Bonnie Sherr Klein
Encyclopedia
Bonnie Sherr Klein is a feminist filmmaker
, author, and disability rights activist.
(NFB) in Montreal
as a director and producer in the late 1960s. Between that time and the late 1980s, she made dozens of films there. In 1975, she joined Studio D, the NFB's women's section, which was the first government-funded film studio dedicated to women filmmakers in the world. She was also part of the NFB's Challenge for Change
citizen media
project. In 1981, Klein made what is probably her best-known film, the anti-pornography documentary Not a Love Story
. It went on to become one of the most popular and commercially successful films the NFB ever made.
In 2004, Klein shot a production about disability and art for the NFB. Shameless: The ART of Disability
was released in 2006. Klein is featured in the film, along with poet and writer Catherine Frazee
, humourist David Roche, dancer and choreographer Geoff McMurchy, and writer and artist Persimmon Blackbridge. Vancouver musician Veda Hille
contributed music for the film.
. She graduated from Stanford University
with a master’s degree in broadcasting and film and then worked in New York City
with George Stoney
. She and her husband, Michael Klein, immigrated to Canada
in 1967 as resisters to the Vietnam War
She is the mother of Naomi Klein
, the political writer and filmmaker.
Klein and her husband Michael divide their time between Vancouver
and Roberts Creek on British Columbia
's Sunshine Coast
. The pair have two children, Seth Klein (b. 1968), the BC director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
, and Naomi Klein
(b. 1970), author of No Logo
, Fences and Windows and The Shock Doctrine
, as well as co-writer of the NFB film The Take.
In 1987 Klein survived two catastrophic brain-stem stroke
s which resulted in her becoming quadriplegic and requiring a respirator to breathe. She was in hospital for more than six months and spent another three years in full-time formal rehabilitation.
Feminist film theory
Feminist film theory is theoretical film criticism derived from feminist politics and feminist theory. Feminists have many approaches to cinema analysis, regarding the film elements analysed and their theoretical underpinnings.-History:...
, author, and disability rights activist.
Film-making career
Klein worked for the National Film Board of CanadaNational Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
(NFB) in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
as a director and producer in the late 1960s. Between that time and the late 1980s, she made dozens of films there. In 1975, she joined Studio D, the NFB's women's section, which was the first government-funded film studio dedicated to women filmmakers in the world. She was also part of the NFB's Challenge for Change
Challenge for Change
Challenge for Change was a participatory film and video project created by the National Film Board of Canada in 1967, the Canadian Centennial...
citizen media
Citizen media
The term citizen media refers to forms of content produced by private citizens who are otherwise not professional journalists. Citizen journalism, participatory media and democratic media are related principles.-Principles of citizen media:...
project. In 1981, Klein made what is probably her best-known film, the anti-pornography documentary Not a Love Story
Not a Love Story
Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography is a documentary about the pornography industry. It was directed by Bonnie Sherr Klein.It remains one of the landmark works from the Studio D, the women's studio of the National Film Board of Canada...
. It went on to become one of the most popular and commercially successful films the NFB ever made.
In 2004, Klein shot a production about disability and art for the NFB. Shameless: The ART of Disability
Shameless: The ART of Disability
Shameless: The ART of Disability is a documentary film by Bonnie Sherr Klein about persons with disabilities. Produced in 2006 by the National Film Board of Canada, it is Klein's first film since a catastrophic stroke in 1987 left her a quadriplegic...
was released in 2006. Klein is featured in the film, along with poet and writer Catherine Frazee
Catherine Frazee
Catherine Frazee is a Canadian educator, activist, researcher, poet and writer who currently serves as a Professor of Distinction in the Disability Studies program at Ryerson University as well as a Co-director of Ryerson University's Institute for Disability Studies Research and Education...
, humourist David Roche, dancer and choreographer Geoff McMurchy, and writer and artist Persimmon Blackbridge. Vancouver musician Veda Hille
Veda Hille
Veda Hille is a Canadian singer-songwriter.- Biography :Veda Hille was born in 1968 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She started playing piano when she was 6 at her own insistence. Her family moved around a lot, from the city to the country and back again...
contributed music for the film.
Background
Klein was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. She graduated from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
with a master’s degree in broadcasting and film and then worked in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with George Stoney
George C. Stoney
George C. Stoney is a professor of film and cinema studies at New York University , and a pioneer in the field of documentary film. Stoney directed several influential films including All My Babies and How the Myth Was Made...
. She and her husband, Michael Klein, immigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1967 as resisters to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
She is the mother of Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
, the political writer and filmmaker.
Klein and her husband Michael divide their time between Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and Roberts Creek on British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
's Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast, British Columbia
The Sunshine Coast is a region of the southern mainland coast of British Columbia, on the eastern shore of the Strait of Georgia, and just northwest of Greater Vancouver...
. The pair have two children, Seth Klein (b. 1968), the BC director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is an independent, non-partisan, policy research institute in Canada that leans to the political left. It concentrates on economic policy, international trade, environmental justice and social policy. It is especially known for publishing an alternative...
, and Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
(b. 1970), author of No Logo
No Logo
No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies is a book by Canadian author Naomi Klein. First published by Knopf Canada in January 2000, shortly after the 1999 WTO Ministerial Conference protests in Seattle had generated media attention around such issues, it became one of the most influential books...
, Fences and Windows and The Shock Doctrine
The Shock Doctrine
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism is a 2007 book by Canadian author Naomi Klein, and is the basis of a 2009 documentary by the same name....
, as well as co-writer of the NFB film The Take.
In 1987 Klein survived two catastrophic brain-stem stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s which resulted in her becoming quadriplegic and requiring a respirator to breathe. She was in hospital for more than six months and spent another three years in full-time formal rehabilitation.
Filmography
- 1965-1966 Community Mental Health Series (three docu-dramas)
- 1966 For All My Students
- 1966 Last-Chance Children
- 1966 One Fine Day
- 1968 Challenge for Change
- 1968 Introduction to Fogo Island
- 1968 Little Burgundy
- 1968 Organizing for Power: The Alinsky Approach. Series of five films: People and Power; Deciding * to Organize; Building an Organization; Through Conflict to Negotiation; A Continuing Responsibility
- 1969 Opération boule de neige
- 1970 Citizens' Medicine
- 1970 La clinique des citoyens
- 1970 VTR St-Jacques
- 1976 Du coeur à l'ouvrage
- 1976 A Working Chance
- 1977 Harmonie (in French and English)
- 1978 Patricia's Moving Picture
- 1979 The Right Candidate for Rosedale
- 1981 Not a Love StoryNot a Love StoryNot a Love Story: A Film About Pornography is a documentary about the pornography industry. It was directed by Bonnie Sherr Klein.It remains one of the landmark works from the Studio D, the women's studio of the National Film Board of Canada...
: A Film about Pornography - 1982 C'est surtout pas de l'amour : un film sur la pornographie
- 1985 Dark Lullabies
- 1985 Speaking Our Peace
- 1986 A Writer in the Nuclear Age: A Conversation with Margaret Laurence
- 1987 Children of War
- 1987 A Love Affair with Politics: A Portrait of Marion Dewar
- 1988 Mile Zero: The SAGE Tour
- 1988 Le mille zéro : la tournée SAGE
- 1989 Russian Diary
- 2003 KickstART! A Celebration
- 2006 SHAMELESS: The ART of Disability