From YouTube film essays to cutting feature films, Anna Catley’s journey as an editor is driven by a lifelong obsession with cinema. She brings her extensive knowledge of film across genres and eras to every project, informing her unique creative vision throughout the editing process.
Her diverse credits include the feature film Paying For It (dir. Sook-Yin Lee), We Forgot to Break Up (dir. Karen Knox), the award-winning webseries Avocado Toast, and the short film Thriving: A Dissociated Reverie, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2023. In addition to her narrative work, she has edited music videos and performances for artists like H.E.R, Alessia Cara, The Tragically Hip, and Mother Mother. Her outstanding work has earned her three Canadian Cinema Editors (CCE) award nominations.
A graduate of Queen’s University with a degree in film studies, Anna further honed her craft at the Canadian Film Centre’s Editor’s Lab. Now based in Toronto, she continues to bring stories to life through dynamic, highly stylized editing.
This month, we sat down with Anna to learn more about highlights from her time at the CFC, her approach to editing, and what’s next. Read more in the Alumni Spotlight below.
Let’s start from the beginning: what were the experiences that confirmed for you that you wanted to pursue a career in film and TV?
This is such a loaded question! I have to go back to the beginning on this one. My mum likes to tell a story about how she once worried about how many movies I watched. A friend reassured her by saying, “If you spend 10,000 hours doing something, you become an expert—maybe she’s just trying to be an expert in movies.” So my mum embraced that idea, and let me carry on watching films obsessively under the pretense of expertise. Because of that, my film journey is made up of countless little moments. At four, West Side Story had my heart and then at 12, I inexplicably rented Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987) six times in a row (clogging up my family’s Rogers Video Direct queue), and at 15, I made my first short film—Rated Arrrgh. It was a parable about illegally downloading movies where a sword fight between a pirate and a redcoat decides the fate of a torrent. But the experience that truly confirmed my path was making video essays. In 2015, my friend (shoutout to Ben!) encouraged me to turn my love of talking about and writing about movies into actual videos. My first essay, Walden Connection: The Thoreauvian Agenda in Upstream Color, was just something I threw on YouTube—but days later, IndieWire picked it up. That led to Wes Anderson & Yasujiro Ozu: A Visual Essay, which got coverage on IndieWire, NoFilmSchool, and more. The unexpected response was eye-opening. Commenters complained about my lack of sound mixing (I’m much better at it now, I swear!), but they also called me an editor—a title I hadn’t considered for myself, despite years of cutting together high school trip videos and Twin Peaks fan edits for Tumblr. That really was the moment I realized editing wasn’t just something I loved doing—it was something I could pursue as a career.
You completed the Norman Jewison Film Program at the CFC, Can you share how the program helped advance your career as an Editor?
I entered the CFC with two main goals. First, I wanted to find a new network of filmmakers, one where my goal of working in long-form narrative projects was shared. The program absolutely delivered on that—I’ve built so many genuine friendships and found like-minded creative partnerships that were forged during my time in the Norman Jewison Film Program. My second goal was that I wanted to land my second feature as an editor. After cutting Warren P. Sonoda’s Things I Do For Money in 2019, I expected more opportunities to come my way, but the pandemic definitely stalled momentum. In interviews for editor positions on other feature films, I was often told that one feature credit wasn’t enough. I felt like I was in a bit of a catch-22 where I needed more editor credits to recommend me but I wasn’t being given those opportunities. When I asked for advice from my peers, many fellow editors recommended the CFC as another way to gain industry recognition. I was told that not only would I learn a lot and make meaningful connections, but that going through the Editor’s Lab at the CFC would add a kind of stamp of approval to my CV–something that could recommend me even with only one feature film credit to my name. It worked because just a month before completing the program, I was hired to edit my second feature film, Karen Knox’s We Forgot to Break Up.
Anna in the CFC edit suite with Mehrtash Mohit
What are some highlights from your time in the program?
I have so many highlights from my time at the CFC! Beyond getting to do what I love in such a supportive, inspiring, and beautiful environment, two things stand out the most: the editor lab workshops and the friendships I formed. The workshops were a core part of my experience because they exposed me to new editing techniques, perspectives, and ways of thinking about storytelling. One of my favorite exercises was when each editor was given the same dailies and asked to cut a scene with no direction. Seeing how differently we all approached the same material was so fascinating and made for really in-depth conversations about how we work. And then there were the friendships. Some of my closest friends in 2025 are people I met at the CFC in 2022. The collaborative spirit of the program made it easy to form deep connections, and those relationships have continued to be an invaluable part of my life and career.
Congratulations on your work in Paying for It and We Forgot to Break Up. Can you talk a bit about your approach and if you consider yourself to have a defined style across projects?
Thank you! I love both of those films so much, and it’s been amazing to see how well they’re being received. My approach to editing is pretty straightforward. For both Paying For It and We Forgot to Break Up, I was receiving footage daily during production, so every morning, I’d sit down with a coffee (and my cat in my lap), watch all the takes, and make notes on the moments that stood out to me. From there, I’d start assembling as quickly as possible—because nothing is scarier than an empty timeline. Sound design also plays a huge role in my process. I always begin by cutting without music or SFX, focusing purely on the structure and rhythm of the scene. But once I’m happy with the general layout, layering in sound design is what really excites me—seeing the edit come to life through texture and atmosphere. My most prized possession as an editor is a 4TB hard drive filled with soundtracks and sound effects I’ve collected over the years. I never start a project without it. And I wouldn’t say I have a rigid style across all projects, but I’m definitely drawn to hyper-stylized, kinetic storytelling. I have a deep love for archival footage, film photography, and the intersection of analog and digital. In my personal life, I shoot MiniDV year-round and edit it into an ongoing project called Anna Log, so I think that a scrappy, tactile, mixed-media approach has always been at the core of my editing interests. I’m fascinated by the contrast between rough, lo-fi visuals and slick, precise sound design—that tension is what first drew me to music videos and continues to fuel my love for highly stylized, music-driven edits. I live for a montage basically. We Forgot to Break Up is kind of my dream project in that sense—it has everything I love in an edit. But Paying For It, while more restrained, still incorporates many of those bombastic elements but in a different way, that I also love. Both films hold such a special place in my heart!
We Forgot to Break Up world premiere at BFI Flare with Nicole Hilliard-Forde, Karen Knox, Lane Webber, Anna Catley, Hallea Jones
Relatedly, there is increasing pressure for quicker turnaround in the industry. Do you think the external deadline pressure has affected the way editors approach their work?
Definitely! Time is one of the most valuable elements in the editing process, especially for feature films. A compressed timeline adds pressure to “get it right,” but there isn’t a single right way to edit a movie—every scene and structure has endless possibilities. Having the time and space to step away, even for a few days, allows for experimentation and discovery, which is often how you find the strongest version of the film. On a personal level, tight deadlines can also blur work-life boundaries. When I’m deep in a project, I sometimes forget to eat or take breaks, which isn’t sustainable. Editors often push themselves to meet demanding expectations, sometimes at the cost of their well-being. That said, deadline pressure isn’t always a bad thing. I’ve had projects where the director and I struggled to land on a final direction, and having a looming picture lock deadline forced us to sharpen our instincts and make decisive choices. In those cases, constraints can actually help bring clarity to the edit.
What do you think the industry can do to create more opportunities for women especially in editing?
Off the top of my head… give more women the opportunity to direct movies. I’ve had the privilege of working with so many talented filmmakers, but overwhelmingly, the editing opportunities I’ve been given have come from other women. The more women directing films, the more women editing them. Beyond that, mentorship is key. Women currently working as editors should actively mentor and uplift emerging female editors, helping them get a foot in the door. I was incredibly fortunate to meet editor and director Kat Webber early in my career while working as an assistant editor at the post house Panic & Bob. She not only recognized my passion and potential but also gave me co-editing opportunities to help build my credits. It’s people like Kat who made it possible for me to advance as an editor, and I want to do the same for other women coming up in the industry. I also think it’s important to acknowledge the legacy of female editors who have shaped film history. As a small personal tradition, I name my hard drives after editors I admire—Paying For It was “Dede” after Dede Allen (Serpico, Bonnie & Clyde, The Breakfast Club), We Forgot to Break Up was “Marcia” after Marcia Lucas (Star Wars, American Graffiti), and my CFC hard drive was “Verna” after Verna Fields (Jaws, Paper Moon). Women have been at the helm of some of the most celebrated films in history, and keeping that legacy in mind is a reminder of why it’s so important to continue creating space and opportunities for women in editing.
Anna at the Paying For It VIFF screening at the Rio Theatre
What’s next for you? Can you tell us more about your upcoming projects?
Yes! Settle Down just premiered on Valentine’s Day on OUTtv, and I had the pleasure of editing it alongside fellow CFC Editors’ Lab alum Arielle Skolnik. We also worked together on the doc series Get Hooked, which drops on March 17th on AMI+, OUTtv, Amazon, and Apple TV+. I’m also really excited about two shorts that will be hitting the festival circuit in 2025—Sea Star, directed by Tyler Evans and produced by CFC alumni Malachi Ellis and Claire Desmarais, and Internet Friend, directed by another CFC alum, Erica Orofino, who I met during my year in the program! After a busy 2024 and early 2025, I’ve been taking the past few weeks to recharge. That said—I’m officially looking for my next project! So if you’re looking for an editor, reach out! 🙂
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