Women and Film Animation : A Feminist Corpus at the National Film Board of Canada 1939-1989

This book brings out of the shadows the work of true pioneers by presenting and analyzing, from a resolutely feminist perspective, the works they have conceived within the National Film Board of Canada. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Table of Contents Acknowledgements Notes Introduction Part 1 Film Animation, Feminisms and NFB Chapter 1 . The Particular Nature of Film Animation Multifaceted Birth with a Disputed Paternity Commercial and Avant-Garde Animation Notes Chapter 2 . The National Film Board of Canada From Propagandist Animation to Artistic Animation The Case of Norman Mclaren and Evelyn Lambart Notes Chapter 3 . (Re)presenting Women Feminine-Feminist Representations of Women Techniques Associated with the Feminine Sphere Notes Chapter 4 . Feminist Uprisings in Cinematographic Creation at the NFB The Socio-Professional Situation of Women at the NFB Positive Discrimination Measures Notes Chapter 5 . A Film to Highlight the International Women’s Year A Token Gesture (Lanctôt, 1975) Revealing Archives On The Origin Of The Institutional Discourse Notes Part 2 Animated Films Under the Feminist Lens Chapter 6 . Motherhood, Mental Load and Mystification Happiness Is (Warny, 1972) The Spring and Fall of Nina Polanski (Hutton And Roy, 1974) Notes Chapter 7 . Women’s Labor and the Notion of Sexism Illuminated Lives: A Brief History of Women’S Work in the Middle Ages (Besen, 1989) The Housewife (Bennett, 1975) Notes Chapter 8 . The Reassessment of Social Relations between the Sexes The Breakdown of the Traditional Family Unit Relationships Between Men and Women Notes Chapter 9 . Professional Accomplishment and the Trap of Essentialism The Studio (Gervais, 1988) Interview (Leaf And Soul, 1979) Notes Conclusion Notes Appendix A . Short Films Directed by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre Appendix B . Short, Animated Films Directed by Women at the National Film Board of Canada (1939–1989) Filmography Bibliography Archives Index The creations of female animation filmmakers are recognized all over the world while being, paradoxically, unknown to the general public. Women and Film Animation: A Feminist Corpus at the National Film Board of Canada 1939-1989 brings out of the shadows the work of true pioneers by presenting and analyzing, from a resolutely feminist perspective, the works they have conceived within the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).This institution has played an essential role in the emergence of animated cinema in Canada, but it is forgotten or ignored that a good part of this vast corpus is the work of women who have worked there not only as assistants but also as directors. These artists have contributed to changing the traditional representations of women in a unique way in both commercial and avant-garde animated cinema. The author accounts for their concerns, their creativity, and their many bright achievements. To do this, she relies on a wide range of critical works in social and cultural history of Canada, in feminist art history, and on multiple studies on animated cinema.Key Features: Provides an interdisciplinary approach that combines concepts from feminist studies, film theory and visual arts for a nuanced analysis of the role of women in animated cinema Discusses historical and sociological background that sheds light on the condition of women Includes a profound analysis of the changes and continuities in the role of women in this industry over time, focusing on the National Film Board of Canada Features previously unreleased archival material and selected excerpts from reviews by the NFB's programming committee, highlighting the impact of production circumstances of the works of specific women animators The creations of female animation filmmakers are recognized all over the world while being, paradoxically, unknown to the general public. Women and Film A Feminist Corpus at the National Film Board of Canada 1939-1989 brings out of the shadows the work of true pioneers by presenting and analyzing, from a resolutely feminist perspective, the works they have conceived within the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). This institution has played an essential role in the emergence of animated cinema in Canada, but it is forgotten or ignored that a good part of this vast corpus is the work of women who have worked there not only as assistants but also as directors. These artists have contributed to changing the traditional representations of women in a unique way in both commercial and avant-garde animated cinema. The author accounts for their concerns, their creativity, and their many bright achievements. To do this, she relies on a wide range of critical works in social and cultural history of Canada, in feminist art history, and on multiple studies on animated cinema.