Sylvia Spring facts for kids

Sylvia Spring was born on July 14, 1942. She is a Canadian writer, filmmaker, and activist who works for women's rights. In 1970, she directed Madeleine Is .... This was the first full-length English movie made in Canada by a woman director.

Sylvia also helped start MediaWatch Canada. This group worked to change how women were shown in ads. She spoke around the world about this important topic. In 2005, she was named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women. She was recognized as a "Trailblazer and Trendsetter."

Early Life

Sylvia Spring was born in Galt, Ontario. This was on July 14, 1942. She was the second of three children. Her parents were Daniel Ronald Spring and Shanna Shapiro.

She went to the State University of New York, Buffalo. There, she earned a degree in English literature and drama.

Sylvia Spring's Career

After college, Sylvia Spring wrote poetry. She also worked in advertising and journalism. She had jobs in radio and television too.

She interviewed the Canadian poet Irving Layton on the radio. She directed a TV show called This Land is People. This show introduced viewers to new and interesting Canadians. She also co-directed Know Place. This was a short film about a special school.

Her Film Madeleine Is ...

In 1969, Sylvia Spring received a grant. It was for $15,000 from the Canadian Film Development Corporation. This money helped her make a full-length movie in Canada.

She co-wrote and directed the film, Madeleine Is ... (1971). It was 90 minutes long. A shorter part of the film, called Madeleine, won an award. It won at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 1970.

The movie cost $100,000 to make. It was filmed in Vancouver. The main actress was Nicola Lipman. She played Madeleine, a young painter from Quebec. Madeleine moves to Vancouver. She has a difficult relationship and another unfulfilling one. In the end, she finds her own way as an artist.

The film first showed in April 1971 in Toronto and Montreal. It opened in Vancouver in May 1971. People called it the "First movie by woman film-maker." This was the first since Nell Shipman in 1919.

Some people really liked the movie. They felt it showed different people kindly. They also thought it had a warm feeling. Later, critics said the film was important. It showed Vancouver life and city issues well.

Fighting Stereotypes in Ads

In 1979, Sylvia Spring joined a special group. This group looked at how women were shown on TV and radio. The goal was to make sure women were shown in a positive and real way.

After this, Sylvia and two others started MediaWatch Canada. Sylvia was the National Director. This group taught people about stereotypes. It helped people complain about how women were shown. They also watched TV and radio ads. They talked to the government about changes.

In 1986, new rules were made for broadcasting. These rules helped stop stereotypes. Other countries learned from Canada's experience. Sylvia spoke in Australia in 1988 about women in advertising.

Global Media Monitoring Project

In 1994, Sylvia led a workshop in Bangkok, Thailand. There, they came up with an idea. They wanted to watch media worldwide on one day. This idea became the Global Media Monitoring Project. The first one happened in 1995. Seventy-one countries took part.

Sylvia also worked as a consultant. She helped women's groups share information. In 2000, she went to China. She taught workshops on how Canadian women's groups share news.

Her Film Companies

By 1973, Sylvia Spring was part of Fromunder Films. This company made movies and TV shows only about women. Later, she started her own company, Making Waves Productions.

In 1995, she produced Voices and Visions. This was a series about the UN World Conference on Women in China. In 1996, she produced Breaking the Silence. This film won two awards. It was about AIDS activists in Southern Africa.

In 2005, Sylvia co-produced Our bodies...their battleground. This was a documentary about women and girls. It focused on those in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. This film was shown at the first United Nations Documentary Film Festival. It received the top vote from all judges.

Sylvia Spring now lives in Wakefield, Quebec. She lives with her partner, 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
• 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
• 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