Steve J. Adams

Steve J. Adams
Steve J. Adams, Canadian film director
OccupationFilm director

Steve J. Adams is a Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing documentary films with collaborator Sean Horlor under their production company Nootka Street, including Someone Like Me (2021)[1] and Satan Wants You (2023).[2] His work often focuses on community, identity, and cultural stories with a documentary lens.

Career

Short films

Before directing feature-length documentaries, Adams worked on a number of short films and documentary projects. His credits include Just the Tip (2012), Only One (2016), A Small Part of Me (2016),[3] Angela (2016), Hunting Giants (2017), Brunch Queen (2018),[4] The Day Don Died (2018) and the short documentary series Dear Reader (2021).[5]

Feature documentaries

Someone Like Me (2021)

Adams co-directed Someone Like Me with Sean Horlor. The documentary premiered at the 2021 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival,[6] where it received a Rogers Audience Award.[7][1]

The film follows Drake, a gay refugee from Uganda, and a group of Canadian volunteers who sponsor his resettlement in Vancouver, British Columbia.[1]

The film was later named a finalist for Best British Columbia Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2021,[8][9] and a nominee for the DGC Allan King Award for Best Documentary Film at the 2021 Directors Guild of Canada awards.[10] As of 2023,[11] Adams and Horlor are no longer in a romantic relationship but continue to work together professionally.

Satan Wants You (2023)

In 2023, Adams co-directed Satan Wants You, a documentary examining the origins and cultural impact of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990s, including the influence of the book Michelle Remembers.[12][13]

The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2023.[14]

Filmography

Feature films

  • Someone Like Me (2021) - co-director[15][16]
  • Satan Wants You (2023) - co-director[17][18]

Short films and series

  • Just the Tip (2012)
  • Only One (2016)[5]
  • A Small Part of Me (2016)
  • Angela (2016)[19]
  • Hunting Giants (2017)[20]
  • Brunch Queen (2018)[21]
  • The Day Don Died (2018)[22]
  • Dear Reader (2021) (series)[16]

Awards

  • Rogers Audience Award (Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival) for Someone Like Me (2021)[7][15]

References

  1. ^ a b c Vlessing, Etan (9 May 2021). "Hot Docs Audience Award Winners Include Someone Like Me". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  2. ^ Mike Devlin, "Victoria native Sean Horlor makes waves with his new documentary, Someone Like Me". Victoria Times-Colonist, May 13, 2021.
  3. ^ Jennifer Thuncher (May 12, 2016). "About a boy". The Squamish Chief.
  4. ^ Tessa Vikander, "Brunch Queen filmmakers serve up inside look at dynamic duo behind Vancouver’s Elbow Room Café". Toronto Star, August 21, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Steve J. Adams". Directors Guild of Canada. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  6. ^ Norman Wilner, "Hot Docs review: Someone Like Me". Now, May 4, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Mullen, Pat (2021-05-10). "Dear Future Children Wins Audience Award at Hot Docs". POV Magazine. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  8. ^ Dana Gee, "The Power of the Dog, Night Raiders lead Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards nominations". Vancouver Sun, February 20, 2022.
  9. ^ "Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards finalists". Vancouver Film Critics Circle. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  10. ^ Kelly Townsend, "All My Puny Sorrows leads film nominees for 2021 DGC Awards". Playback, September 24, 2021.
  11. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/C2AvqzPPiN
  12. ^ Rachel Ho, "'Satan Wants You' Shows How the Satanic Panic of the '80s Still Resonates". Exclaim!, August 4, 2023.
  13. ^ Steinberg, Danita (2023-04-30). "Satan Wants You Review: Satanic Panic Doc Casts a Spell". POV Magazine. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  14. ^ Carey, Matthew (2023-03-07). "SXSW First Look: 'Satan Wants You' Digs Into The Satanic Panic Of The 1980s, And Shows How "Cult Conspiracies… Distort Our Reality Today"". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  15. ^ a b "Hot Docs 2021 unveils audience award, Forum winners". Screen Daily. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  16. ^ a b Devlin, Mike (13 May 2021). "Victoria native Sean Horlor makes waves with his new documentary, Someone Like Me". Times Colonist. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Watch Trailer For 'Satan Wants You,' SXSW Doc On 1980s 'Satanic Panic'". Deadline. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  18. ^ "SXSW Review: Satan Wants You is a Mostly Compelling Dive into the Nonsense of "Satanic Panic"". 2023-03-12. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  19. ^ "Angela". Transforming Cinema. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  20. ^ "Outside the Box: New Production at the NFB". National Film Board of Canada. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  21. ^ "Welcome to Vancouver's Yellow Revolution". Vancouver Is Awesome. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  22. ^ "Documentary: "The Day Don Died"". Booooooom TV. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
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