In 1976, Screen International cast an eye over the position of women filmmakers in Britain. “If British Cinema, to its shame, can boast few female directors as yet,” read the article, “one field in which women seem currently to be proving their ability is animation.”
Among the many stories to be revealed in the BFI’s focus on British Animation in 2018 one of the most exciting and important ones is uncovering the key role of women in the industry.
It’s a strand woven through the selection of remastered historical animated shorts from the BFI National Archive that will soon be released to find new life on the big screen.
This session will pull at some of those strands to take a more focussed look at the careers and films of some of these women; from the pioneer figures of the 1940s to internationally acclaimed animation legends such as Alison De Vere and Joanna Quinn.
Springtime for Samantha
Dir: Vera Linnecar | UK | 1965 | 9 mins
Green Men, Yellow Woman
Dir: Thalma Goldman Cohen | UK | 1973 | 5 mins
The Black Dog
Dir: Alison De Vere | UK | 1987 | 18 mins
Britannia
Dir: Joanna Quinn | UK | 1993 | 5 mins
The Queen’s Monastery
Dir: Emma Calder | UK | 1998 | 6 mins
This screening will be presented by Jez Stewart, Curator (Animation) at the BFI National Archive.
