Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan has signed on as the first writer in residence at The Creative School at Ryerson University’s new Master of Fine Arts in Scriptwriting & Story Design program.

The Oscar-nominated writer-director-producer (The Sweet Hereafter, Exotica, Felicia’s Journey, Ararat) has been appointed for a two-year term. The role will see him mentor and teach screenwriting students, develop and participate in events for the university and community at large, and serve as an ambassador for the program in Toronto.

Egoyan’s career spans feature films, theatre and television, with other credits including the films Where the Truth Lies and The Captive. His career honours include two Academy Award nominations for writing and directing The Sweet Hereafter, and an appointment as Companion of the Order of Canada. He’s also won multiple awards at film festivals including Cannes, Venice, Toronto and Berlin.

The Toronto-based Egoyan, who has previously taught at the University of Toronto and was a distinguished scholar in residence at the School of Image Arts at Ryerson, said he’ll share what he’s learned both as a creator of original material and in adapting the work of other writers.

“Story design is at the very core of my practice and The Creative School is an extraordinary laboratory for aspiring artists,” said Egoyan, in a statement.

The MFA in Scriptwriting & Story Design is an interdisciplinary program covering the art of script-based writing for stage, screen and cutting-edge media platforms.

Photo credit: Tina Rowde