Flicker Alley is proud to announce our blog series “Today’s Women Filmmakers on Early Women Filmmakers,” in which talented directors of today champion the groundbreaking women who paved the way. Follow the campaign with hashtag #EarlyWomenFilmmakers.
First up is director Catherine Stratton on Alice Guy Blaché (1873-1968), one of the first narrative filmmakers and the world’s first woman director.
How I wish I could go back in time and spend a day chatting with the filmmaker Alice Guy Blaché about her work and her memories of working in the motion picture industry at its very beginnings. She may not have received the attention she deserved in the film history books, but she is still a success story. She did what she loved for more than 25 years, was successful at it, artistically and commercially, and has a body of work that remains to prove it. I’m so happy that the video I made about her, which received over 35K views, has helped more people learn and appreciate both her films and her.
Alice Guy Blaché was an innovator, exploring the possibilities of what was a brand new artistic tool at the time. What’s most striking about her work is its diversity of style and subject matter. She directed everything from epic dramas to comedy shorts and experimented with special effects and synced sound. Sadly only about of a third of her work exists…. Don’t watch only one of her films. Watch many to see why she earned her place as one of the best filmmakers of the time.
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About the Director:
Catherine Stratton is a filmmaker working out of Hoboken, NJ, close enough to Manhattan to see it from her balcony. Catherine specializes in making short documentary-style videos for creative entrepreneurs and artists that help them succeed. She has also made videos for Etsy and Fandor and her personal work as been featured at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Learn More:
Watch the Following Videos by Catherine Stratton:
The First Woman Filmmaker Nobody’s Heard Of – short documentary on Alice Guy Blaché
We Owe a Lot to Lotte Reiniger – short documentary on animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger
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