Phillip Barker, a renowned Canadian production designer and filmmaker, has made a significant impact in the industry. He received the prestigious Directors Guild of Canada Award for Outstanding Achievement in Production Design for his work on Atom Egoyan's critically acclaimed film, Where the Truth Lies.
Throughout his illustrious career, Barker has collaborated with esteemed directors such as Brian De Palma, Mira Nair, Atom Egoyan, Lisa Cholodenko, and Neil LaBute, serving as the production designer for numerous feature films and two operas.
Beyond his work in film, Barker has also created film-based installations that have toured internationally, with commissions from prominent organizations such as the ARCO International Art Fair in Madrid, The City of Amsterdam Arts Foundation, and Expo '92 in Sevilla, Spain.
Barker's own films have garnered widespread international recognition and have won numerous awards. In 2019, a retrospective of his films, titled Strange Machines, The Films of Phillip Barker, was presented by Montreal's Festival Nouveau Cinema, TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, and The Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa. The Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival in France also hosted the retrospective and an art exhibition featuring artists inspired by his films.
In 2017, Barker's short film, Shadow Nettes, won the award for Best Canadian Short Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
