a widower who gets a second chance at love, while recovering from a broken hip.

In addition to directing TV series like Deadly Nightmares, The Hidden Room and Forever Knight, Marr also taught Cinematic Literacy at the Canadian Screen Training Centre’s Summer Institute of Film & Television (SIFT) for over 25 years.

A celebration of life will be held this fall, with more details set to be announced at a later date.