Lesley Ann Patten facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lesley Ann Patten
Occupation	Film director, Screenwriter and Film producer
Years active	1988 – Present

Lesley Ann Patten is a talented film director, screenwriter, and producer. She makes movies and TV shows. Her first big documentary film, called Loyalties, won a special prize called the Canada Award in 1999.

Early Life and Background

Lesley Ann Patten grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. Her grandfather was Rear Admiral Stanley F. Patten. He was an important naval commander during World War II.

She went to Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Before becoming a filmmaker, Lesley Ann worked as a radio announcer. She was on the radio from 1978 to 1984. She worked at stations in cities like Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City.

In 1991, she moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She started her own company, ZIJI Film & Television Limited, in 1999. This company creates films that Ms. Patten writes and directs.

Filmmaking Career

Lesley Ann Patten directed her first documentary film in 1988. It was called Dancemaker: Judith Jamison. This film was shown on PBS television across the country.

From 1990 to 1991, she wrote and directed stories for a TV show. The show was called The Real Story on CNBC Network News.

Her first full-length documentary, Loyalties, won the Canada Award in 1999. She is also well-known for her documentary Words Of My Perfect Teacher. This film features Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche.

Key Films and Projects

Lesley Ann Patten has worked on many films as a writer and director. These include Dancemaker (1988), Loyalties (1999), The Voice Set Free (2000), Word Of My Perfect Teacher (2005), and Regarding: Cohen (2006).

She has also written screenplays for three films that are being developed. These are The Book of Secrets, Tales From The Kingdom, and Te Juro. She also worked as a producer on Warrior Songs (1997) and Generation XXL (2008).

Dancemaker: Judith Jamison (1989)

Dancemaker: Judith Jamison is a documentary made for PBS. It shows Judith Jamison, a famous dancer, working with young dancers. The film captures her teaching and choreography. It is the only film of its kind about Judith Jamison.

Warrior Songs, King Gesar (1997)

This film tells the story of Gesar of Ling, a legendary Tibetan warrior-king. It is presented like an opera. The film features famous musicians like Yo-Yo Ma and Peter Serkin.

Warrior Songs combines music, horseback riding, dance, and storytelling. It shows Gesar battling challenges to protect humanity. The music for the film was composed by Peter Lieberson. In 1997, Warrior Songs was nominated for an award at the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

Loyalties (1999)

Loyalties is a film that explores the difficult history of slavery. It focuses on two women who deal with the harsh realities of that time. The film features authors Ruth Holmes Whitehead and Carmelita Robertson. It was filmed in South Carolina and Nova Scotia.

The Voice Set Free (2000)

This film tells the story of Jo-Ann Mayhew. She was a woman who ended up in a women's prison in Kingston, Ontario. While there, she became an activist for the rights of prisoners. She later finished her sentence at a special Healing Lodge in Saskatchewan. This lodge was run by tribal elders. Her sentence was later shortened.

Words Of My Perfect Teacher (2003)

This documentary explores the relationship between a student and a teacher in Vajrayana Buddhism. The film's title comes from a famous book by Patrul Rinpoche. The "perfect teacher" in the film is Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. He is a respected Buddhist teacher and also a film director. The film includes appearances by Steven Seagal and Bernardo Bertolucci.

This film was later made available in French (2005), Spanish (2009), and Chinese (2012).

Cohen's War (2005)

This hour-long film, shown on CBC Network, is about M. Lee Cohen. He is a Canadian immigration lawyer known for helping refugees. The film follows his work with two people seeking help: Sonya Pecelj from Kosovo and a Russian sailor named Vladimir Zalipyatskikh. Sonya sought safety in a church, and Vladimir escaped a difficult situation from a ship in Halifax Harbour.

Regarding Cohen

This is a longer version of the documentary about M. Lee Cohen. It shows more of the story, including Vladimir Zalipyatskikh's journey. Vladimir was later allowed to return to Canada and become a landed immigrant in 2010.

Awards and Recognition

Lesley Ann Patten has received many awards and nominations for her films:

• 1997: Nominated for a Banff Rockie Award for "Warrior Songs".
• 1999: Won the Canada Award for Loyalties.
• 1999: Won Best Social Issue Film at Hot Docs for Loyalties.
• 2000: Won a Golden Sheaf Award at the Yorkton Film Festival for Loyalties.
• 2000: Named one of the Best 10 Documentaries of 2000 by the American Film Festival for Loyalties.
• 2000: Won a Gemini Award for Best Direction of a Documentary for "The Voice Set Free".
• 2008: Won a CFTPA Indie Award.
• 2008: Was a semi-finalist in the Francis Ford Coppola Screenplay Contest.
• 2008: Won Best Documentary Short at the International Family Film Festival, Hollywood.
• 2008: Nominated for a Gemini Award.
• 2008: Won the Students Choice Award at the Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children.
• 2008: Won Best Documentary Award from ViewFinders: International Film Festival for Youth.