Babette Mangolte facts for kids

Babette Mangolte is a talented French artist. She is known for her work as a cinematographer, which means she operates the camera for films. She is also a film director and a photographer. Babette Mangolte was born in 1941 and has lived and worked in the United States since 1970.

Life and Career

Babette Mangolte grew up in France. She moved to New York City in 1970. She studied at a special film school called L'Ecole Nationale de la Photographie et de la Cinematographie. She finished her studies there in 1966.

Why She Moved to New York

Babette decided to move to New York because she felt the film industry in France was mostly run by men. She was also very interested in new and experimental films. She admired the work of American filmmakers like Jonas Mekas and Stan Brakhage.

Working with Artists

In the 1970s, Babette started filming the performances of famous dancers and choreographers. These included artists like Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, David Gordon, and Yvonne Rainer. She also worked with the director Chantal Akerman. They made several films together. Two of their most famous films are Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) and News from Home (1977). Babette filmed her first full-length movie, L'Automne, in 1970. It was directed by Marcel Hanoun.

Her Inspiration

Babette Mangolte says that the film Man with a Movie Camera (1929) made her want to become a cinematographer.

Seeing the film several times between 1961 and 1964 led me to apply to film school, giving up on the predictability of an academic life in mathematics for a life of uncertainty and adventure. In the 1960s, women and film cameras just didn't mix and I was warned against pursuing my dream. But Utopia and joie de vivre were at the core of Man with a Movie Camera and I was unafraid.

—Babette Mangolte, "Life in Film: Babette Mangolte"

She is known for making experimental films. These films are often influenced by styles like the French New Wave and Structural film. She has made many films about dancers and performance artists. She has also directed documentaries and story-based films. Her films include both short and long movies. Her most recent film is Seven Easy Pieces (2007). This film is a documentary about the performance artist Marina Abramović.

Today, Babette Mangolte is a professor at the University of California, San Diego.

Filmography

Here is a list of films that Babette Mangolte directed, produced, photographed, or edited:

• 1975 What Maisie Knew (58 minutes, black and white)
• 1976 (Now) (Maintenant entre parentheses) (10 minutes, color)
• 1977 The Camera: Je (La Camera: I) (88 minutes, color)
• 1978 Water Motor (9 minutes, black and white) - This film featured choreography by Trisha Brown.
• 1979 There? Where? (8 minutes, color)
• 1980 The Cold Eye (My Darling be Careful) (90 minutes, black and white)
• 1982 The Sky on Location (78 minutes, color)
• 1991 Visible Cities (31 minutes, color)
• 1993 Four Pieces by Morris (94 minutes, color) - This film featured choreography by Robert Morris.
• 1995-99 Dismantle (an essay on photography) (in progress)
• 2000 Homemade (6 minutes) - This film featured choreography by Trisha Brown.
• 2003 Les Modèles de Pickpocket (89 minutes)
• 2004 Roof and Fire Piece (31 minutes) - This film featured choreography by Trisha Brown from 1973.
• 2007 Seven Easy Pieces by Marina Abaramović
• 2007 Yvonne Rainer's AG Indexical with a little help from H.M.
• 2008 Yvonne Rainer's RoS Indexical 2010 Slide Shoq
• 2012 Roof Piece on the High Line
• 2012 Patricia Patterson Paintings
• 2012 Edward Krasiński's Studio
• 2012 Homemade (choreography by Trisha Brown, danced by Vicki Shick)

Writings

Babette Mangolte has also written a book:

• Selected Writings, 1998–2015, published in London by Sternberg Press in 2018.

External links

• Babette Mangolte's Official Website: http://www.babettemangolte.org/
• UbuWeb

See also

In Spanish: Babette Mangolte para niños