Dawn Wells(IV)

Dawn Wells is an award-winning filmmaker, director, producer, and storyteller based in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She founded Cape Haunts Till Dawn Film Production Incorporated in 2017 and has since established herself as a leading voice in independent horror and documentary filmmaking in Atlantic Canada. A graduate of the Radio and Television Arts Program at Atlantic Media Institute and with honors in Business Administration, Wells began her media career through internships at CBC Radio One, CBC Television, and CTV Atlantic News, gaining early experience that informed her approach to filmmaking. Wells is known for her hands-on, all-encompassing style of writing, directing, filming, producing, editing, and creating her own special effects. Her short film The Short Cut was selected for six film festivals and won four awards, while her horror documentary series Haunted Cape Breton screened at eleven festivals and received an honorable mention at the Creepy Tree Film Festival in Salem. In 2022, she co-directed Songs of Unama'ki, celebrating the music and traditions of Cape Breton's Mi'kmaq people. The film aired on CBC Gem and won the Atlantic International Film Festival Award (2023) and the Screen Nova Scotia Award (2024). She also co-directed Rooted, another CBC Gem documentary produced by Ruby Tree Films. Wells created and directs the Bell Fibe TV1 series Creepy Cape Breton, which has released two seasons to strong critical attention since 2023. For CBC's Land and Sea, she has written and directed three episodes-Finding Our Talk, Moose Camp, and Exploring Mi'kmaq Medicines, with a fourth in production. Her work blends cinematic storytelling with cultural and historical authenticity, highlighting Indigenous stories, environmental awareness, and regional heritage. Recognized as one of Nova Scotia's rising voices in horror and documentary filmmaking, Wells was nominated for Best Director at the Women in Film and Television Atlantic Awards (2024) and for the 33rd RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, presented by Women of Influence. She continues to develop new projects, expanding her impact across the Atlantic Canadian film industry.