Lynne Fernie facts for kids

Lynne Fernie (born 1946) is a Canadian filmmaker and artist. She is known for making documentary films. These films tell true stories about real people and events.

For many years, from 2002 to 2016, Lynne helped choose Canadian films for the Hot Docs Festival. This is a big film festival that shows documentaries from all over the world. People said she had a deep passion for Canadian documentaries and always supported the people who made them.

Filmmaking Career

Lynne Fernie has made many important films. She worked with Aerlyn Weissman to direct a film called Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives in 1992. This film won awards and shared the stories of people's lives and relationships. It is seen as a key part of LGBT film history.

They also directed Fiction and Other Truths: a film about Jane Rule. This film was a biography about the famous author Jane Rule. It also won awards.

Lynne Fernie also made short films for younger audiences. Her films School's Out! (1996) and Apples and Oranges (2003) talk about important issues. They focus on bullying and unfair treatment towards people who are gay or lesbian in schools. Apples and Oranges was made by the National Film Board of Canada. It used both animation and real-life stories to help elementary school children understand these issues.

In Apples and Oranges, one part shows a girl named Anta and her two moms. They work with an all-girl band to deal with a bully. Another part shows two skateboarders, Habib and Jeroux. They learn to handle unfair treatment after Jeroux shares that he is gay.

In 2012, Forbidden Love was made available on a streaming service. This was to celebrate its important place in the history of films about diverse communities.

Other Work and Contributions

Lynne Fernie is also involved in many arts and community groups in Toronto. She helped start a feminist magazine called Fireweed. She also worked as an editor for another arts magazine, Parallélogramme.

She has been very active in supporting LGBTQ+ culture. LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. These groups work for fairness and understanding for all people. Lynne worked with the Lesbian Organization of Toronto and the Inside Out Film and Video Festival.

Lynne is also a talented songwriter. She wrote lyrics for the pop band Parachute Club. This includes the words for their most famous song, "Rise Up". This song was added to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019. She also wrote lyrics for other songs and collaborated with other musicians. She even helped write a theme song for a political campaign.

For eight years, she taught film production at York University. She also continued her work as a programmer for the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

A special portrait of Lynne Fernie is kept at The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives. This is to honor her important role in building LGBT culture and history in Canada. She was also interviewed for a book called The View from Here: Conversations with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers.

Personal Life and Art

Lynne Fernie lives in Toronto. Besides making films, she is also a visual artist. Her art can be seen through the Oeno Gallery. She graduated with honors from the Ontario College of Art and Design University.

She has shown her visual art in many exhibitions. She has also received grants and awards for her art and films. These grants come from organizations like the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council. She has also been a judge for these arts councils, helping to choose other artists to receive support.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

Exhibitions