Norma Bailey facts for kids

Norma Bailey (born in 1949) is a Canadian film director, writer, and producer from Gimli, Manitoba. She is known for making films that tell important stories, especially about women and Indigenous peoples.

Bailey has directed many movies and TV shows in both English and French. Her work often explores ideas of fairness and equality. For her amazing career in film, she was named to the Order of Manitoba in 2010, a high honor in her home province.

Career Highlights

Norma Bailey started her film career after graduating from the University of Manitoba. One of her first jobs was as a production assistant on the movie Rabid. She later joined the National Film Board of Canada, a famous Canadian film organization.

Her first short film, The Performer (1980), was a big success. It won a special jury prize at the famous Cannes Film Festival. This was just the beginning of a long and successful career.

Over the years, Bailey has directed many types of films, including documentaries, feature films, and TV shows. Some of her well-known projects include:

• The Sheldon Kennedy Story
• Cowboys and Indians: The Killing of J. J. Harper
• Bordertown Café (1992), which won a Genie Award

She also produced a groundbreaking series called Daughters of the Country. This series told stories about the lives of Indigenous women.

Telling Stories That Matter

Norma Bailey is known for making films that challenge old-fashioned ideas. She often focuses on two important themes: telling women's stories and exploring the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Championing Strong Female Characters

Many of Norma Bailey's films feature strong, independent women as the main characters. This is a key part of her style. In movies like Nose and Tina (1980) and The Wake (1986), she shows women who are powerful and ambitious.

At the time she began making films, it was not common to see such realistic female characters on screen. Bailey's work was a fresh change from the usual way women were shown in movies. By focusing on their strengths and struggles, she helped change how women were represented in film.

A Closer Look: The Wake (1986)

The Wake is a great example of Bailey's filmmaking. The film tells the story of Joan, a Métis woman living in rural Alberta. Joan is a single mother who is strong and independent.

The film shows motherhood in a very real way. Joan is not a perfect mother; she makes mistakes, just like real people do. This was different from many movies that showed motherhood as easy and perfect. Bailey showed that being a mother is challenging, and that's okay.

Also, the main hero of the story is Joan, a Métis woman. In many older films, especially Westerns, the heroes were almost always white men. Bailey changed this by making an Indigenous woman the most relatable and morally strong character in the film.

Exploring Indigenous History and Culture

Norma Bailey has also made several important films about the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada. She works to tell these stories with respect and understanding, avoiding harmful stereotypes.

Her films often explore the effects of colonialism. Colonialism is when one country takes control of another land and its people, forcing its own culture and rules on them. This had many negative effects on Indigenous communities in Canada. Bailey's films show the strength of Indigenous people as they deal with this history.

A Closer Look: Ikwe (1986)

Ikwe is another powerful film from the Daughters of the Country series. It is set in the 1770s during the fur trade. The story is about a young Ojibwa girl named Ikwe who marries a Scottish fur trader.

The film shows the clash between two very different cultures. It tells the story from Ikwe's point of view, focusing on her struggles and her strength. This was unusual because most historical films from that time focused only on the perspective of European settlers.

To make the film authentic, Bailey made two important choices:

• Casting: She cast Indigenous actors to play the Indigenous characters. This was not common in the 1980s, but Bailey knew it was important for real representation.
• Language: The film uses traditional Indigenous language, which helps to make the story feel more real and respectful.

Through films like Ikwe, Norma Bailey has helped to share Indigenous stories with a wider audience. She has used her position as a filmmaker to be an ally to Indigenous communities.

Filmography

Awards

American Indian Film Festival

Canadian Screen Awards, CA

Cannes Film Festival

Directors Guild of Canada

Gemini Awards

Bijou Awards