Paisley Smith is a filmmaker, artist, and writer known for creating imaginative, impactful films at the intersection of story and technology.
Paisley’s award-winning projects span narrative cinema, documentary, and room-scale virtual reality.
Homestay, produced by the National Film Board of Canada, is an interactive VR film exploring mental health and family, and won Best XR for Change at the Games for Change Awards.
Unceded Territories (Tribeca 2019), created in collaboration with acclaimed artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, confronts climate change and colonization through a world built from Yuxweluptun’s bold artistic style. The project was supported by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, the Sundance Institute, and Creative BC’s Interactive Fund.
Paisley’s work in children’s media has also been recognized by the Fred Rogers Institute and the Television Academy Foundation reflecting her long-standing interest in thoughtful storytelling for young audiences.
Alongside her filmmaking, Paisley has spent the past decade supporting artists and innovators in emerging storytelling communities, from grassroots networks like Women in VR/AR to global programs at institutions such as the Sundance Institute and Unity Technologies, where she led the international social impact initiative, Unity for Humanity. She frequently speaks about her creative process, leads worldbuilding workshops, and moderates conversations on storytelling and emerging media.
Paisley received an MFA in Film and Television Production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where she studied as a Fulbright Scholar, and a BA (Honours) in Film and Media Studies and Art History from Queen’s University.
She is a Senior Civic Media Fellow at the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, and supports Vancouver’s independent film community through her work with Filmable.
Paisley lives and works in Vancouver on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations.