Taylor Mendonça is a writer and director drawn to stories about people trying — and often failing — to connect, grow, and stay soft in a world that is razor sharp. Her work blends grounded humour, emotional depth, and a love for characters who don’t change easily or quietly.

She earned her MFA in Film from Columbia University and spent five years in Los Angeles working at DreamWorks, Warner Bros., and Netflix. Her short Live a Little is a tender comedy about finding your way back to family, even when you’d rather throw them off a cliff. She is currently in pre-production on her next short, How to Make a Baby, and developing her debut feature.

This fall, Taylor joins Western University as an Instructor in Media Production, where she teaches the foundations of storytelling as both a creative practice and a craft.

Before filmmaking, she worked at INTERPOL in France and Singapore. Yes, it’s a long story. No, she’s not technically supposed to talk about it. Unless you’re a development exec — in which case, yes, there’s definitely a series in it.

She lives in southern Ontario with her wife, their daughter, and their cat, Lady Grey (who still hasn’t quite forgiven them for subjecting her to a toddler).