Biografi
Christopher Mark Bessette was born in Welland, Ontario, Canada, to steelworker Ralph Bessette and seamstress Eva (Crysler). He was the only child from his parents' second marriage and grew up as an only child on land granted to his family by the Crown of England more than 200 years ago, alongside five much older half-siblings.
A Niagara College graduate who earned a spot on the Dean's Honor Roll with a diploma in Broadcasting and a major in Film, Bessette chose a unique path. Instead of immediately pursuing a career in Toronto, he stayed close to home to support a family member. This commitment is reflected in his films, which frequently explore themes of fighting for the underdog.
Early in his career, Bessette worked for a Canadian broadcast company and became a producer on a Family Channel program, managing producers from 13 countries. His film projects have taken him to diverse locations such as the Amazon jungle, Central America, Russia, and Southeast Asia, enriching his cultural understanding. He also expanded into theatre, directing four musicals featuring casts of 100 or more.
In 2008, Bessette won the ARPA Film Festival Award for Best Director for "Yai Wanonabalewä: The Enemy God," a feature film chronicling 50 years in the life of an Amazonian witch doctor. The film included 300 tribal participants with 86 speaking roles.
Regarding "Yai Wanonabalewä: The Enemy God," Dr. Zaven Khatchturian, Film Curator of the 11th ARPA International Film Festival, praised it as "... cinematic invention indeed. It was something I had not seen before, done so skillfully ... one of the most amazing films I have ever experienced." Alex Kalognomos, Festival Director of the same event, remarked, "This film will live on in such a way, we will be looking this film up in encyclopedias in 200 years."
Bessette’s second feature film, "Trade of Innocents," starring Dermot Mulroney and Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino, earned him his second Best Director Award at the 32nd Annual Festival of Film Breckenridge. The film was featured in a historic symposium on Human Trafficking at Yale University on April 12 and 13, 2012, co-hosted by Yale Law School, the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Connecticut, and the FBI. Ambassador Luis CdeBaca of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State, addressed over 500 attendees at the screening. Jeff Blom, a veteran Human Trafficking Investigator with Global Sentry Group, called "Trade of Innocents" the most realistic portrayal of frontline efforts against the commercial sexual exploitation of children, especially in Southeast Asia.
Dermot Mulroney, known for "My Best Friend’s Wedding" and "Young Guns," named "Trade of Innocents" as one of the top ten significant films in his career during a Yahoo interview. The film sold out 21 of 42 screenings in Australia. In Canada, its largest public screening served as a fundraiser, raising $43,000—far surpassing the initial $12,000 goal—to support the rescue and rehabilitation of trafficked women and children.
Explaining his motivation, Bessette says, "I believe each story, like the flow of life, has a rhythm all its own. Once you capture the rhythm, it resonates as truth with the audience and they are moved. That is the reason I tell stories—to nudge people to receptive insight, so they might see things as they never have before."
In 2012, out of hundreds of thousands of potential nominees, Bessette was nominated by his alma mater for the prestigious Premier’s Award for outstanding career achievements. This distinguished honor, presented by the Premier of Ontario, recognizes the accomplishments of Ontario college graduates both locally and globally.
