Kay Armatage facts for kids

Kay Armatage (born 1943) is a Canadian filmmaker and writer. She used to be a programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She is also a retired professor at the University of Toronto, where she taught about cinema and women's studies.

Kay Armatage was born in Saskatchewan and now lives in Toronto, Ontario. During her time at TIFF, she worked hard to show films by female directors. She also liked to support films that were a bit different or took risks. Her own films are often documentaries that explore women's lives and issues. They are made in a way that is both realistic and experimental. As a filmmaker who supports women's rights, she makes films that observe and discuss important topics for women. She also likes to challenge traditional ways of making movies.

A Career in Film and Education

Kay Armatage worked as an international programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) from 1982 to 2004. She was part of 23 TIFF events. She is known for supporting filmmakers whose work might be seen as challenging. For example, she stood up for Catherine Breillat’s film Fat Girl (2001) when some wanted to remove parts of it. Armatage has always argued for equal opportunities for women in filmmaking. She believes that women filmmakers should not just aim to be equal, but to go even further. Today, Armatage is on the Board of Directors for Women in View. This group works to improve gender and diversity in Canadian media.

Kay Armatage is also a retired professor at the Cinema Studies Institute and the Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto. She has written many academic books and articles. Some of her well-known works include The Girl From God’s Country: Nell Shipman and Silent Cinema. She also helped edit Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women’s Cinema. Through her writing, Armatage hopes to fill the gaps in books and articles about filmmaking by women.

Making Films

As a filmmaker, Kay Armatage is known for her documentaries that explore women's issues. Her films often focus on the lives and experiences of women. She also tries to follow the ideas of feminist filmmaking. This means being flexible with roles, working together, and making sure everyone involved is treated equally. Her first two short films, Jill Johnston: October 1975 (co-directed with Lydia Wazana, 1977) and Gertrude and Alice in Passing (1978), are seen as some of the first Canadian independent films to highlight the importance of women's history and culture.

Armatage's films have been shown in art galleries and film festivals. These include the Art Gallery of Ontario and film festivals in Chicago, Toronto, and Edinburgh. Her film Artist on Fire (1987) received a special award for excellent documentary filmmaking. This award was given by the jury for the Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Film at the 1987 Toronto International Film Festival.

Jill Johnston: October 1975 (1977)

Kay Armatage's first film was a short documentary. She directed it with Lydia Wazana. The film follows an American writer and critic named Jill Johnston during a week of interviews in Toronto. The first time the film was shown was at the University of Toronto's Innis College. This day became a memorable moment in Armatage's career. After the film ended, Jill Johnston, the person the film was about, stood on stage. She announced that she had a disagreement with the filmmakers. She felt the film did not show her accurately. She believed the image it created would 'harm' her goals as a serious writer. Because of this, Johnston did not allow the film to be shown outside of Canada.

Filmography