Sylvia Spring facts for kids

Sylvia Spring (born July 14, 1942) is a Canadian writer, filmmaker, and activist. An activist is someone who works hard to bring about positive change. Spring is known as a feminist, which means she believes in and works for equality between men and women. She became famous for directing Madeleine Is..., one of the first major Canadian films directed by a woman. She also helped create groups like MediaWatch Canada to make sure women were shown in a fair and realistic way in movies, on TV, and in ads. For her important work, she was named one of Canada's Most Powerful Women in 2005.

Early life

Sylvia Spring was born in Galt, Ontario, on July 14, 1942. After finishing high school, she went to university in the United States. She studied English literature and drama at the State University of New York, Buffalo.

A Career in Media and Filmmaking

After university, Spring began her career working in many creative fields. She wrote poetry and worked in advertising, journalism, radio, and television. She directed a TV series called This Land is People, which introduced viewers to interesting and important Canadians.

A Groundbreaking Film: Madeleine Is ...

In 1969, Spring received a grant from the Canadian Film Development Corporation to make a full-length movie. The result was the 1971 film Madeleine Is ..., which she co-wrote and directed. This was a big deal because very few women were directing major films in Canada at the time.

The movie tells the story of a young artist named Madeleine, played by actress Nicola Lipman. Madeleine moves from Quebec to Vancouver to follow her dreams. In the new city, she goes through some difficult relationships but eventually discovers her own strength and identity as an artist.

When the film first came out, not everyone knew what to make of it. Some critics didn't like it, but others praised it for its warmth and honesty. Over time, more people began to see how important Madeleine Is ... was. Today, it is seen as a valuable film that shows a woman's journey to independence. It is also considered a great snapshot of what life was like in Vancouver during the 1970s.

Fighting for Fair Portrayals in Media

Sylvia Spring believed that the way women were shown on TV and in ads was often unfair or unrealistic. This is sometimes called "sex-role stereotyping." She wanted to change this.

In 1979, she joined a special group created by the Canadian government. The group's job was to create guidelines for TV and radio stations. These guidelines would help them show women in more positive and realistic ways.

Later, Spring helped start a group called MediaWatch Canada. This organization watched TV shows and ads to see how women were being portrayed. It also helped the public complain if they saw something unfair. Thanks to the work of Spring and others, new rules were put in place to encourage more respectful portrayals of women in Canadian media.

Her work was noticed around the world. She traveled to other countries, like Australia, to share her ideas. She also helped start the Global Media Monitoring Project. This project checks news media in countries all over the world on one single day to see how women are represented. The first one happened in 1995 with 71 countries taking part.

Telling Women's Stories

Spring wanted to create more films that focused on women's lives and experiences. She was part of a filmmaking group called Fromunder Films and later started her own company, Making Waves Productions.

Through her company, she produced several important documentaries. A documentary is a film that tells a true story about real people and events.

• In 1995, she produced Voices and Visions, a series about a major United Nations conference on women held in Beijing, China.
• In 1996, her film Breaking the Silence: Stories from AIDS Activists in Southern Africa won two awards.
• In 2005, she co-produced Our bodies...their battleground. This powerful documentary was about the serious problems and lack of safety for women and girls in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. The film was shown at a United Nations film festival and was voted the best film by all the judges.

Personal Life

Sylvia Spring lives in Wakefield, Quebec, with her partner, Canadian diplomat Carolyn McAskie.

Filmography

• 1966-67 This Land is People (director)
• 1967 Hippies and Housing (director; writer; TV)
• 1968 Know Place (co-director with David Rimmer; writer)
• 1971 Madeleine Is… (director; writer)
• 1972 Weekday series (director; TV)
• 1973 Nightmusic (director; TV) - a program about music and communication
• 1973 Point of View Dog (director; writer; producer)
• 1975 Some of My Best Friends Are Men series (director; TV, four episodes)
• 1977 Women and the Law (director; writer; producer)
• 1989 Something in Common: Children of Other Lands series (director; writer)
• 1995 Voices and Visions series (producer; TV)
• 1996 Breaking the Silence: Stories from AIDS Activists in Southern Africa (producer)
• 1998 Making Waves: Canadian Women Evolving Through the 20th Century (writer; executive producer)
• 2001 20th Century Gals (According to Babe)
• 2005 Our bodies...their battleground (co-producer with Nicky Chalk)

Awards

• 1969 - Canadian Film Development Corporation $15,000 grant
• 1970 - Vancouver International Film Festival Award of Merit for Madeleine (a short film that is part of Madeleine Is ...)
• 2005 - Top 100 list of Canada's Most Powerful Women, in the Trailblazers category.
• 2005 - Best Feature for documentaries over 15 minutes, United Nations Documentary Film Festival, for Our bodies...their battleground