Sophie Ann Rooney is an award-winning director, whose multidisciplinary work spans film, television, music, theatre, and video games.

 

In film, Sophie’s Fallen Fighter earned a Kodak Award and selection by the Chicago School Board as an art piece to  study following its premiere at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival and subsequent year long festival circuit. Her films have screened at over 20 international festivals, including Bollywood Beckons (Whistler International Film Festival Premiere and winner New York Short Film Festival), Sleep Stop and several music videos. In television and games, her voice directing includes Netflix’s Daniel Spellbound, Ubisoft's Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (BAFTA-nominated for Performance, Game of the Year), The First Blade, and Fate of Atlantis. She continues to consult on cinematics teams like on Starlink, and on several undisclosed game titles set for 2026 release. In theatre she is the founder and artistic director of The King Black Box.

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She is represented as a director/producer by Ryan Goldhar (The Characters Talent Agency) and as an actor by Murray Gibson (RED Management), and is a proud ACTRA and TAPA member.

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As an educator, Sophie is the founder of RAW Actor Studio, where she has mentored and helped launch the careers of countless artists. Was accredited as a mentor through the Ontario Arts Council mentoring filmmaker Bradley Paul from Bear Island, and through the New Brunswick Arts Board mentoring filmmaker/actor Clem McIntosh from New Brunswich.

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Sophie is the Executive Artistic Director and Founder of The King Black Box in Toronto, where she leads the company’s artistic vision, producing bold, socially urgent new works. Sophie has directed, designed and/or produced over 40 theatrical productions productions including The Glory of Living, Girls Unwanted (Canadian World Premiere), The Atomic Tradition (Canadian World Premiere), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, and The Scottish Play. A founder of both Sterling Studio Theatre and The Theatre Machine, Sophie helped shape Toronto’s independent theatre scene through fearless, raw, design-led storytelling.

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Her distinct voice as an artist is echoed in reviews:

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​"Ultimately, that much of it works so well is because of Sophie Ann Rooney’s exquisitely detailed production designs, which extend into the audience, making us feel as if we are inside this rooming house.” (The Toronto Star)

“Fearless magicians... they do it with style.” (Lynn Slotkin)

“Authentic... inspired... I can’t wait to see what this promising company does next.” (Glenn Sumi),  

'Rooney's choice to underscore a tense confrontation with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (as The Wizard of Oz plays in the background) is uncanny and truly inspired.' (Istvan Dugalin).

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She is a graduate and longtime protégé of Amy Werba (BAW–Paris / Strasberg lineage), heavily featured in Werba's Book "Be your own Coach" at The Drama Book Shop.  As a filmmaker trained internationally at EICAR International Film School of Paris, as an actor classically at Oxford School of Speech & Drama, and The Royal Central, as well as Stanislavski School L'Atelier de Blanche Salant et Paul Weaver,  with Valerie Landsburg, Larry Moss, and courses at École Internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq. ​

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Her formative years were at The British School of Paris. Sophie formerly served as Performance Director for the Moulin Rouge premiere dancer-actors, and Assistant Professor at The American University of Paris (Werba Apprentice). Her early career included collaborations as a session singer with Barclay-Music, and producer Ross Robinson (Korn) and Team Nowhere's rap-metal group Enhancer "Electrochoc" Album for their Limp Bizkit tour, and as Margot on the Space channel Paolo Barzman's Grand Star that relocated her to Canada from her hometown of Paris, France.

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