John Zaritsky has been making documentary films for almost 40 years. His films have been honoured with more than 30 major awards, been broadcast in 35 countries, and have screened at more than 40 film festivals around the world including Sundance, Toronto, Vancouver, IDFA, Hot Docs and SXSW.

Among his more notable awards and achievements are receiving the Academy Award for Best Documentary for Just Another Missing Kid, a Cable Ace Award for Rapists: Can They Be Stopped, an American Bar Association Golden Gavel Award for My Husband Is Going To Kill Me, a Robert F. Kennedy Foundation Award for Born In Africa, and an Alfred Dupont Award from Columbia University’s School of Journalism for Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo.

In addition, John has been nominated for three Emmy Awards and 15 Gemini Awards, and has won the latter seven times. His film, Leave Them Laughing, won a special jury prize as Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs, an audience award for Most Popular Canadian Documentary at the Vancouver International Film Festival, and the Audience Award for Most Popular Documentary at the Mill Valley Film Festival.