Donna Read
Canadian film director
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Donna Read (born 1938) is a Canadian film director[1] and editor.[2] Her work includes Women and Spirituality: The Goddess Trilogy[3] and Yemanja: Wisdom from the African Heart of Brazil (2015).[4]
1938 (age 87–88)
Donna Read | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donna Read Cooper 1938 (age 87–88) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Children | 5 |
Career
Read is a Montreal-based film director and editor.[5] She formed a film company, Belili Productions, with the feminist writer Starhawk.[6] From 1963, Read worked at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).[7]
Between 1989 and 1993 Read directed a "Goddess Trilogy"[8] about feminist spirituality, produced by Studio D.[9] The first two parts of the trilogy, Goddess Remembered and The Burning Times, were supported by the NFB. The Catholic church made a failed attempt to ban The Burning Times.[10] In 1991, the NFB refused to fund Read's work any further, citing the "controversy and lack of interest"[11] surrounding her work.
Work
- November (1970) – editor[7]
- Working Mothers series – editor
- Mask and Drum (1973) – producer and editor
- Kripalu (1973) - director[7]
- C'est la Vie (1982) – editor
- It's Just Better (1982) – editor
- Too dirty for a woman – editor
- Behind the Veil: Nuns – editor[12]
- Adam's World (1989) – director[13]
- Goddess Remembered (1989) – director
- The Burning Times (1990) – director
- Full Circle (1993) – director
- Signs out of the Time: The life of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas (2004)[14] with Starhawk[15] - co-director, editor
- Permaculture: The Growing Edge (2010) – co-director[16]
- Yemanja Wisdom from the African Heart of Brazil (2015)
Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | International Documentary Special Award for The Burning Times | CableACE Award | Won[citation needed] |
| 2016 | Saga Award for Special Contributions to Women's History and Culture | The Association for Study of Women and Mythology | Won[17] |
| 2018 | Award for Outstanding Independent Documentary | Black Reel Awards | Nominated[citation needed] |
