French-Speaking Women Documentarians

French-Speaking Women Documentarians is a guide for teachers of French and others interested in selecting and researching the work of female French-speaking documentarians. Represented in this book are filmmakers from Canada, various African nations, the Antilles, Lebanon, Switzerland, Belgium, and several other countries, with emphasis on Agnès Varda of France arguably the greatest female documentarian of all. The book includes information on each filmmaker, classified by country of origin, and lists and describes her works, giving factual information such as date, duration, credits, and synopses, and pointing out critical treatments, both in English and in French, of her most important films. Shorts, docudramas, and works of animation are also discussed, as they, too, reflect history and culture. This guide will lead to the viewing of films that shed understanding on the culture being portrayed and to a greater appreciation of the contribution of French-speaking women filmmakers to this important, if not always objective, film genre.

Autorentext

The Authors: Janis L. Pallister is Distinguished University Professor of Romance Languages at Bowling Green State University, where she has taught and researched since 1961. A native of Rochester, Minnesota, she received her education at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Minnesota, and the Sorbonne. She is the author of many articles and reviews of literature and film, and of some thirty books, two of which are about film The Cinema of Québec (1995), supported by a fellowship from the Canadian Government, and French-Speaking Women Film Directors: A Guide. Pallister has translated women s literary works, including those of George Sand, Anne Hébert, and Joyce Mansour. Ruth A. Hottell is Professor of French at the University of Toledo, where she has taught since 1988. Having earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in expanded French studies, she also studied at the Université de Montpellier. She is the author of numerous articles and reviews on film, literature, and French cultural studies, as well as Francophone Women Film Directors: A Guide, with Janis L. Pallister. Currently dividing her time between her homes in Toledo and Sète, she is finishing a manuscript on the films of Agnès Varda.

Zusammenfassung
«This is a gem of a resource tool for anyone interested in documentary filmmaking by women. It gives a wealth of information not only about well-known figures such as France's Agnès Varda, but also about women from other parts of the Francophone world, making it one of the rare avenues to information about women documentary filmmakers in such places as Rwanda, Tunisia, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, or Lebanon.» (Eloise A. Brière, Associate Professor, State University of New York at Albany)
«A useful comprehensive guide on documentary filmmaking by French-speaking women directors across the Francophone world. An invaluable compilation of data on both well and less known directors and their films, as well as a lively and interesting discussion on the contribution of women's cinema to this genre. An essential tool for research and teaching.» (Dominique Ryon, Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette)