Caroline Leaf
Encyclopedia
Caroline Leaf is a Canadian-American
filmmaker and animator
.
Leaf made her first film, Sand, or Peter and the Wolf, in 1968 at Harvard University
. The short was made by dumping sand on a light box and manipulating the textures frame-by-frame.
Her second film, Orfeo (1972), had her painting directly on glass under the camera. Later that year she was invited to join the National Film Board of Canada
's English Animation Studio.
She mixed paint with glycerine to produce The Street
, adapted from the short story of the same name by Mordechai Richler, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 49th Academy Awards
.
From 1981 until 1986 she worked on various live action documentary films. In 1986 she produced her first animation in nearly a decade by scratching on 70mm color film and reshooting it on 35mm. "Two Sisters" (1990) won the award for best short film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival
in 1991. In 2004 she co-directed "Suite for freedom" (her part was called "Slavery"). It was included in the Animation Show of Shows
in 2004.
She worked as an animator
/director at the NFB until 1991.
In 1991 she left animation
temporarily to work on documentary film
s.
In 2004 she contributed animation to a film about the Underground Railroad
.
Caroline Leaf currently lives in London
and is a tutor at The National Film and Television School
.
Canadian-American
A Canadian American is someone who was born or someone who grew up in Canada then moved to the United States. The term is particularly apt when applied or self-applied to people with strong ties to Canada, such as those who have lived a significant portion of their lives in, or were educated in,...
filmmaker and animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
.
Leaf made her first film, Sand, or Peter and the Wolf, in 1968 at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. The short was made by dumping sand on a light box and manipulating the textures frame-by-frame.
Her second film, Orfeo (1972), had her painting directly on glass under the camera. Later that year she was invited to join the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
's English Animation Studio.
She mixed paint with glycerine to produce The Street
The Street (film)
The Street is a 1976 animated short by Caroline Leaf, based on a short story of the of same name by Mordecai Richler.Set on Saint Urbain Street in Montreal, the explores the reactions of Jewish family in the early 20th century to the death of a grandmother.Animated using paint on glass animation,...
, adapted from the short story of the same name by Mordechai Richler, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 49th Academy Awards
49th Academy Awards
The 49th Academy Awards were presented March 28, 1977, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Richard Pryor, Jane Fonda, Ellen Burstyn, and Warren Beatty....
.
From 1981 until 1986 she worked on various live action documentary films. In 1986 she produced her first animation in nearly a decade by scratching on 70mm color film and reshooting it on 35mm. "Two Sisters" (1990) won the award for best short film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became annual in 1998...
in 1991. In 2004 she co-directed "Suite for freedom" (her part was called "Slavery"). It was included in the Animation Show of Shows
Animation show of shows
The Animation Show of Shows is a traveling selection of the year's best animated short films, curated and presented by Acme Filmworks founder, Ron Diamond. It began in 1998 with the aim of showing the most original, funny, intelligent short animated films from all over the world and presenting them...
in 2004.
She worked as an animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
/director at the NFB until 1991.
In 1991 she left animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
temporarily to work on documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
s.
In 2004 she contributed animation to a film about the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
Caroline Leaf currently lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and is a tutor at The National Film and Television School
National Film and Television School
The National Film and Television School was established in 1971 and is based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, and it is located close to Pinewood Studios.-History:...
.
Filmography
- 1969 Sand or Peter and the Wolf
- 1972 Orfeo
- 1972 How Beaver stole fire
- 1974 The owl who married a goose
- 1976 The StreetThe Street (film)The Street is a 1976 animated short by Caroline Leaf, based on a short story of the of same name by Mordecai Richler.Set on Saint Urbain Street in Montreal, the explores the reactions of Jewish family in the early 20th century to the death of a grandmother.Animated using paint on glass animation,...
- 1977 The metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa
- 1979 Interview
- 1981 Kate and Anna McGarrigle
- 1981 The right to refuse
- 1982 An equal opportunity
- 1983 Pies
- 1985 The owl and the pussycat
- 1986 The fox and the tiger
- 1986 A dog's tale
- 1990 Two SistersTwo Sisters (animated short)Two Sisters is a 1991 animated short by Caroline Leaf, produced by the National Film Board of Canada.Made using the drawn on film animation technique, the film was etched by Leaf directly onto tinted 70 mm film. The film tells the story of two sisters who live a self-contained existence until the...
- 1991 I Met a Man
- 1992 Bell Partout
- 1994 Fleay's Fauna Centre
- 1995 Brain Battle
- 1995 Radio Rock Détente
- 1996 Drapeau Canada
- 1998 Absolut Leaf
- 2001 Odysseus & the Olive Tree
- 2004 Slavery