Nettie Wild facts for kids
Nettie Wild (full name Nettie Barry Canada Wild) is a Canadian filmmaker. She makes documentaries that focus on groups of people who face unfair treatment. Her films highlight issues in Canada and around the world. Nettie has worked as an actor, director, producer, and cameraperson.
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Growing Up and Learning
Nettie Wild was born in New York City on May 18, 1952. Her father was British, and her mother was from Kitsilano, Canada. Her dad was a journalist, and her mom was an opera singer. Nettie's mother wanted her to stay connected to her Canadian roots.
One month after Nettie was born, her family moved to Vancouver. She lived most of her life there.
Nettie studied at the University of British Columbia. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in creative writing. She also studied film and theatre. While at university, Nettie helped start two theatre groups. She co-founded Touchstone Theatre and Headlines Theatre with a fellow student, David Diamond.
Making Films and Documentaries
In 1991, Nettie Wild started her own film company. It was called Canada Wild Production. She started it with producer Betsy Carson. The company's name came from Nettie's full name. It also showed their interest in Canadian topics. However, they also made films about global issues.
One of Nettie's first documentaries was Right to Fight (1982). This film looked at the housing crisis in Vancouver, Canada. Many people found it hard to find good homes. Some even lived in poverty. This issue was important to Nettie because she grew up in Vancouver. The film did not become very famous.
Nettie then made A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution (1988). She spent months in the Philippines for this film. She recorded footage and interviewed many people. Nettie wanted to show what the revolution was really like. She aimed to correct common Western ideas about it. This documentary helped Nettie become well-known. It also helped her get support for future projects.
A Place Called Chiapas (1998) is another documentary by Nettie Wild. It follows protests and revolts in Chiapas, Mexico. Chiapas is a rural state with high rates of poverty. The film shows what happened after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed. This agreement caused the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) to take over towns and ranches. The group was led by Subcomandante Marcos. Nettie's film showed the rebellion from an outsider's view. This made the film very successful.
Selected Films
- Right to Fight (1982) – about the housing crisis in Vancouver, Canada.
- A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution (1988)
- Blockade (1993) – about a Gitksan logging blockade at Gitwangak.
- A Place Called Chiapas (1998) – about Zapatistas in Chiapas, Mexico.
- Koneline: Our Land Beautiful (2016) – about the Tahltan people, their culture, and their lands.
Awards and Recognition
Nettie Wild has won many awards for her films.
- In 1998, she won the audience award for best documentary film at the AFI Fest. This was for A Place Called Chiapas.
- She won Genie Awards for Best Feature Length Documentary for A Place Called Chiapas and Fix.
- She also won two awards at the Berlin International Film Festival for A Rustling of Leaves.
- At the 2016 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Nettie won Best Canadian Feature Documentary. This was for her film KONELĪNE: our land beautiful.
- In 2016, her film KONELĪNE: our land beautiful won another award. It received the Women in Film and Television Artistic Merit Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival. This award goes to a Canadian feature film written or directed by a woman.
- In 2023, Nettie Wild received the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts. This award recognizes her artistic achievements.
