Autumn Rennie has skillfully combined her passions for academia, medicine, and filmmaking into a unique career path.
As a physician in training at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Rennie volunteers and participates in programs at SickKids and St. Michael's Hospital, while her PhD research — under the supervision of Suze Berkhout — focuses on using filmmaking to challenge misconceptions about disability, employing genres like horror to explore important societal issues.
Rennie also runs Exuvium Productions and recently completed The Feast — a short film gaining recognition on the international festival circuit — which uses horror to discuss eating disorders and mental health.
Rennie's interdisciplinary approach is further enriched by her studies at the Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology (IHPST) in the Faculty of Arts & Science.
Her collaborative filmmaking methodology ensures authentic representation of lived experiences, aiming to break down stigma and change public perceptions. Rennie actively encourages other artists to blend their creative practices with scholarship, as demonstrated by her current projects, including a documentary on accessibility funded by the University of Toronto Scarborough's Center for Global Disability Studies, and a film on brain injury survivors in collaboration with York University. She is also developing a television series about a medical student turned poker star.