Jennifer Hodge de Silva facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jennifer Hodge de Silva
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| Born | 28 January 1951 |
| Died | 5 May 1989 (aged 38) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Fine Arts (1974) |
| Alma mater | Glendon College at York University |
| Known for | filmmaking |
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Notable work
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Home Feeling: A Struggle for Community (1983) |
| Movement | Black liberalism |
| Spouse(s) | Paul de Silva in 1982 |
| Children | Zinzi de silva |
| Parent(s) | Mairuth Vaughan Hodge Sarsfield and Cullen Squire Hodge |
Jennifer Hodge de Silva (born January 28, 1951 – died May 5, 1989) was a talented filmmaker from Canada. She was known for making movies that explored important social issues. Her film, Home Feeling: A Struggle for Community, showed the challenges faced by people living in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto. Many residents there were immigrants from Jamaica and Africa.
Jennifer Hodge de Silva worked with big Canadian organizations. These included the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). She was the first Black filmmaker to work with these national groups.
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Making Films and Documentaries
In 1978, Jennifer Hodge de Silva started her film career. She worked on a film called Fields of Endless Day. She helped as an assistant director and associate producer. The next year, she worked on another film for the CBC. It was a documentary called Dieppe 1942.
Jennifer Hodge de Silva often told stories about different communities. She made films about Chinese-Canadian immigrants and Indigenous artists. She also looked at social issues in various neighborhoods.
Her Unique Filmmaking Style
During the 1980s, Jennifer Hodge de Silva directed many films. These films helped shape what Black Canadian films were like. She mainly made documentaries, which are films that show real-life events. She often made films that were sponsored by groups like the Ministry of Education.
Cameron Bailey, a well-known Canadian film critic, recognized her work. He is also the artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival. In 1990, he wrote about her films. He praised her for her important contributions to filmmaking.
Home Feeling: A Struggle for Community
One of her most famous films is the 1983 documentary Home Feeling: A Struggle for Community. This film looked at the relationship between the police and the Black community. It is still used in classrooms today to help people understand these important issues.
Her Family and Legacy
Jennifer Hodge de Silva came from a family of strong women. Her grandmother, Anna Packwood, and her mother, Mairuth Vaughan Hodge Sarsfield, were social activists. They worked to make positive changes in their communities. Jennifer Hodge de Silva continued this family tradition through her powerful films.
