Extraordinary Woman: The Pioneering Filmmaker

 

Join us for another in our Extraordinary Women series, presented by Back Lane Studios and the Revue, for a trip back to the dawn pf cinema. 

 

We are screening the recent documentary, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, narrated by producer Jodie Foster. U of T prof Charlie Keil, one of our foremost experts on early cinema, is our special guest for a Q&A.

 

Guy-Blaché, who started out as a secretary at a camera company in Paris, was to become the first woman to direct films and own a studio. She was also one of the first to create a narrative film in 1896.

 

In a movie career that spanned just 25 years, she worked on about 1,000 productions. She was a visionary and innovator, promoting a natural style of acting and working with synchronized sound and colour. 

 

 

By 1921, a changing industry forced her into bankruptcy, and in her lifetime she was largely forgotten. Most of her films were lost or attributed to others.

The documentary, Be Natural, took director and writer Pamela Green some eight years to make. It has the vibe of a detective drama, as Green seeks out descendants of Guy-Blaché and her colleagues, discovers documents and memorabilia, and tracks down some of Guy-Blaché’s films in archives and collections. The film gets a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Tickets are by a suggested $16 donation on Eventbrite  (https://alice-filmmaker.eventbrite.com) and at the Revue door.

 

 

Read more about the event here.  Watch the trailer.