Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre - Masterclass on the animated documentary
Saturday 26 August
5pm
Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre is an award-winning French Canadian filmmaker based in Montreal, Canada, directing several short animation and documentary films. ‘McLaren’s Negatives’, her latest film, is based on the legendary Canadian animator Norman McLaren and his personal view of filmmaking. Saint-Pierre's documentary work shows new approaches in documentary film, blurring the lines between documentary and drama.
She founded MJSTP Films, an animation and documentary production company in 2004 (www.mjstpfilms.com) - and her work has been screened in festivals all around the world.
Marie-Josee’s visit has very kindly been made possible by the Quebec Government Office, London.
John Grierson
Off the bat, the term ‘Animated Documentary’ almost sounds like an oxymoron as the initial purpose of documentary is to capture reality in the most faithful way. But, over the years, this genre has been truly evolving with the realization that a
documentary cannot capture an objective truth but rather is the interpretation of the reality through the director’s eyes. At every stage of the film production (filming, interviewing, editing, etc.), the choices that the director makes are reflected in the final film and therefore the reality presented to the audience is inevitably linked to the director’s point of view.
That being said, this expanded notion of documentary
open the doors to ‘Animated Documentary’ because
they depict an aspect of reality through the
filmmaker’s own means of expressions. Over the last few
years, there has been a significant increase in the
number of animated documentaries produced around the
world. Even the Academy of Motion Pictures and
Sciences, which awards the Oscars, recognises that an
animated documentary can compete in the documentary
section.This masterclass aims to discuss current developments
in the field of animated documentaries by showing
short films that vary widely in both style and
content. Thus, all films screened in this
presentation will be individually introduced for the
audience to discover the background influences on the
film, the techniques and the aspects of it’s
production. These films were all created from
autobiographical stories, recreation of situations or
from original sound interviews.
A conversation with Haris
Sheila M.Sofian, USA, 2001, 6’00
A touching documentary narrated by an 11-year-old Bosnian immigrant as he recounts his experiences in the war in his homeland.
Backseat Bingo
Liz Blazer, USA, 2005, 5’25
Sexy Senior seeks same. Backseat Bingo is a poignant and humorous animated documentary about the romantic lives of Senior Citizens.
Doubled up
Samantha Moore, UK, 2004, 6’35
A bewildered response to the chaos that a multiple pregnancy and birth can bring.
Flashbacks from my past ‘Starry Night’
Irra Verbitsky, USA, 2003, 3’45
An exciting night-time adventure, told from a child’s perspective, that holds a darker twist.
Frank film
Frank and Caroline Mouris, USA, 1973, 9’00
Academy award winning film 1973.
Esteemed as "probably the most celebrated American short," this wildly entertaining film is a collection of 11,592 collages sequenced to illustrate the chronology of the filmmaker's life.
His Mother’s voice
Dennis Tupicoff, Australia, 2001, 14’30
What can a mother say when her son is violently taken away from her? This earth-shattering film answers the question – twice.
Repetition compulsion
Ellie Lee, USA, 1997, 7’00
A moving film using the voices of homeless women to depict the trauma of life on the streets and the nightmarish cycle of dependency and entrapment faced by many abused women.
The Velvet Tigress
Jen Sachs, USA, 2001, 11’00
The bizarre story of the 1931 Winnie Ruth Judd “Trunk Murders.” Was it a crime of passion or just cold-blooded murder?
