Lizzie Borden (director) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lizzie Borden
Lizzie Borden in 2019
Born	Linda Elizabeth Borden February 3, 1958 Detroit, Michigan, United States
Occupation	Film director
Years active	1976–present

Lizzie Borden (born Linda Elizabeth Borden) is an American filmmaker. She is well-known for her early independent movies. These include Born in Flames (1983) and Working Girls (1986).

Early Life and Filmmaking Start

Lizzie Borden was born Linda Elizabeth Borden in Detroit, Michigan. Her father worked as a stockbroker. When she was eleven, she chose to change her name to Lizzie Borden. This name was inspired by a famous historical figure. She said this name change was her way of showing independence.

Borden studied fine arts at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. After college, she moved to New York City. She started her career as a writer and art critic. She wrote articles for Artforum magazine. She also worked as a painter.

Her interest in filmmaking began after seeing films by Jean-Luc Godard. She felt inspired to make movies herself. She wanted to try new ways of making films.

First Experimental Film

In 1976, Borden made an experimental documentary film called Regrouping. This film showed how a group of women artists broke apart. It used special techniques from performance art. The film also looked at how movies themselves can affect groups.

Independent Film Career Highlights

Lizzie Borden's films often explore important topics. She looks at ideas like fairness, money, and power. She tells these stories from a feminist point of view. This means she focuses on women's experiences and rights.

Making Born in Flames

Borden's first major film was Born in Flames. It took her five years to film and edit. The movie was made with a small budget of only $30,000. It was finished in 1983.

The story takes place in New York City in the near future. It shows how media affects society. The film started as a project about white women's reactions to a strict government. It grew into a story about different groups of women working together. These included women of color, lesbians, and white women from various backgrounds. The movie explored conflicts related to race, class, and politics.

Born in Flames used actors who were not professionals. It was filmed in a raw, pseudo-documentary style. Critics said it was like a "collage" of women's work. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. It also won several awards. Filmmaker magazine called it one of "The Most Important 50 Independent Films."

Working Girls and Mainstream Success

Borden's next film was Working Girls. It kept some of the style of her first film. But it was made in a more traditional way. The movie was inspired by women who helped make Born in Flames. Borden wanted it to be seen as a fictional story, not a documentary.

Borden wrote, directed, and produced Working Girls. It first showed at the 39th Cannes Film Festival in May 1986. The film then debuted at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival. There, it won a Special Jury Prize. Miramax Films then decided to distribute the movie.

Hollywood Film Projects

After her independent success, Miramax gave Borden a $6 million budget. This was for Love Crimes. It was her first Hollywood movie. It was also her first film based on someone else's script. The film starred Sean Young and Patrick Bergin.

Love Crimes was released in theaters on January 24, 1992. It did not do well at the box office. It was removed from theaters after three weeks. The movie earned less than half of its budget back.

After Love Crimes, Borden found it hard to get new film projects started. She worked on television shows. She directed episodes of Red Shoe Diaries, The Secret World of Alex Mack, and other productions. She also directed local theater plays in Hollywood.

In 1999, Borden tried to get funding for a film version of the play Miss Julie. But another director announced his own version. This caused Borden's funding to fall apart.

In 2001, Borden was in New York City for a new film project called Rialto. She was there on the morning of the 9/11 events. The project was then put on hold.

Since the mid-2000s, Borden has worked as a script doctor. This means she helps improve scripts for other directors. She has worked on TV pilots for Fox Television. She also wrote a play about singer Nina Simone. She continues to look for money to make her own independent films.

Legacy and Recognition

Lizzie Borden's films continue to be important. In 2016, Born in Flames was restored. This means it was cleaned up and made to look new again. It was shown again at the Anthology Film Archives. The New Yorker magazine praised the film's creativity.

The restored Born in Flames traveled to many places. It was shown at film festivals in Toronto, London, and Edinburgh. It also screened in cities like Brussels, Barcelona, and Detroit. Her first film, Regrouping, was also shown at some of these screenings.

Born In Flames was featured at the Final Girls Berlin film festival in 2019. It was also shown on Turner Classic Movies in 2020. The Bronx Museum of the Arts featured Born in Flames in an exhibition in 2021.

Borden's early films are still shown around the world. Regrouping was also restored in 2021. The Criterion Channel has shown Born In Flames and an interview with Borden. The Criterion Collection also released Working Girls on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2021.

In 2021, Lizzie Borden was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is a big honor in the film world.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lizzie Borden (directora) para niños

• List of female film and television directors
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women