Kathleen Shannon
BornNovember 11, 1935
Vancouver, British Columbia
DiedJanuary 9, 1998(1998-01-09) (aged 62)
Kelowna, British Columbia
Occupation(s)Film director
Film producer

Kathleen Shannon CM (November 11, 1935 – January 9, 1998) was a Canadian film director and producer. She is best known as the founder and first executive producer of Studio D of the National Film Board of Canada, the first government-funded film studio in the world dedicated to women filmmakers.[1]

Career

Early career

Shannon began her career in the Canadian film industry cataloging music for Crawley Films in Ottawa after dropping out of high school at the age of 16.[2][3] She later joined the National Film Board (NFB) as an editor in 1956 when she was 21.[4] In her early years at the NFB Shannon worked as a sound, music, and picture editor.[4] After Shannon had some 200 films to her credit as an editor she directed her first film, Goldwood in 1970. Goldwood was based on her childhood memories of one of the mining towns in Northern British Columbia where her father, a mining engineer, had worked.[3]

From 1974 to 1975, Shannon produced and directed eleven short films that made up the Working Mothers film series.[5] The films delve into the experiences of working mother's throughout Canada, with some of the films focused on an individual women, including Our Dear Sisters, whose subject was Indigenous filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin. The series was created as part of the NFB's Challenge for Change Program (1967-1980), which was a government funded initiative to bring the art and practice of film making to communities across Canada in an effort to incite social change.[6] Initially meant to be one film, Shannon and distributive consultant Doris Mae Oulton proposed a format change of several short films and held small test screenings across different communities to try convince the NFB and the projects federal government sponsor of the new format's potential for success.[7] With the new format approved, the Working Mother's series became arguably one of the most important achievements of Challenge for Change, and its success paved the way for Shannon's proposal for a women's studio within the NFB.[8]

Studio D

Shannon was the driving force behind the creation of Studio D. She lobbied the unenthusiastic NFB to create a women's film production unit that would produce feminist documentaries created by and for women.[9] When the studio was launched in 1974, it was housed in the basement of the NFB headquarters in Montreal with a budget of $100,000 and three women on staff; Shannon, Margaret Pettigrew, and Yuki Yoshida.[10][11] Shannon became the first executive producer and remained in the role for 12 years before stepping down in June 1986.[12]

In an interview with The Christian Science Monitor, Shannon outlined in what her opinion was the five objectives of Studio D: "providing employment opportunities for women, providing training opportunities for women, meeting the information needs of women, creating an environment that would facilitate 'exploring our creativity in our own way', [and] bringing the perspective of women to bear 'on all social issues.'"[13]

While executive producer, Shannon oversaw the creation and production of over 80 films, including Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography (1981), and the Academy Award-winning documentaries I'll Find a Way (1977) and If You Love This Planet (1982).[14][3]

Legacy

In 1996, Studio D was closed due to decreased government funding and NFB layoffs. One of the last films produced by Studio D before it was shut down was a biographical documentary about Shannon entitled Kathleen Shannon: On Film, Feminism, and Other Dreams, directed by Gerry Rogers.[15][16] The film includes personal interviews with Shannon as well as archival footage and photography. In the film Shannon reflects on various topics: from childhood, aging, and alcoholism, to the work-life balance, and her experiences during her time at the NFB and Studio D.[15]

The NFB also established a documentary prize in Shannon's name, the "Kathleen Shannon Award" which is awarded annually at the Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival.[14]

Personal life

Shannon was married twice and had one son.[17] After Shannon retired, she moved to the Kootenays where she opened a guest house for women and worked as a therapist.[4]

In 1986, Shannon was awarded the Order of Canada because, "Under her leadership, the National Film Board's Studio D - which she founded in 1974 - succeeded in producing award-winning socially and culturally committed films which have made Canada and the studio internationally known for the excellence and relevance of its work."[18] Shannon was also bestowed three honorary degrees: a Doctor of Laws from Queen's University in 1984, a Doctor of Letters from York University in 1996, and a Doctor of Humane Letters from Mount Saint Vincent University in 1997.[2]

Shannon died on January 9, 1998, at the age of 62.[3] She had been diagnosed with lung cancer two weeks prior, and died during surgery to remove a tumor in Kelowna, British Columbia.[3]

Filmography

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References

  1. ^ Vanstone, Gail (2007). D is for Daring: The Women behind the Films of Studio D. Toronto: Sumach Press. pp. 36–37.
  2. ^ a b Rogers, Gerry (January 26, 1998). "Obituary: Shannon: a filmmaking pioneer". Playback: 5 – via LexisNexis.
  3. ^ a b c d e Tam, Pauline (January 17, 1998). "Kathleen Shannon: Filmmaker 'paved way' for women: [Final Edition]". The Ottawa Citizen.
  4. ^ a b c Klein, Bonnie S; Claydon, Shirley A (Spring 1998). "Kathleen Shannon [Obituary]". Take 1. 6: 48 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ Fraticelli, Rina (2010). ""Would I Ever Like to Work": The "Working Mothers" Films and the Construction of Community". In Waugh, Thomas; et al. (eds.). Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 303.
  6. ^ Fraticelli, Rina (2010). ""Would I Ever Like to Work": The "Working Mothers" Films and the Construction of Community". In Waugh, Thomas; et al. (eds.). Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 304.
  7. ^ Fraticelli, Rina (2010). ""Would I Ever Like to Work": The "Working Mothers" Films and the Construction of Community". In Waugh, Thomas; et al. (eds.). Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 305–306.
  8. ^ Fraticelli, Rina (2010). ""Would I Ever Like to Work": The "Working Mothers" Films and the Construction of Community". In Waugh, Thomas; et al. (eds.). Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 312.
  9. ^ Vanstone, Gail (2007). D is for Daring: The Women Behind the Films of Studio D. Toronto: Sumach Press. p. 38.
  10. ^ Vanstone, Gail (2007). D is for Daring: The Women Behind the Films of Studio D. Toronto: Sumach Press. p. 42.
  11. ^ Anderson, Elizabeth (1999). "Studio D's Imagined Community: From Development (1974) to Realignment (1986-1990)". In Armatage, Kay; et al. (eds.). Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women's Cinema. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 43.
  12. ^ Anderson, Elizabeth (1999). "Studio D's Imagined Community: From Development (1974) to Realignment (1986-1990)". In Armatage, Kay; et al. (eds.). Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women's Cinema. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 48.
  13. ^ "National Film Board of Canada's All-Women Studio D: Prize-Winning, Controversial. FILM: INTERVIEW". Christian Science Monitor. 1989-03-30. ISSN 0882-7729.
  14. ^ a b "Pioneering NFB film-maker still speaking her mind: [Final Edition]". The Montreal Gazette. May 28, 1988.
  15. ^ a b James, Cathy L (March 1999). "Women's History on Film: Requiem for Studio D". The Canadian Historical Review. 80: 94 – via Project MUSE.
  16. ^ Anderson, Elizabeth (1999). "Studio D's Imagined Community: From Development (1974) to Realignment (1986-1990)". In Armatage, Kay (ed.). Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women's Cinema. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 57.
  17. ^ Laucius, Joanne (March 12, 1998). "Gathering celebrates life of 'incredible mentor': Kathleen Shannon remembered for gifts that 'will not go away': [Final Edition]". The Ottawa Citizen.
  18. ^ "Kathleen Shannon, C.M., LL.D." The Governor General of Canada. 11 June 2018.
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