Caroline Leaf (born August 12, 1946) is a Canadian American filmmaker, animator, director, tutor and artist. She has produced numerous short animated films and her work has been recognized worldwide. She is best known as one of the pioneering filmmakers at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). She worked at the NFB from 1972 to 1991. During that time, she created the sand animation and paint-on-glass animation techniques. She also tried new hands-on techniques with 70 mm IMAX film. Her work is often representational of Canadian culture and is narrative-based. Leaf now lives in London, England, and is a tutor at The National Film and Television School. She maintains a studio in London working in oils and on paper and does landscape drawing with an iPad.
Biography and early work Leaf was born in Seattle, Washington and lived in Boston. She attended Radcliffe College, Harvard University, and majored in architectural sciences and visual arts from 1964 to 1968. During her last year of studies, she enrolled in an animation class. The class was taught by Derek Lamb as a creative practice, not as a professional training. Lamb encouraged his students to focus on movement. Leaf worked with beach sand spread on a lightbox. This is when she created sand animation. Using this technique, she produced her first film Sand, or Peter and the Wolf and was awarded a scholarship from Harvard University. After graduation, she moved to Italy for a year to focus on her drawing. Returning to Harvard, she made her second animated film, Orfeo painting on glass. She then did freelance work from a studio in Boston and made How Beaver Stole Fire. Leaf moved to Montreal to work as an animator / director for the National Film Board of Canada in 1972. She worked at the NFB in the French and English animation departments until 1991. She made nine animated and live puppet films and a documentary film during those years.
Career Leaf made her first film, Sand, or Peter and the Wolf, in 1969 at Harvard University. The short was made by pouring sand on a light box and manipulating the shapes frame-by-frame. Her second film at Harvard, Orfeo, was painted on glass under the camera. In 1972, she was invited to join the National Film Board of Canada's French Animation Studio. Her first film for the NFB was The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend.
Making the film involved two trips to the Canadian Arctic, first to collaborate on designs with the Inuvialuk artist Agnes Nanogak and afterwards to record the sound effects for the film. Her most renowned short film was The Street, which was drawn directly under the camera with a mix of paint and glycerin. It was adapted from the short story by Mordecai Richler, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 49th Academy Awards. It is also featured in the Animation Show of Shows.The Street on Animation Show of Shows
Leaf co-directed an animated documentary film called Interview with Veronika Soul. She made a documentary film on the singers Kate & Anna McGarrigle, produced by Derek Lamb. In 1990, she made her first animation in nearly a decade by scratching into the emulsion of exposed black 70 mm colour film and reshooting it on 35 mm film. She worked for two years using this technique on her film Two Sisters original version called Entre Deux Soeurs. The tone and story of this film is dark. Two Sisters won the award for best short film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 1991.
Leaf worked as an animator/director at the NFB until 1991. In 1991, she left animation to establish herself as a fine arts artist working in oils. In 2004, she contributed animation to a film about the Underground Railroad produced by Acme Filmworks in Los Angeles called Suite for Freedom. Her part was called Slavery.
Animation techniques and influence Leaf discovered a spontaneous and artistic hand crafted way of animating in her animation class at Harvard and developed it in her professional career, pioneering: sand and paint-on-glass animation, along with hand etching on film stock. All of her techniques have been described as having "fluid transitions". She used different techniques to best tell the story of each of her films which showcased her narrative-based style. She created simple anecdotal and fictional stories based on literary works. Her films contain characters with relatable and complex issues. Her stories are mostly adaptations from literature and reflect her often dark narrative content. Every decision when I am animating is for the benefit of the story."
Leaf is also considered an influential Canadian filmmaker for her long standing service with the National Film Board of Canada and her representation of Canadian culture in her films. This can mainly be seen in her films The Street, The Owl who Married a Goose, and Kate and Anna McGarrigle.
Painting and drawing Since 2000, Leaf has maintained a studio in London, England, and developed a personal style of painting in oils as well as drawings on paper. Her work is abstract and very much guided by mark-making and a personal search to create spaces a viewer is invited to enter. She has also developed a lively landscape style of direct observation from nature and works on field trips with paper and pencil and also iPad, using programs called Brushes and ProCreate.
Exhibitions
onlinegallery.site 'Two Artists One Drawing' 2022 onlinegallery.site 'Spaces' 2021 Playing with Perception, The Gallery, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London, 2015 The Leper Chapel, Cambridge, England, 2008 The Shop Gallery, Vallance Road, London, 2006 The Corridor Gallery, London, 2004 Krakow Animation Festival, Kraków, Poland, 1998 Animafest Zagreb (Zagreb International Animation Festival), Zagreb, Croatia, 1996
Residencies Michael Nock Foundation, Hong Kong, 2014 Abbaye de Fontevraud, France, 2014 Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Canada, summer 1997
Selected filmography YearTitleCredit Listing1969Sand, or Peter and the Wolfanimator, director1972Orfeoanimator, director1972How Beaver Stole Fireanimator, director1976The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legendanimator, director1976The Streetanimator, director1977The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsaanimator, director1979Interviewco-animator, director1981Kate and Anna McGarrigledirector1981The Right to Refuseco-screenwriter, co-producer, director1982An Equal Opportunitydirector, co-screenwriter1983Piesanimator1983War Seriesanimator, director1985The Owl and the Pussycatdirector, producer, designer1986The Fox and The Tiger: A Chinese Parabledirector, designer1986A Dog's Tale: A Mexican Parabledirector1988Paradise Foundanimator, director1990Two Sistersanimator, director1991I Met a Mananimator, director1993Bell Partoutanimator, director1994Fleay's Fauna Centreanimator, director1995Brain Battleanimator, director1995Radio Rock Detenteanimator, director2004Slaverydirector
Awards YearAwardCompetitionTitle1975Émile Reynaud Special AwardAnnecy International Animation Film Festival, FranceThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1975Etrog for Best Animated Film26th Canadian Film AwardsThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1976Victorian Government PrizeMelbourne Film Festival, AustraliaThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1976Third Prize - Silver BoomerangMelbourne Film Festival, AustraliaThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1976First PrizeMelbourne Film Festival, AustraliaThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1976First Prize - Films for ChildrenOttawa International Animation Festival, CanadaThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1976Silver Cindy AwardCindy Competition, United StatesThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1976Special Award for AnimationCindy Competition, United StatesThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1976Silver AwardInformation Film Producers Association Convention, United StatesThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1976Grand PrixOttawa International Animation Festival, CanadaThe Street1976Wendy Michener Award27th Canadian Film AwardsThe Street1976Etrog for Best Animated Film27th Canadian Film AwardsThe Street1977Blue Ribbon Award - Language ArtsAmerican Film and Video FestivalThe Street1977Special PrizeMelbourne International Film Festival, AustraliaThe Street1977First Prize - Animated FilmsCork International Film Festival, IrelandThe Street1977Chris Bronze PlaqueColumbus International Film & Animation Festival, United StatesThe Street1977First PrizeHigh Plains Film Festival - Texas Tech University, United StatesThe Street1977Special Jury MentionLille International Short Film Festival, FranceThe Street1977Red Ribbon Award - Language artsAmerican Film and Video FestivalThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1977First PrizeMelbourne Film Festival, AustraliaThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1977Special Jury MentionInternational Arctic Film Festival, FinlandThe Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend1977Critic's AwardAnnecy International Animation Film Festival, FranceThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa1978Award for Best AnimationHuesca International Film Festival, SpainThe Street1978Merit AwardAnnual International Film Festival, United StatesThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa1978Grand PrizeKraków Film Festival, PolandThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa1978Special Jury AwardOttawa International Animation FestivalThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa1978Certificate for Outstanding AchievementGolden Gate Awards Competition & International Film Festival, United StatesThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa1979AMER Golden Eye AwardAnnual AMER Film Awards, United StatesThe Street1979Jury Award for Best Short FilmMontreal World Film FestivalInterview1979First Prize (5-15 mins)World Festival of Animated FilmInterview1980Certificate for an Outstanding FilmHong Kong International Film FestivalThe Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa1981Grand PrixMelbourne Film Festival, AustraliaInterview1991Best Film AwardAnnecy International Animation Film Festival, FranceTwo Sisters1991Grand PrixInternational Animation Celebration, United StatesTwo Sisters1991Best Animation AwardInternational Short Film Festival, SwedenTwo Sisters1992Honorable MentionAmerican Film and Video FestivalTwo Sisters1992Special Jury AwardInternational Animation Film Festival, ChinaTwo Sisters1992Alberta-Quebec AwardQuebec-Alberta Prizes, CanadaTwo Sisters1992Best Film AwardTampere Film Festival, FinlandTwo Sisters1992Silver Apple AwardNational Educational Media Network Competition, United StatesTwo Sisters1992Grand Prize of the Festival: Best StoryOttawa International Animation Festival, CanadaTwo Sisters
Other awards 1994: Norman McLaren Award 1996: Life Achievement Award, World Festival of Animated Film - Animafest Zagreb 2017: Winsor McCay Award (Life Achievement, Annie Awards) 2019: Dragon of Dragons Award, Kraków Film Festival
Nominations 1977: Academy Award for The StreetShort Film Winners: 1977 Oscars1977|Oscars.org
References
External links Official website
Watch several of her animated films at NFB.ca (free) Caroline Leaf -- femfilm.ca: Canadian Women Film Directors Database