Caroline Leaf

Last updated
Caroline Leaf
Born (1946-08-12) August 12, 1946 (age 77)
Seattle, Washington, United States
Alma mater Radcliffe College
Occupations
Years active1969–present
Website http://www.carolineleaf.com

Caroline Leaf (born August 12, 1946) is a Canadian-American filmmaker, animator, director, tutor and artist. She has produced numerous short animated films and her work has been recognized worldwide. She is best known as one of the pioneering filmmakers at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). She worked at the NFB from 1972 to 1991. During that time, she created the sand animation and paint-on-glass animation techniques. She also tried new hands-on techniques with 70mm IMAX film. Her work is often representational of Canadian culture and is narrative based. Leaf now lives in London UK and is a tutor at The National Film and Television School. She maintains a studio in London working in oils and on paper and does landscape drawing with iPad. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Biography and early work

Leaf was born in Seattle, Washington and lived in Boston. She attended Radcliffe College, Harvard University, and majored in Architectural Sciences from 1964-1968. for visual arts from 1964-1968. During her last year of studies she enrolled in an animation class. The class was taught by Derek Lamb as a creative practice not a professional training. Lamb encouraged his students to focus on movement. Leaf worked with beach sand spread on a lightbox. This is when she created sand animation. Using this technique, she produced her first film Sand, or Peter and the Wolf and was awarded a scholarship from Harvard University. After graduation, she moved to Italy for a year to focus on her drawing. Returning to Harvard, she made her second animated film, Orfeo painting on glass (Paint-on-glass animation.) She then did freelance work from a studio in Boston and made How Beaver Stole Fire. Leaf moved to Montreal to work as an animator/director for the National Film Board of Canada in 1972. She worked at the NFB in the French and English animation departments until 1991. She made 9 animated and live puppet films and a documentary film in those years. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Career

Leaf made her first film, Sand, or Peter and the Wolf, in 1969 at Harvard University. The short was made by pouring sand on a light box and manipulating the shapes frame-by-frame. Her second film at Harvard, Orfeo, was painted on glass under the camera. In 1972 she was invited to join the National Film Board of Canada's French Animation Studio. Her first film for the NFB was The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend . [3]

Making the film involved two trips to the Canadian arctic, first to collaborate on designs with the Inuit artist Nanogak and afterwards to record the sound effects for the film. Her most renowned short film was The Street, which was drawn directly under the camera with a mix of paint and glycerin. It was adapted from the short story by Mordechai Richler, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 49th Academy Awards. [7] It is also featured in the Animation Show of Shows. [8]

Leaf co-directed an animated documentary film called Interview with Veronika Soul. She made a documentary film on the singers Kate and Anna McGarrigle, produced by Derek Lamb. In 1990, she made her first animation in nearly a decade by scratching into the emulsion of exposed black 70mm color film and reshooting it on 35mm film. She worked for 2 years using this technique on her film Two Sisters original version called Entre Deux Soeurs. The tone and story of this film is dark. Two Sisters won the award for best short film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 1991. [9]

Leaf worked as an animator/director at the NFB until 1991. In 1991 she left animation to establish herself as a fine arts artist working in oils. In 2004 she contributed animation to a film about the Underground Railroad produced by Acme Filmworks in Los Angeles called Suite for freedom. Her part was called Slavery.

Animation techniques and influence

Leaf discovered a spontaneous and artistic hand crafted way of animatingin her animation class at Harvard and developed it in her professional career, pioneering: Sand animation, Paint on glass, and hand etching on film stock. All of her techniques have been described as having "fluid transitions". [6] She used different techniques to best tell the story of each of her films which showcased her narrative-based style. She created simple anecdotal and fictional stories based on literary works. Her films contain characters with relatable and complex issues. Her stories are mostly adaptations from literature and reflect her often dark narrative content. [2] Every decision when I am animating is for the benefit of the story." [10]

Leaf is also considered an influential Canadian filmmaker for her long standing service with the National Film Board of Canada and her representation of Canadian culture in her films. This can mainly be seen in her films The Street , The Owl who Married the Goose, and Kate and Anna McGarrigle . [10]

Painting and drawing

Since 2000 Leaf has maintained a studio in London, UK, and developed a personal style of painting in oils as well as drawings on paper. Her work is abstract and very much guided by mark making and a personal search to create spaces a viewer is invited to enter. She has also developed a lively landscape style of direct observation from nature and works on field trips with paper and pencil and also iPad using programs called Brushes and ProCreate.[ citation needed ]

Exhibitions

www.onlinegallery.site ‘Two Artists One Drawing’ 2022

www.onlinegallery.site ‘Spaces’ 2021

Playing with Perception, The Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar

Square, London, 2015

The Leper Chapel, Cambridge, England, 2008

The Shop Gallery, Vallance Road, London, 2006

The Corridor Gallery, London, 2004

Krakow Animation Festival, Krakow, Poland, 1998

Zagreb International Animation Festival, Zagreb Croatia, 1996

Residencies

Michael Nock Foundation, Hong Kong, 2014

Abbaye de Fontevraud, France, 2014

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, residency, summer 1997

Selected filmography

YearTitleCredit Listing
1969Sand, or Peter and the Wolfanimator, director
1972Orfeoanimator, director
1972How Beaver Stole Fireanimator, director
1976 The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend animator, director
1976 The Street animator, director
1977 The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa animator, director
1979 Interview co-animator, director
1981 Kate and Anna McGarrigle director
1981The Right to Refuseco-screenwriter, co-producer, director
1982An Equal Opportunitydirector, co-screenwriter
1983Piesanimator
1983War Seriesanimator, director
1985The Owl and the Pussycatdirector, producer, designer
1986The Fox and The Tiger: A Chinese Parabledirector, designer
1986A Dog's Tale: A Mexican Parabledirector
1988Paradise Foundanimator, director
1990 Two Sisters animator, director
1991I Met a Mananimator, director
1993Bell Partoutanimator, director
1994Fleay's Fauna Centreanimator, director
1995Brain Battleanimator, director
1995Radio Rock Detenteanimator, director
2004Slaverydirector

Awards

YearAwardCompetitionTitle
1975Emilie Reynaud Special AwardFrance International Animated Film FestivalThe Owl who Married a Goose
1975Etrog for Best Animated FilmCanadian Genie AwardsThe Owl who Married a Goose
1976Victorian Government PrizeAustralia International Film FestivalThe Owl who Married a Goose
1976Third Prize - Silver BoomerangAustralia International Film FestivalThe Owl who Married a Goose
1976First PrizeAustralia International Film FestivalThe Owl who Married a Goose
1976First Prize - Films for ChildrenOttawa International Animation FestivalThe Owl who Married a Goose
1976Silver Cindy AwardUSA Cindy CompetitionThe Owl who Married a Goose
1976Special Award for AnimationUSA Cindy CompetitionThe Owl who Married a Goose
1976Silver AwardUSA Information Film Producers Association ConventionThe Owl who Married a Goose
1976Grand PrixOttawa International Animation Festival The Street
1976Wendy Michener AwardCanadian Genie Awards The Street
1976Etrog for Best Animated FilmCanadian Genie Awards The Street
1977Blue Ribbon Award - Language ArtsAmerican Film and Video Festival The Street
1977Special PrizeAustralia International Film Festival The Street
1977First Prize - Animated FilmsIreland Cork Film Festival The Street
1977Chris Bronze PlaqueUSA International Film and Video Festival The Street
1977First PrizeFilm Festival of High Plains - Texas Tech. University The Street
1977Special Jury MentionInternational Festival of Short and Documentary Films The Street
1977Red Ribbon Award - Language artsAmerican Film and Video FestivalThe Owl who Married a Goose
1977First PrizeAustria International Short Film FestivalThe Owl who Married a Goose
1977Special Jury MentionFinland International Arctic Film FestivalThe Owl who Married a Goose
1977Critic's AwardFrance International Animated Film FestivalThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa
1978Award for Best AnimationSpain International Short Film Festival The Street
1978Merit AwardUSA Annual International Film FestivalThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa
1978Grand PrizePoland International Film FestivalThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa
1978Special Jury AwardOttawa International Animation FestivalThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa
1978Certificate for Outstanding AchievementGolden Gate Awards Competition & International Film FestivalThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa
1979AMER Golden Eye AwardAnnual AMER Film Awards The Street
1979Jury Award for Best Short FilmMontreal World Film FestivalThe Interview
1979First Prize (5-15 mins)World Festival of Animated FilmThe Interview
1980Certificate for an Outstanding FilmHong Kong International Film FestivalThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa
1981Grand PrixAustralia International Film FestivalThe Interview
1991Best Film AwardFrance International Animated Film Festival Two Sisters
1991Grand PrixLos Angeles International Animation Celebration Two Sisters
1991Best Animation AwardSweden International Short Film Festival Two Sisters
1992Honorable MentionAmerican Film and Video Festival Two Sisters
1992Special Jury AwardShanghai International Animation Film Festival Two Sisters
1992Alberta-Quebec AwardQuebec-Alberta Prizes Two Sisters
1992Best Film AwardFinland International Film Festival Two Sisters
1992Silver Apple AwardNational Educational Media Network Competition Two Sisters

Other awards

Nominations

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References

  1. ↑ Roberts, Eric (1998). "Hand-Crafted Cinema Animation Workshop with Caroline Leaf". National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Hamel, Jean-François (2010). "Grandeur et Humanisme". Ciné-Bulles. XXVIII (1): 32–33.
  3. 1 2 3 McDougal, Dana (January 2000). "Caroline Leaf". The St. James Women Filmmakers Encyclopedia. 18 (4): 88.
  4. ↑ Maurice, Elia (January 1978). "Caroline Leaf". Séquences (91): 102–117.
  5. ↑ "National Film Board of Canada". National Film Board of Canada.
  6. 1 2 Petrolle, Jean (2005). Women and Experimental Filmmaking. Urbana: University of Illinois. pp. 193–201. ISBN   0252072510.
  7. ↑ Leaf, Caroline. "The Street". NFB.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  8. ↑ The Street on Animation Show of Shows
  9. ↑ Leaf, Caroline. "Two Sisters". NFB.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  10. 1 2 Pagliano, Jean-Pierre (2003). "ENTRETIEN: Caroline leaf: Je n'aime pas les contes de fées". Positif (508): 93–95.
  11. ↑ "2017: Caroline Leaf Receives the Winsor McCay Award". Zippy Frames. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  12. ↑ "Dragon of Dragons 2019 for Caroline Leaf – pioneer of animation". Krakow Film Festival. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  13. ↑ "Filmmaker Caroline Leaf to Receive Dragon of Dragons Award at Krakow Film Festival". Vimooz. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  14. ↑ Short Film Winners: 1977 Oscars
  15. ↑ 1977|Oscars.org
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