Cynthia Scott (born January 1, 1939) is a Canadian award-winning filmmaker who has produced, directed, written, and edited several films with the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

(NFB). Her works have won the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

and

Canadian Film Award The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

. Scott is a member of the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor Genera ...

. Her projects with the NFB are mainly focused on documentary filmmaking. Some of Scott's most notable documentaries for the NFB feature dancing and the dance world including '' Flamenco at 5:15'' (1983), which won an

Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) This is a list of films by year that have received an Academy Award together with the other nominations for best documentary short film. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are annou ...

at the

56th Academy Awards The 56th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1983 and took place on April 9, 1984, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, beginning at 6:00 p. ...

in 1984.Oscars.org
/ref> She is married to filmmaker

John N. Smith John N. Smith OC (born July 31, 1943 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. Career Smith graduated with a B.A. in political science from McGill University in 1964. He joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ...

Background

Cynthia Scott was born and raised in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

. She grew up in a self-described working-class family that fostered her creativity growing up. She studied

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

and Philosophy at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Femfilm.ca
/ref>

Early career in media

After graduation, Scott worked at the

Manitoba Theatre Centre Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (Royal MTC) is Canada's oldest English-language regional theatre. Next to the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, MTC has a higher annual attendance than any other theatre in the country. It was founded in 1958 by John ...

as a second assistant director before moving to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

where she worked as a researcher for Patrick Wilson and Douglas Leiterman on ''

This Hour Has Seven Days ''This Hour Has Seven Days'' was a CBC Television news magazine that ran from 1964 to 1966, offering viewers in-depth analysis of the major social and political stories of the previous week. The show, inspired by the BBC and NBC-TV satire s ...

''. In 1965, she returned to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

and began working as a public affairs producer for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governme ...

television program ''

Take 30 ''Take 30'' (also expressed as ''Take Thirty'') was a Canadian television newsmagazine series, which aired on CBC Television from 1962 to 1984 for 2,500 episodes. An afternoon series originally designed as a "women's show", the series gradually ev ...

'', where she stayed for nearly a decade. Scott insists that her intrigue in film started at a very young age. Despite her interest in filmmaking, Scott explains that she originally believed that director work was solely for men and that directing positions were unattainable for women. In her interview with

Sarah Kernochan Sarah Marshall Kernochan (; born December 30, 1947) is an American documentarian, film director, screenwriter and novelist. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including two Academy Awards ( Documentary Feature for '' Marjoe'' in 1 ...

Scott gives credit to her job as an assistant to a producer at the

for showing her that women could also do this work. After working in television Scott learned that she wished to pursue filmmaking. Scott has stated that her filmmaking career began in documentaries then later on in her career her interest shifted to drama. Scott claims that she gained the ability to produce films without experiencing gender discrimination by creating a name for herself after winning an

Oscar award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

or her documentary Flamenco at 5:15. In an interview with fellow filmmaker

Scott insists that there were other filmmakers who had ideas around casting a film with only female actors however, she was the first woman filmmaker to come forward with the idea.

Filmmaking with the NFB

Scott's career took a turn in 1972 when the

hired her as a staff director. She immediately began directing, producing and writing both documentary and fiction pieces for the NFB. She mainly worked on slice-of-life documentaries with a mind for social issues. In her first year with the NFB, she directed a 26-minute documentary named ''The Ungrateful Land: Roch Carrier Remembers Ste-Justine'' (1972). Her debut directing work would then go on to win a

for direction in a TV Information program.Academy.ca
/ref> In 1976, Scott produced the controversial Barbara Greene documentary ''Listen Listen Listen'' (1976) for the NFB. Once she had been working at the NFB for about a decade, she co-wrote, co-edited and co-produced a NFB joint project titled For ''The Love of Dance'' (1981). Over the next several years, Scott would work on several documentaries set in the dance world, including '' Flamenco at 5:15'' (1983), which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject. She also researched and co-wrote ''First Winter'' (1982), directed by

(her spouse and fellow filmmaker), which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short at the

54th Academy Awards The 54th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1981 and took place on March 29, 1982, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m ...

. During her time with the

, Scott went on to participate in a women in the directors chair workshop in

Banff, Alberta Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise. At above Banff is the community with the second highest ...

. In her

interview Scott describes this intensive workshop is an opportunity to educate and bring women directors together.

''The Company of Strangers''

In the late 1980s, Scott began developing a full-length

docufiction Docufiction (or docu-fiction) is the cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction, this term often meaning narrative film. It is a film genre which attempts to capture reality such as it is (as direct cinema or cinéma vérité) an ...

film with the NFB featuring eight non-actresses, all but one of whom were senior citizens. '' The Company of Strangers'' (US title: ''Strangers in Good Company''), released in 1990, features a heavily improvised script based on the real lives of the women cast. The film was a huge success in both Canada and international markets; it became the highest grossing NFB produced film ever at the time.Tiff.net
/ref> In an interview with

Scott states that while she was working on her film The Company of Strangers her production team members were all women. Scott chose to have a strictly female team in order to place emphasis on the importance of women in the film industry supporting each other. Scott's team for this movie consisted of female assistants, producers, writers and artists.

''Flamenco at 5:15''

Cynthia Scott directed the short documentary film Flamenco at 5:15''.'' The film was released in 1983. Flamenco at 5:15 is an

winning film that jump started Scott's career. Flamenco at 5:15 focuses on the reality of what it is like to be inside a

Flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura an ...

dance class at the

National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca as the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

. '' Flamenco at 5:15'' went on to win the best short documentary award at the 56th annual

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

After career

Scott is currently recovering from cancer. Before being diagnosed, she was in development on an adaptation of ''

The Stone Diaries ''The Stone Diaries'' is a 1993 novel by Carol Shields. Plot summary The book is the fictional autobiography of Daisy Goodwill Flett, a seemingly ordinary woman whose life is marked by death and loss from the beginning, when her mother dies dur ...

'', a 1993 fictional autobiography written by

Carol Shields Carol Ann Shields, (née Warner; June 2, 1935 – July 16, 2003) was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel '' The Stone Diaries'', which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well a ...

. She has said she plans to go back into development on ''The Stone Diaries'' once her health has returned to normal. However, in a 2004 interview with

, Scott described herself to Kernochan as "retired now". In an interview about the success of her film The Company of Strangers Scot expressed that she has taken an interest in learning the French language as she wishes to speak the language fluently. Scott and her husband

have spent a number of summers residing on currant lake in

Dunany, Quebec Dunany is a small community in Wentworth, Quebec, Canada. It is located just over an hour's drive west of Montreal in the Laurentian Mountains, some 10 to 15 kilometres north of Lachute Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwe ...

. The Dunany community organization honoured Scott by holding an event at the community club house where her

winning documentary Flamenco at 5:15 was screened.

Filmography

Director filmography

*''The Ungrateful Land: Roch Carrier Remembers Ste-Justine'' (1972) *''Some Natives of Churchill'' (1973) *''Scoggie'' (1975) *''For the Love of Dance'' (1981) (co-directed with John N. Smith, Michael McKennirey and David Wilson) *'' Flamenco at 5:15'' (1983) *''Discussions in Bioethics: A Chronic Problem'' (1985) *''Jack of Hearts'' (1986) *'' The Company of Strangers'' (1990)

Co-writer filmography

*''First Winter'' (1982) (co-written with Gloria Demers) *'' The Company of Strangers'' (1990) (co-written with David Wilson, Sally Bochner and Gloria Demers)

Producer filmography

*''

'' series (1965–72) (TV, 71 episodes) (co-producer) *''Man Alive: Jack Chambers'' (1971) *''West series: Ruth and Harriet: Two Women of the Piece'' (1973) *''West series: Every Saturday Night'' *''Some Natives of Churchill'' (1973) *''Listen Listen Listen'' (1976) (co-produced with

Roman Kroitor Roman Kroitor (December 12, 1926 – September 17, 2012) was a Canadian filmmaker who was known as an early practitioner of ''cinéma vérité'', as co-founder of IMAX, and as creator of the Sandde hand-drawn stereoscopic animation system. H ...

) *''Canada Vignettes: Holidays'' (1978) *''Canada Vignettes: The Thirties'' (1978) *''You've Got the Power: Arioli: Running'' (1979) *''You've Got the Power: Teenagers'' (1979) *''Man of Might: Fit In'' (1979) *''For the Love of Dance'' (1981) (co-produced with John N. Smith, Michael McKennirey, David Wilson and Adam Symansky) *'' Flamenco at 5:15'' (1983) (co-produced with Adam Symansky)

Co-editor filmography

*''For the Love of Dance'' (1981) (co-edited with John N. Smith, Micheal McKennirey and David Wilson) *'' Flamenco at 5:15'' (1983) (co-edited with Paul Demers)

Awards and nominations

''The Ungrateful Land: Roch Carrier Remembers Ste-Justine'' (1972): *

Canadian Film Awards The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

: Best TV Information Programme - won ''First Winter'' (1982): *

: Best Live Action Short - nominated '' Flamenco at 5:15'' (1983): *

: Best Documentary Short - won '' The Company of Strangers'' (1990): * :fr:Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma: Best Quebec Feature Film - wonAqcc.ca
/ref> *

12th Genie Awards The 12th Genie Awards were held on November 26, 1991, and honoured Canadian films released in 1990 and 1991."Genies undergo changes". ''The Globe and Mail'', November 26, 1991. The ceremony was hosted by actor Leslie Nielsen Following the disast ...

: Best Picture - nominated *

: Film Editing - won *

Paris Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival The Paris Feminist and Lesbian Film Festival (French: Festival International du Film Lesbien et Féministe de Paris) is a women-only film festival founded in Paris, France, in 1989. The festival is organized by Cineffable, an association dedicated ...

: Best Feature Film *

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

: Most Popular Canadian Film *

International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg The Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival (german: Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg), often referred to by the German-language initialism IFFMH, is an annual film festival established in 1952 hosted jointly by the citi ...

: Grand Newcomer Award

References

External links

*
Scott's Oscar speech from 1984Films directed by Scott at NFB.caCynthia Scott fonds (R825)
at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Cynthia 1939 births Living people Canadian women film directors Canadian women screenwriters Canadian documentary film directors Film directors from Winnipeg Writers from Winnipeg Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Directors of Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award winners National Film Board of Canada people Canadian documentary film producers Canadian women film producers 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian screenwriters Canadian women documentary filmmakers