Barry Avrich

Barry Michael Avrich is a Canadian film director, producer, author, marketing executive, and arts philanthropist whose career spans more than three decades. Born on May 9, 1963 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, he grew up in a Jewish family that encouraged his early interest in the arts; his parents Irving and Faye Avrich immersed him in cultural activities, and he began producing talent shows while still in school. After moving to Toronto in 1980, Avrich studied film, art, and theatre at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and the University of Toronto, where he launched a novelty venture called Rent‑A‑Fan Club that offered “celebrity status” to customers. His first notable short films, The King of Yorkville (1985) and The Madness of Method (1995), earned regional broadcast exposure and an international gold medal, respectively, launching his reputation as a documentary filmmaker. In 1998 he founded Melbar Entertainment Group to produce documentaries focused on the entertainment industry, creating acclaimed works such as The Last Mogul (2005) about Lew Wasserman, Glitter Palace (2005) on the Motion Picture Country Home, and Guilty Pleasure (2004) profiling Dominick Dunne. Avrich has also produced televised specials, including the Gemini‑nominated Caesar and Cleopatra (2009) with Christopher Plummer, and has served as a producer for Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Awards and the Canadian Screen Awards. Beyond film, he authored three books, a play, and a memoir Moguls, Monsters and Madmen (2016), while supporting major cultural institutions such as the Toronto International Film Festival and the Stratford Festival. In recent years he continued to explore bold subjects, directing Oscar Peterson: Black + White (2021) which won a Canadian Screen Award, and tackling controversial topics with documentaries like Made You Look (2020) and The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue (2025).