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Caroline Leaf
Born (1946-08-12) August 12, 1946 (age 79)
Seattle, Washington, United States
Alma mater Radcliffe College
Occupation
Years active 1969–present

Caroline Leaf (born August 12, 1946) is a talented Canadian-American filmmaker, animator, and artist. She has made many short animated films that are famous around the world. She is especially known for being one of the first and most important filmmakers at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). She worked there from 1972 to 1991. During her time at the NFB, she invented cool new ways to animate. These included sand animation and paint-on-glass animation. She also experimented with 70 mm IMAX film. Her films often show Canadian culture and tell interesting stories. Today, Caroline Leaf lives in London, England. She teaches at The National Film and Television School. She also has a studio where she creates paintings and drawings. She even does landscape drawing using an iPad!

Caroline Leaf's Early Life and First Films

Caroline Leaf was born in Seattle, Washington, USA. She grew up in Boston. From 1964 to 1968, she studied architectural sciences and visual arts at Radcliffe College, which is part of Harvard University. In her last year, she took an animation class. Her teacher, Derek Lamb, encouraged students to focus on how things move.

This is where Caroline started working with sand on a lightbox. She poured sand and moved it around, frame by frame. This is how she invented sand animation! Her very first film, Sand, or Peter and the Wolf, was made using this method. Harvard University even gave her a scholarship for it.

After college, she spent a year in Italy to improve her drawing skills. When she returned to Harvard, she made her second animated film, Orfeo. For this film, she used a new technique: painting on glass right under the camera. Later, she worked as a freelance artist in Boston. There, she made another film called How Beaver Stole Fire.

In 1972, Caroline Leaf moved to Montreal, Canada. She joined the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as an animator and director. She worked in both the French and English animation departments until 1991. During those years, she created nine animated films, some live puppet films, and even a documentary.

Caroline Leaf's Animation Career

Caroline Leaf made her first film, Sand, or Peter and the Wolf, in 1969 at Harvard University. She created it by pouring sand on a light box and changing the shapes for each frame. Her next film at Harvard, Orfeo, was made by painting directly on glass under the camera.

In 1972, the National Film Board of Canada invited her to join their French Animation Studio. Her first film for the NFB was The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend. To make this film, she traveled to the Canadian Arctic twice. First, she worked with the Inuvialuk artist Agnes Nanogak on the designs. Then, she went back to record sounds for the film.

Her most famous short film is The Street, made in 1976. She drew this film directly under the camera using a mix of paint and glycerin. The story came from a short story by Mordecai Richler. The Street was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It is also shown in the Animation Show of Shows.

Caroline Leaf also helped direct an animated documentary called Interview with Veronika Soul. She made a documentary about the singers Kate & Anna McGarrigle. In 1990, she tried a new animation style. She scratched images into the surface of exposed black 70 mm color film. Then, she re-filmed it on 35 mm film. She spent two years using this technique for her film Two Sisters. This film has a serious and dark story. Two Sisters won the award for best short film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 1991.

Caroline Leaf worked at the NFB until 1991. After that, she stopped animating for a while to focus on being a fine artist. She started working with oil paints. In 2004, she created animation for a film about the Underground Railroad. This film was called Suite for Freedom, and her part was named Slavery.

How Caroline Leaf Influenced Animation

Caroline Leaf found a very creative way to animate in her class at Harvard. She then developed these ideas throughout her career. She was a pioneer in sand animation and paint-on-glass animation. She also etched directly onto film. All her techniques are known for their "fluid transitions," meaning the movements flow smoothly.

She chose different techniques to best tell the story of each film. This showed off her unique storytelling style. She created simple, personal, and fictional stories often based on books. Her films feature characters with real and complicated problems. She once said, "Every decision when I am animating is for the benefit of the story."

Caroline Leaf is also seen as an important Canadian filmmaker. This is because of her long work with the National Film Board of Canada. Her films also often show Canadian culture. You can see this in films like The Street, The Owl who Married a Goose, and Kate and Anna McGarrigle.

Caroline Leaf's Painting and Drawing

Since the year 2000, Caroline Leaf has had a studio in London, England. She has developed her own style of painting using oils. She also creates drawings on paper. Her art is abstract, meaning it doesn't show real-life objects exactly. Instead, it focuses on marks and shapes to create spaces that invite viewers to look closely.

She has also developed a lively way of drawing landscapes. She observes nature directly and works on trips with paper and pencil. She also uses an iPad with drawing apps like Brushes and ProCreate.

Exhibitions and Residencies

Caroline Leaf's artwork has been shown in many exhibitions. These include:

  • onlinegallery.site 'Two Artists One Drawing' (2022)
  • onlinegallery.site 'Spaces' (2021)
  • Playing with Perception, The Gallery, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London (2015)
  • The Leper Chapel, Cambridge, England (2008)
  • The Shop Gallery, Vallance Road, London (2006)
  • The Corridor Gallery, London (2004)
  • Krakow Animation Festival, Kraków, Poland (1998)
  • Animafest Zagreb (Zagreb International Animation Festival), Zagreb, Croatia (1996)

She has also been invited to special art programs called residencies:

  • Michael Nock Foundation, Hong Kong (2014)
  • Abbaye de Fontevraud, France (2014)
  • Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Canada (summer 1997)

Caroline Leaf's Filmography

Caroline Leaf has directed and animated many films. Here are some of her selected works:

Year Title Credit Listing
1969 Sand, or Peter and the Wolf animator, director
1972 Orfeo animator, director
1972 How Beaver Stole Fire animator, director
1976 The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend animator, director
1976 The Street animator, director
1977 The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa animator, director
1979 Interview co-animator, director
1981 Kate and Anna McGarrigle director
1990 Two Sisters animator, director
2004 Slavery director

Awards and Recognition

Caroline Leaf has won many awards for her amazing animated films.

Year Award Competition Title
1975 Émile Reynaud Special Award Annecy International Animation Film Festival, France The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend
1975 Etrog for Best Animated Film 26th Canadian Film Awards The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend
1976 First Prize - Films for Children Ottawa International Animation Festival, Canada The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend
1976 Grand Prix Ottawa International Animation Festival, Canada The Street
1976 Wendy Michener Award 27th Canadian Film Awards The Street
1976 Etrog for Best Animated Film 27th Canadian Film Awards The Street
1977 Critic's Award Annecy International Animation Film Festival, France The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa
1978 Grand Prize Kraków Film Festival, Poland The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa
1979 Jury Award for Best Short Film Montreal World Film Festival Interview
1991 Best Film Award Annecy International Animation Film Festival, France Two Sisters
1991 Grand Prix International Animation Celebration, United States Two Sisters
1992 Best Film Award Tampere Film Festival, Finland Two Sisters
1992 Grand Prize of the Festival: Best Story Ottawa International Animation Festival, Canada Two Sisters

Other Special Awards

  • 1994: Norman McLaren Award
  • 1996: Life Achievement Award, World Festival of Animated Film - Animafest Zagreb
  • 2017: Winsor McCay Award (Life Achievement, Annie Awards)
  • 2019: Dragon of Dragons Award, Kraków Film Festival

Nominations

  • 1977: Academy Award for The Street

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Caroline Leaf para niños

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