Beryl Fox facts for kids

Beryl Fox (born December 10, 1931) is a Canadian documentary film director and producer. She is known for making films that explore important social and political topics. Her work helped people understand big events happening in the world.

About Beryl Fox

Early Life and Career

Beryl Fox was born in 1931 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She left high school early but later went back to study business at night. When she was 25, she enrolled at the University of Toronto to study history.

After finishing university, Beryl Fox started working at the CBC in 1962. She began as a script assistant and researcher. Soon, she became a film director. She had a special talent for understanding big social and political issues of her time.

Documenting Important Events

Beryl Fox was the first Canadian filmmaker to deeply explore major events in the United States. She made films about the Vietnam War, civil rights movements, and the fight for women's rights. Her films often showed a critical view of these topics.

One of her most famous films is The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam from 1966. This documentary was filmed entirely in Vietnam while the war was happening. It was unique because it had no narration and used no old footage. It showed the war as it was unfolding.

Awards and Later Work

Beryl Fox has won several awards for her work. She received three Canadian Film Awards. The first was for Summer in Mississippi in 1965. This film was about the civil rights movement. She won two more awards for The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam.

In 1966, Beryl Fox also became the first Canadian to win a George Polk Award. This award recognized her important work on her Vietnam War film. She continued making documentaries for about ten more years. Later, she started producing feature films for general audiences. Her first feature film was Surfacing in 1981.

Beryl Fox was married to Douglas Leiterman. He was a news producer at the CBC. His show, This Hour Has Seven Days, showed many of Beryl Fox's documentary films.

Films by Beryl Fox

• One More River (1963)
• Three on a Match (1963)
• The Single Woman and the Double Standard (1964)
• Summer in Mississippi (1964)
• The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam (1965)
• Youth: In Search of Morality (1966)
• Saigon: Portrait of a City (1967)
• Last Reflections on a War (1968)
• Memorial to Martin Luther King (1969)
• North with the Spring (1970)
• The Visible Woman (1975)