Born in England and raised in Manitoba, Winston Washington Moxam attended the film production program at Confederation College in Thunder Bay before moving to Toronto, where he completed his first documentary,  From the Other Side. In 1992, Winston returned to Winnipeg, where he completed a body of short films prior to Barbara James, his first feature film. His 2009 feature film, Billy, based on the life story of Billy Beale, earned him and co-writer and co-producer Ernesto Griffith a 2010 Human Rights Commitment Award of Manitoba. Winston passed away in Winnipeg in April 2011.