Robert Wertheimer
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Robert Wertheimer (b: Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is an Award-winning Writer, Producer, Director and Executive Producer of high quality film and television productions. Working in Canada and around the world since 1977, Robert is now focused on the creation of thought provoking stories crafted for adult audiences.
A graduate of the University of Vermont's Economics and Business Administration program, Robert also studied Communication Arts at Concordia University in Montreal under the tutelage of famed cinephile, Marc Gervais. Deeply influenced by Gervais, Wertheimer gave particular focus to French New Wave Cinema and the impact of Jean-Luc Goddard, Francois Truffaut and others is still readily apparent in his work.
After a long & storied career making theatrical feature films (including Deepa Mehta's "Sam & Me" which was honoured at the Cannes Film Festival the year of it's release, box office champion "Bollywood/Hollywood", also written and directed by Deepa Mehta) and television series ("Friday the 13th: The Series"; "War of the Worlds: The Series"; "Robocop"; and including his Gemini for Best Series for "Due South"), Wertheimer made the choice to take the risk and write and create his own material.
In 2004, his first television series as co-creator and showrunner, "Charlie Jade", commenced production in Cape Town, South Africa. Ultimately, 21 episodes of the challenging cult hit would be made. "Charlie Jade" was inspired by "The Culture of Make Believe" by noted activist author, Derrick Jensen. It was designed to echo Jensen's themes of corporate greed and arrogance and the futility of continuing to pursue an impersonal, materialist agenda on a global scale. These themes are apparent in the design of the story across three parallel universes as well as in the perspective of the main characters who are depicted struggling with the personal and ethical dilemmas triggered by their actions in these universes. "Charlie Jade" has since met warm critical response with audiences as diverse as those in Canada, South Africa, Japan, Eastern Europe, France and the United Kingdom. The show is now poised to be broadcast in the United States.
Wertheimer's next creative effort was the television series "Across The River to Motor City" which he co-created with Denis McGrath. Produced in partnership with Richard Mozer and David Devine of Devine Entertainment, "Across The River to Motor City" is an examination of two stages of one man's life threaded through a mystery involving the conspiracy speculation surrounding assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. It is an exploration of how average people are caught up and affected by extraordinary events. The series, which aired in Canada on Citytv beginning November 22, 2007 received universal critical acclaim and continues to garner significant interest from broadcasters and distributors around the globe.
Despite participating in productions in locations around the world as diverse as The Philippines, South Africa, Argentina and Viet Nam, Wertheimer continues to make his home in Toronto, Canada. He is an active member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and a member of both the Director's Guild of Canada and the Writers Guild of Canada.
