David McIlvride
My photography and film career runs deep – almost 40 years now since graduating from College back in ’78

I started out as a news photographer, covering events and photographing people like The Queen (Elizabeth); Prime Minister Trudeau (Pierre) and other luminaries of the day.

After college I moved into documentary film and television production, working as a Director, D.O.P., writer, editor and Producer.

Over the years I’ve had the privilege of producing multiple documentaries and series for such great networks as Discovery Channel, History Network, Channel 4 in the UK, National Geographic, CBC and CTV in Canada.

One of my documentaries that has “made a difference” is “RiverBlue”.  For that feature-length documentary we traveled around the world to uncover the dirty secret behind how our clothes are made.  This award-winning feature reveals stunning and shocking images that truly change the way we look at what we wear.  Through harsh chemical manufacturing processes and the irresponsible disposal of toxic chemical waste, one of our favorite iconim products, blue jeans, is destroying rivers globally.

For my next documentary, I filmed in Kabul, Afghanistan.  The doc titled “No Scraps of Men”, features Nobel nominee, Alberto Cairo, a man who has helped 100,000 people walk again.  He works at the Red Cross Orthopaedic Centre in Kabul and we feature him, the staff and their patients.

I continue to tell the stories of “the common man,” and am currently working with a young filmmaker out of Toronto, whose documentary is in the development phase for an Ontario-based network.  “Our Reality” is a hard-hitting and heart-felt documentary set in Toronto. Viewers confront the stark contrast between the city’s prosperity and its gun violence epidemic. Through personal stories, it exposes systemic failures and spotlights community-driven solutions for a city seeking healing and unity.