John Paizs (born 1957 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian film director, writer and actor. He is most noted for his debut feature film, Crime Wave, which was presented at the 1985 Toronto International Film Festival. He was the male lead and also wrote and directed the film.
A key figure in the Winnipeg Film Group, he directed a number of short films prior to Crime Wave. He first became known for The Obsession of Billy Botski, a short film about a man obsessed with Connie Francis; while the Three Worlds of Nick trilogy (Springtime in Greenland, Oak, Ivy, and Other Dead Elms and The International Style) was originally intended as a single film but produced and released as three short films due to Paizs's limited budget.
The Nick trilogy starred Paizs himself as the titular character, a "quiet man" who never speaks a word in any of the three films. Paizs first developed the "quiet man" character concept because budgetary limitations largely forced him to appear in his own films instead of hiring a lead actor, but he disliked the sound of his own voice and did not feel that he had any acting talent.
In recent years he has been an instructor and mentor at the Canadian Film Centre. In 2024, he appeared in the anthology film series Castration Movie.
Legacy
Paizs was a key influence on Guy Maddin, who cited The Obsession of Billy Botski as inspiring him to make his own short film debut with The Dead Father in 1985.
Filmography
- The Dreamer (1978)
- The Obsession of Billy Botski (1980)
- Springtime in Greenland (1981)
- Oak, Ivy, and Other Dead Elms (1982)
- The International Style (1983)
- Crime Wave (1985)
- The Kids in the Hall (1988, TV series)
- Maniac Mansion (1990, TV series)
- The Adventures of Shirley Holmes (1996, TV series)
- Once A Thief (1997, TV series)
- Top of the Food Chain (1999)
- Marker (2005)
- Castration Movie (2024–2025, acting role)