‘Priscilla’ Producer and TFS Alum Chris Hatcher Announced as Distinguished Speaker at 2023 Grad

Fourteen years after donning his own cap and gown, Chris Hatcher is set to make an encore appearance at Toronto Film School’s graduation ceremony this year – this time as the 2023 Distinguished Speaker.

“I’m thrilled and grateful to have the opportunity to come back to where it all started for me, the Toronto Film School, and to speak to the latest graduates as they begin this next journey of their lives and careers,” said the Class of 2009 Film Production alumnus, who most recently executive produced Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley biopic, Priscilla, starring Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny.

Needless to say, Hatcher has gone on to much success since graduating from TFS, as a producer of both feature films and television series. Just prior to Priscilla, which was released in theatres on Nov. 3, Hatcher produced the Netflix series Painkiller, directed by Peter Berg and starring Matthew Broderick, Uzo Aduba and Taylor Kitsch.

He is also currently in production on two other upcoming projects – first, the independent feature Sweet Angel Baby, which set in Newfoundland and stars Michaela Kurimsky, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Peter Mooney. The project marks his second collaboration with writer/director Melanie Oates. He’s also working on the Netflix series The Madness, starring Colman Domingo, John Ortiz and Marsha Stephanie Blake – his second collaboration with director Clement Virgo.

Hatcher is also the founding partner and operator of Aspect Film Studios, a 200,000-square-foot facility in Toronto that has attracted clients from Disney, Netflix, A24 and Amazon, among others.

Some of his other notable credits include:

• Sex/Life (Seasons 1 and 2), a steamy chart- topping series that garnered over 67 million views in its Season 1 debut
• Grand Army, a gripping teen drama series set in Brooklyn
• Shadowhunters, a sci-fi action YA series spanning 55 episodes and garnering a passionate and loyal fan base
• Designated Survivor, an American political thriller, starring Kiefer Sutherland
• Mean Dreams, a Canadian independent feature staring Bill Paxton, which had its premiere at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2016
• The Plateaus, a digital series for CBC staring Annie Murphy