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.
“ Documentary is the creative treatment of
reality.”
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 ofdependency
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?
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