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 most famous for her independent films from the 1980s, including Born in Flames and Working Girls. Her movies often explore important social topics from a female point of view.

Early Life and Career

Lizzie Borden was born Linda Elizabeth Borden in Detroit, Michigan. Her father was a stockbroker. When she was eleven, she decided to change her name to Lizzie Borden. This was inspired by a famous historical figure. She said choosing a new name was her way of showing her independent spirit.

Borden studied fine arts at Wellesley College. After college, she moved to New York City. There, she worked as a writer and art critic for magazines like Artforum. She was also a painter.

Her career path changed after she saw a collection of films by director Jean-Luc Godard. She was so inspired that she decided to become a filmmaker herself. She wanted to experiment with movies and take a fresh, "naive" approach to making them.

In 1976, Borden made her first film, a documentary called Regrouping. It was about a group of four women artists and the challenges they faced working together. The film used creative techniques from performance art.

Independent Film Career

Borden's films are known for looking at topics like race, social class, and power. She often explores these ideas from a feminist perspective.

Born in Flames (1983)

Borden's first major movie was Born in Flames. It took five years to make on a small budget of $30,000. The film is set in a future New York City after a peaceful social revolution.

The story is about women from different backgrounds who team up to make their voices heard. Borden used non-professional actors to give the film a realistic, documentary-like feel.

Born in Flames was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and won several awards. Filmmaker magazine later named it one of the 50 most important independent films ever made.

Working Girls (1986)

Borden's next film was Working Girls. It showed the daily lives of women working in a controversial profession, presenting it as an economic choice. Borden was inspired by women she met while making her first film.

She wanted the movie to feel like a "backstage" look at this type of work. A reviewer for The New York Times said the film "sounds as authentic as might a documentary about coal miners." It shows the job as sometimes boring or sad, but also sometimes funny or interesting.

Borden wrote, directed, and produced the film. It was a big success at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize.

Hollywood Film Career

After her independent success, Borden got the chance to direct a Hollywood movie with a $6 million budget.

A Difficult Studio Film

The film was her first time working on a big studio project and using another writer's script. Borden wanted to make a film focused on a woman's feelings and point of view. However, she faced a lot of interference from the studio.

The studio removed many scenes and changed the movie to fit what they thought audiences wanted. Borden lost creative control over the final film. She later said, "It's just not my movie, really." The studio even replaced the ending she had filmed with a different one.

The movie did not do well at the box office. Borden later said that the powerful producer Harvey Weinstein made it difficult for her to get other film projects.

Later Work

After her difficult Hollywood experience, Borden directed for television. She worked on shows like The Secret World of Alex Mack. She also directed a segment for the 1995 film ....

In the years that followed, Borden tried to get funding for other independent films. In 1999, a project based on the play Miss Julie fell apart when another director announced a similar movie. In 2001, another project was paused after the September 11th attacks in New York City.

Since the mid-2000s, Borden has worked as a "script doctor," helping to improve scripts for other directors.

Writing

Borden has also worked on writing projects. She edited a book of stories by dancers and collaborated on a series with author Antonia Crane. In 2022, she published a collection of stories she had edited over twenty years. The book, titled ...phobia, was praised for giving a human look into a misunderstood industry.

Legacy

Borden's early films, Born in Flames and Working Girls, are still celebrated today. In 2016, Born in Flames was restored and shown in theaters again. The New Yorker praised the film's "free, ardent, spontaneous creativity."

The restored film traveled to festivals all over the world. Her first film, Regrouping, was also restored and released. The Criterion Collection, which preserves important classic and modern films, has released Working Girls on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Borden has said that Born in Flames and Working Girls are the only two movies she truly considers her own. She explained that her other films were changed so much by producers that they don't represent her vision.

In 2021, Borden was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that gives out the Oscar awards.

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