Fronza Woods facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fronza Woods
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Woods in October 2019
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| Born | October 20, 1943 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Wayne State University |
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Fronza Woods is an American filmmaker. She is well known for her short films. These include Killing Time (1979) and Fannie's Film (1982).
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About Fronza Woods
Fronza Woods was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1943. This was just before the car industry grew very big there. As she grew up, she listened to many radio shows with her family. Shows like The Jack Benny Program and The Lone Ranger were popular.
Woods went to Wayne State University in Detroit. She earned a degree in Mass Communications and Russian.
Starting Her Career
Fronza Woods first worked as a writer for an advertising company in Detroit. In 1967, she moved to New York City. There, she started working in television at ABC. She was a production assistant for documentaries. She also taught Pilates for many years.
Before making her own movies, Woods worked on short films. She got help from other filmmakers like Ellen Hovde. She also worked with the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Woods once said that making movies was the first thing she truly chose to do.
Woods also helped with other films. She was an assistant sound engineer for The Brother from Another Planet. She also acted in the 1985 film, The Man Who Envied Women. Woods has said that she was inspired by many different people. These included Bill Moyers and Malcolm X.
Later, Woods went to New York University film school. But she left to become a teacher. She moved to Milwaukee and taught filmmaking at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. In 1987, she moved to France after meeting her husband.
Her Short Films
Killing Time (1979)
Killing Time is a short story film from 1979. Fronza Woods wrote and directed it. The film is 9 minutes long. A film critic named Richard Brody called it "one of the best short films that I've ever seen." Woods was very touched by his kind words. She felt he truly understood the challenges faced by black women filmmakers back then.
Fannie's Film (1981)
Fannie's Film is a short documentary from 1981. It follows a 65-year-old cleaning woman named Fannie Drayton. The film is told from Fannie's point of view and is 15 minutes long.
A writer named Hugues Perrot described how the film shows Fannie cleaning an empty studio. He said the film makes her quiet voice heard. This voice tells about the happy life she has lived.
Fannie's Film was shown at the 1985 Créteil International Women's Film Festival. Woods said she likes films about real people. She is inspired by people who face challenges and deal with them. She wanted Fannie's Film to show that "invisible" people have rich lives. They have people who love them and they have dreams. Woods wanted people to think about those who make their lives easier.
Impact and Recognition
Fronza Woods is one of the first black women directors. She made several short films. In 2017, a place called BAM Cinematheque in New York City showed both Killing Time and Fannie's Film. This helped people "re-discover" Woods's work.
Woods said it felt strange to hear her films would be shown again. This was almost 35 years after she made them. She felt like an artist who was never truly discovered. Now, she was being "re-discovered."
Critics have praised her films. Richard Brody called Killing Time "one of the best short films that I've ever seen." Melissa Anderson from the Village Voice said Fannie's Film makes Fannie Drayton's everyday life unforgettable. Hyperallergic said Woods gives a voice to women who are often not seen. The New York Times wrote that Woods "humorously yet movingly contemplates existence" in Killing Time.
In 2019, her films were shown at film festivals in France and Belgium. In 2021, Killing Time and Fannie’s Film were screened in Portugal.
In an essay, Woods joked about her late recognition. She said a psychic once told her she wouldn't be "just any old name in the phone book." She was disappointed then. But now, she feels this late recognition is good enough.
