AESCHYLUS POULOS is a Toronto-based feature film, television, and documentary producer. He launched Hawkeye Pictures as the executive producer of Sleeping Giant (2015 Cannes Film Festival Semaine de la Critique) which went on to win national and international awards including Best Canadian First Feature at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Hawkeye Pictures’ productions include the award-winning hit Mary Goes Round (2017) starring Aya Cash (You’re the Worst); the high-octanedrama 22 Chaser (2018) starring Brian J. Smith (Sense8); the international co- production Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies; Grace Glowicki’s Tito, which took home the SXSW19 Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award; and the CSA award-winning documentary My Tree (2021).
2022 was a banner year with both Sheila Pye’s THE YOUNG ARSONISTS and Clement Virgo’s BROTHER world premiering at TIFF2022 and set for release in 2023. Critically acclaimed during its festival run, BROTHER was also selected by programmers and industry panelists in TIFF Canada’s Top 10 films of 2022; nominated by the Toronto Film Critics Association as one of the best films of the year; and the winner of a record breaking 12 Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Motion Picture.
Poulos is currently producing the international co-production series WHO OWNS THE WORLD; the International co-production documentary GIMME SOME TRUTH. He is also executive producing QUEEN TUT, starring Alexandra Billings and Anna Farh’s feature film, VALLEY OF EXILE both set to premiere in 2023. The Irish Canadian International Co-production GRACELESS AGE: The Ballad of John Murray, which recently won the best Irish Documentary award at the world premiere during the Galway International Film Festival (2023).
Upcoming projects include the feature documentary MR. DRESSUP: THE MAGIC OF MAKE-BELIEVE for Amazon; and Sook Yin-Lee’s PAYING FOR IT, from the best-selling graphic novel by Chester Brown.
Aeschylus is an alumnus of the Canadian Film Centre where he has also served as an instructor and lecturer. He has guest lectured at several post-secondary institutions including York University, Ryerson University, and Ohio State University. As a member of the Canadian Media Producers Association, Aeschylus sits on several industry negotiating committees. He’s also a member of the Producers Roundtable of Ontario, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, and the Documentary Association of Canada.
