Friday, August 11, 2006

The Academy salutes Norman McLaren

A week from today the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will honor Norman McLaren with a screening of 13 of his short films (all remastered and restored) and a panel discussion with Charles Solomon and two of McLaren's former colleagues. My first exposure to McLaren was in a UCLA animation class, and I remember still thinking about the films for weeks afterwards. He was truly a groundbreaking filmmaker and artist, and at $5 a ticket this event shouldn't be missed... Here's more information on the event: A Salute to Norman McLaren Featuring 13 short films newly remastered and restored by the National Film Board of Canada, in celebration of 65 years of animated film production at the NFB of Canada. Hosted by animation expert and author Charles Solomon, the program will explore McLaren's life and work as well as his influence on the visual culture of Canada and animation worldwide. Among the films will be McLaren's Oscar-winning short documentary, "Neighbours" (1952), and his Oscar-nominated live action short, "A Chairy Tale." Joining Solomon will be a panel composed of McLaren's former colleagues, including Ishu Patel and Chris Hinton, both of whom are two-time Oscar-nominated animated short film directors. Friday, August 18, 8 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills (8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills). Free parking is provided in the garages located at 8920 and 9025 Wilshire Blvd. For additional information, call (310) 247-3600.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you check Karl Cohen's book Forbidden Animation, it mentioned that when Hollywood went Commie-Paranoid during the Blacklist years, the purge even extended to the Great White North. The RCMP made the National Film Board purge pinko artists, and NFB founder John Grierson had his pastport revoked and was banned by the FBI from entering the U.S.. Norman McClaren also had some leftie credentials, but his career was sheilded from harm, when by Grierson's request the Prime Minister himself got involved. I'd love to know more.

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