My mom died of cancer when I was really young. I'm not someone who tries to work out their own stuff with a role, but I think that happened despite my best efforts to keep myself separate from it.

They divorced in 2008. Polley first attained notice in her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series Road to Avonlea. Early life
Polley the youngest of five siblings was born in Toronto Ontario.

Polley made her feature film directorial debut with Away from Her for which Sarah Polley won a Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Her latest film Stories We Tell is her first feature length documentary.