Joe Balass
Compass Productions founder Joe Balass was born in Baghdad and raised in Montreal. Working across fiction and documentary, he has produced a number of award-winning films since founding the company in 1997. His credits include: Nana, George & me, The Devil in the Holy Water, Baghdad Twist, JOY! Portrait of a Nun, The Length of the Alphabet and Venus. Balass is known for a unique blend of seriousness and humour in his work. His films have screened at festivals worldwide including TIFF, Tribeca, IDFA, Cinequest and Torino. Both the Cinémathèque québécoise and the Toronto Jewish Film Festival honoured Balass with a retrospective of his work. He has also participated in the Berlinale Talents Program, Goa Film Bazaar, and Trans Atlantic Partners.
Compass Productions inc. - Canada
Compass Productions is a film and new media production company founded by Joe Balass in 1997. It is based in Montreal and creates content by established and emerging directors, balancing artistic ambitions, social commentary with a connection to audiences worldwide. Their most recent productions include the award-winning drama Venus, by Eisha Marjara and The Affairs of Lidia, by Bruce LaBruce. Compass is currently in post production on the feature Calorie, shot in Canada and India, and two short projects. Its current development slate includes, Mother Mary and Santo Cabron, by LaBruce, Farida, based on the novel by the Canadian-Iraqi writer Naïm Kattan, as well as, the series Blended.
Projects in development
Mother Mary, dir. Bruce LaBruce (feature)
Farida, dir. Naïm Kattan & Maria Camila Arias (feature)
Faerie, dir. Eisha Marjara (feature)
Santo Cabron, dir. Bruce LaBruce (feature)
Blended, dir. Eisha Marjara (TV series)
Projects in production / post-production
Calorie, dir. Eisha Marjara (feature)
Pass the Salt, dir. Karan Singh (short)
Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen, dir. Eisha Marjara (short experimental documentary)
Released films
The Affairs of Lidia, dir. Bruce LaBruce (feature)
Venus, dir. Eisha Marjara (feature)
La Longueur de l’alphabet (The Length of the Alphabet), dir. Joe Balass
(documentary short)
Joy! (Portrait Of A Nun), dir. Joe Balass (documentary)
Baghdad Twist, dir. Joe Balass (dcumentary short)
Derniers mots (Parting Words), dir. Joe Balass (short)
The Devil in the Holy Water, dir. Joe Balass (documentary)
Nana, George & Me, dir. Joe Balass (short experimental documentary)
Rotterdam Lab participants 2024
See the names of the emerging producers joining us for the Rotterdam Lab 2024.