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Martha Ansara is a US-born Australian documentary filmmaker, writer, oral historian, and educator. Ansara was one of the first women in Australia to work as a
cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
, and a founding member and/or convenor of the
Sydney Women's Film Group The Sydney Women's Film Group (SWFG) was an Australian collective of women filmmakers in the 1970s. The group emerged from the Sydney Filmmakers' Cooperative (SFMC), created by women whose interest was in distributing and exhibiting films by, for ...
in the early 1970s, the Film and Broadcast Industries Oral History Group, the Archive Forum (which lobbied for the establishment of the
National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...
as a statutory body), and of Ozdox, the Australian Documentary Forum.


Early life and education

Martha Ansara was born in the United States, where her father was a leading figure in the Syrian-Lebanese community and her mother an educator specialising in dyslexia. She migrated to Australia in 1969, becoming involved in the
Sydney Filmmakers Co-operative The Sydney Filmmakers Co-operative was a co-operative of independent filmmakers, set up to distribute and exhibit their films and the films of other independent filmmakers both Australian and overseas. The collection eventually included short film ...
. She started making films with other young filmmakers through the co-operative, but at that time professional cinematography was dominated by men and it was difficult to get work. However, in 1975 she was admitted as a student in the first three-year full-time course of the
Australian Film and Television School The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. Opened to students in 1973 as Film and Television School (FTS), after accredita ...
(now AFTRS), graduating in 1978. Later, in 1994, she gained a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in Applied History from the
University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1988, though its origins as a Institute of technology, ...
.


Career

Ansara was one of the first women in Australia to work as a cinematographer, and is known for her social documentaries.


1970s–1990s

After graduating, Ansara gained experience as a camera assistant. She also began writing reviews and articles on film for ''
Filmnews ''Filmnews'' was a monthly newspaper that covered independent film production, distribution and exhibition in Australia and the federal and state government policies and practices that supported them. Produced in Sydney, it was distributed around ...
'', the monthly newspaper of the Sydney Filmmakers Co-operative, and then for a range of publications. Ansara admired Dutch documentary filmmaker
Joris Ivens Georg Henri Anton "Joris" Ivens (18 November 1898 – 28 June 1989) was a Dutch documentary filmmaker. Among the notable films he directed or co-directed are '' A Tale of the Wind'', ''The Spanish Earth'', ''Rain'', ''...A Valparaiso'', '' Misèr ...
, whom she met in 1996, and wrote about in ''Filmnews. She also worked extensively as an assessor of projects for government film bodies and was involved in promoting the development of women's filmmaking through the
Sydney Women's Film Group The Sydney Women's Film Group (SWFG) was an Australian collective of women filmmakers in the 1970s. The group emerged from the Sydney Filmmakers' Cooperative (SFMC), created by women whose interest was in distributing and exhibiting films by, for ...
(SWFG), established in 1973, along with Jeni Thornley. Ansara was also involved in the Women's Film Fund of the
Australian Film Commission The Australian Film Commission (AFC) was an Australian government agency was founded in 1975 with a mandate to promote the creation and distribution of films in Australia as well as to preserve the country's film history. It also had a product ...
. In the 1970s, Ansara formed many of the relationships with filmmakers and activists which she was to sustain in the following decades. She was involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement and joined the Association for International Disarmament and Co-operation, which became People for Nuclear Disarmament (PND). With the support of that organisation, she later made one of the first documentaries to be shot by Westerners in Vietnam, ''Changing the Needle''. (1982) with peace activist Mavis Robertson and filmmaker Dasha Ross. She subsequently worked with PND as an organizer of the Pacific Peacemaker project In 1973, ''A Film for Discussion'', long in the making after being shot in 1970, was released by the Sydney Women's Film Group. The title reflects the group's wish "to distinguish it from films where the audience members were merely passive consumers of entertainment". During this period, Ansara was an active member of the Australian Theatrical and Amusement Employees' Association, becoming the convener of its motion picture sub-committee. She was a foundation member of the Rank and File Movement within the union which came to power briefly in the late 1980s. In 1976 Ansara was introduced to the realities of
Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...
through community activist and singer
Essie Coffey Essie Coffey (born Essieina Shillingsworth Jibbah; – 3 January 1998), also known as Essieina Goodgabah and "Bush Queen of Brewarrina", was an Aboriginal Australian community worker, filmmaker, singer, and advocate for Indigenous Australians ...
. She subsequently photographed Coffey's film '' My Survival as an Aboriginal'' (1979), which she co-produced with Coffey Coffey and Ansara later collaborated again to make a sequel, ''My Life As I Live It'' (1993).. ''My Survival as an Aboriginal'' was later selected for restoration by Australia's National Film and Sound Archive. In 1978, Ansara made ''Secret Storm'', about a young woman who questions her role as mother. In the same year, she appeared in the feature film '' Third Person Plural'', directed by
James Ricketson James Staniforth Ricketson is an Australian film director, known for the feature film '' Blackfellas''. He became more widely known when he was charged with espionage for flying a drone in Cambodia in 2017. Film career Ricketson studied at the ...
and also starring
Bryan Brown Bryan Neathway Brown AM (born 23 June 1947) is an Australian actor. He has performed in over eighty film and television projects since the late 1970s, both in his native Australia and abroad. Notable films include '' Breaker Morant'' (1980), ...
. In 1983, Ansara photographed '' Lousy Little Sixpence'', a documentary about the
Stolen Generations The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Gover ...
made by
Alec Morgan Alexander Mitchell Morgan (5 June 1908 – 10 March 1957) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of David Morgan, and Mary Moir Morgan, née Mitchel ...
, Aboriginal media pioneer Lester Bostock and his brother, Gerry Bostock. She also worked in
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
with Aboriginal activist
Robert Bropho Robert Charles Bropho (9 February 1930 – 24 October 2011) was a Ballardong Noongar Australian Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal, rights activist and convicted serial child sex offender from Perth, Western Australia. Bropho was leader o ...
to photograph ''Munda Nyuringu'' and ''Always Was, Always Will Be'' (1989), a documentary on the Swan Brewery Dispute, which she and Bropho made together. In 1989, Ansara, with assistance from Bropho and others involved in the protest, researched and wrote a history of the dispute as a book of the same title with support from a Creative Arts Fellowship at the Humanities Research Centre,
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...
. In 1988 she produced the anti-nuclear feature film '' The Pursuit of Happiness'' (1987) which she directed, based on the book of the same name by Karen Throssell The finance for this film was raised largely from private sources, including the proceeds of the sale of the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
won at
Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...
by
Hugo Throssell Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell, Victoria Cross, VC (26 October 1884 – 19 November 1933) was an Australian soldier in the First World War who was the first Western Australian and only Australian Light Horse, Australian light horseman List of Austral ...
and donated to the project by his son, diplomat and writer
Ric Throssell Ric Prichard Throssell (10 May 192220 April 1999) was an Australian diplomat and author whose writings included novels, plays, film and television scripts, and memoirs. For most of his professional life as a diplomat his career was dogged by un ...
, the father of Karen Throssell. Jeni Thornley, interviewing Ansara about the film in February 1988, described it as "about so much: motherhood, war, capitalism, change, values, how to live one's life, and it's also about women's economic independence from men. There you've got the metaphor of marriage, the US-Australia alliance..." Ansara was a founding convenor of the Film and Broadcast Industries Oral History Group ( Australian Media Oral History Group), which was founded in April 1991 "as an independent body in response to the growing concerns of oral historians and Australian filmmakers that the
National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...
(NFSA) was no longer doing enough to encourage the recording and dissemination of the oral histories of film and broadcast industry veterans". The members of this group included film historian
Graham Shirley Graham Shirley is an Australian author, researcher, curator and filmmaker best known for his work in the area of Australian film history. He was one of the original class of the Australian Film Television and Radio School and is the co-author ...
. The group was associated with the NFSA. Ansara gained a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in Applied History from the
University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1988, though its origins as a Institute of technology, ...
in 1994. She was also involved with the Balmain Resident Action group. In this period Ansara gradually stopped working as a cinematographer and increasingly began teaching film, including as a lecturer at the
University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1988, though its origins as a Institute of technology, ...
. In 1999, she attended the
Créteil International Women's Film Festival The International Women's Film Festival, formerly known as Créteil International Women's Film Festival (in French Festival International de Films de Femmes (FIFF); formerly Festival international de films de femmes de Créteil), also known si ...
, where her films were screened in a tribute to Australian Women's Cinema.


2000s

In 2002, Ansara produced the documentary ''Ordinary People'', directed by Jennifer Rutherford and narrated by
Tara Morice Tara Morice (born 23 June 1964) is an Australian actress, singer and dancer. Background Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Morice also lived in Sydney, Alice Springs and Adelaide as a child, attending seven different schools. She is a fifth-generation ...
, which follows One Nation candidate Colene Hughes over two years and two elections. In 2003, Ansara joined other documentary-makers, including Jeni Thornley, Pat Fiske, and Mitzi Goldman, in forming Ozdox, the Australian Documentary Forum. Also around 2003, she was a founding member of the Archive Forum, which lobbied for the establishment of the Archive as a statutory body, a goal finally accomplished in 2008. In 2005 Ansara, as a member of the
Australian Cinematographers Society The Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1958 for the purpose of providing a forum for Australian cinematographers to further develop their skills through mutual co-operation. History The Austral ...
, was asked to work with the ACS on a photographic history of cinematography in Australia. This project, significantly relying on oral history, became the book, '' The Shadowcatchers: A history of cinematography in Australia''. Upon its launch, Ansara wrote "For me, ''The Shadowcatchers'' is, among other things, a tribute to the importance of the NFSA to our national heritage – to our understanding of the past". Also in 2005, she produced the documentary ''I Remember 1948'', In 2009 she directed and co-produced the silent short comedy drama film ''The Ballad of Betty and Joe'', with the assistance of some grassroots activists. Ansara retired from filmmaking, but continues to distribute a small number of her DVDs via Ballad Films.


Memberships and other roles

Ansara is a full member of the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS). She is a life member of the
Australian Directors Guild The Australian Directors' Guild (ADG) is an industry guild representing the interests of film, television, commercials and digital media directors, including documentary makers and animators, throughout Australia. With its headquarters in Sydney ...
and a founding member of Ozdox, the Australian Documentary Forum. Ansara is also a member of the Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers. She has been involved in many industry organisations and campaigns, including Motion Picture Subcommittee AT&AEA as well as various women's groups and initiatives. She has been appointed as a selector and juror for film awards and festivals; has acted as a project assessor for film funding; and has been a film valuer for the Cultural Gifts Program. She has also worked as a film lecturer in Australian film history and Aboriginal history, and as an oral historian. She has written about film, and been active in the trade union, women's, and peace movements.


Recognition and awards

Ansara's documentary films have been screened in Australia, the UK, Europe, and North America and some have won international prizes. In 1987, Ansara was awarded the
Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Cinema of Australia, Australian film indu ...
's
Byron Kennedy Award The Byron Kennedy Award is an annual film and television award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) to Australian filmmakers. History The award was named after Byron Kennedy (18 August 1949 – 17 July 1983 ...
This award is given "for outstanding creative enterprise within the film and television industries... to an individual or organization whose work embodies the qualities of roducer
Byron Kennedy Byron Eric Kennedy (18 August 1949 – 17 July 1983) was an Australian film producer known for co-creating the ''Mad Max'' series of films with George Miller. Early life Byron Kennedy was born in Melbourne. At the age of 18, he formed his own ...
: innovation, vision and the relentless pursuit of excellence". She received the Women's Electoral Lobby's Edna Ryan Award for Media/Communication in 2001. Ansara was inducted into the ACS Hall of Fame in 2015. In November 2017, she was the subject of "Salute" presented by OzDox and the Australian Cinematographers Society.


Personal life

Ansara is the mother of Australian actor
Alice Ansara Alice Ansara is an Australian actress and dramaturg who works in film, television and theatre. Background Ansara is the daughter of documentary filmmaker, Martha Ansara and Master Builder Bill Ethell. Ansara began working as an actor as a chil ...
.


Selected filmography

* 1973 ''Film for Discussion'' (drama documentary) (director, producer) * 1977 ''Me and Daphne'' (short drama) (cinematographer, co-producer) * 1978 ''Letters from Poland'' (short drama) (cinematographer) * 1979 ''Child Welfare'' (documentary) (cinematographer) * 1979 '' My Survival as an Aboriginal'' (documentary) (cinematographer, co-producer) * 1980 ''Climbers'' (dance drama) (cinematographer) * 1980 ''Age Before Beauty'' (documentary) (cinematographer) * 1981 ''Flamingo Park'' (documentary) (cinematographer) * 1982 ''Changing the Needle'' (documentary) (co-director/producer, cinematographer) * 1985 ''Taking a Look'' (short drama) (cinematographer) * 1985 ''Rocking the Foundations'' (documentary) (cinematographer) * 1988 '' The Pursuit of Happiness'' (feature drama) (director, producer) * 1994 ''My Life as I Live It'' (documentary) (cinematographer, co-director, co-producer) * 2002 ''Ordinary People'' (documentary) (producer) * 2005 ''I Remember 1948'' (documentary) (producer) * 2009 ''The Ballad of Betty and Joe'' (short drama) (director, co-producer) * 2020 ''Women of Steel'' (documentary) (consulting producer)


Selected publications

* ''Always Was, Always Will Be: The sacred grounds of the Waugal'', Kings Park, Perth W.A.: the Old Swan Brewery dispute (1989), Balmain, NSW, Fringe Dwellers of the Swan Valley, / 0-7316-7571-1 * ''The Shadowcatchers: A history of cinematography in Australia'' (2012), North Sydney, Austcine,


Footnotes


References


External links

* * * Collins, Felicity.
Ties That Bind: the psyche of feminist filmmaking: Sydney, 1969-1989
(Thesis, UTS, 1995) *
Trash & Treasure: Martha Ansara on ''Shame
(audio), broadcast 28 January 2011, on the Radio National programme ''Movietime''. (Talking to Jason Di Rosso about the 1988 film ''
Shame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. Definition Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...
'', starring
Deborra-Lee Furness Deborra-Lee Furness Jackman, (born 30 November 1955) is an Australian actress and producer. Early life Furness was born in Annandale, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, and raised in Melbourne, Victoria. At the age of 18, Furness attended ...
.)
Archival records relating to Ansara
in the State Library of New South Wales {{DEFAULTSORT:Ansara, Martha Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American emigrants to Australia Australian documentary film directors Australian women film directors Australian film producers Australian cinematographers American people of Syrian descent American people of Lebanese descent Australian women documentary filmmakers Australian women cinematographers Australian women screenwriters University of Technology Sydney alumni