A University academic has directed a feature documentary on Hollywood's first female director. During the film, Susan Kemp, Programme Director of Film, Exhibition and Curation at the University, explores the life and work of the renowned director and producer Antonia Bird. It features Bird's close collaborators, including Robert Carlyle, Irvine Welsh, Kate Hardie and Mark Cousins. Pioneering innovator Bird, who died in 2013, is known for films such as Ravenous (1999), Priest (1994) and Face (1997). Beginning her career in the Royal Court Theatre in the 1970s and working on long running soap opera, EastEnders, she went on to be first British woman to direct a Hollywood movie. Kemp's documentary is the first to examine Bird’s legacy, and to place her among the most important British film, TV and theatre directors of her era. The conversation about the lack of woman in film has been boiling over whilst making the documentary, but the other side of this equation is how little we discuss the woman filmmakers who have achieved extraordinary things. This is true throughout the history of cinema: women have been great innovators, artists, populists and formidable commanders of film but yet we don't know nearly enough about them: they're little taught and they're seldom written about... . Antonia has always represented something important to me - the 'can do' approach that inspired me to believe I can do what I choose to do too. Susan KempProgramme Director of Film, Exhibition and Curation World Premiere Antonia Bird: From Eastenders to Hollywood received its world premiere at BFI Southbank on 11 May and will air on BBC Four on Sunday, 22 May at 9pm. It is produced by Bridge of Allan-based Bofa Productions and Evecutive Producer, Mark Cousins. The documentary will be shown as part of an Antonia Bird retrospective at the Filmhouse later in the year. The project received support from the UK National Lottery through Creative Scotland Targeted Production Funding. Susan Kemp Susan Kemp joined the University in 2010 to work as co-director of the MSc in Film, Exhibition and Curation alongside Jane Sillars. The innovative Masters programme explores film curatorship and exhibition using a combination of rigorous academic study and applied project work. Susan has previously work as a producer/director for the BBC, making a wide range of documentary series and factual programmes. Related links Antonia Bird: celebrating a trail-blazing vision on films MSc in Film, Exhibition & Curation Susan Kemp: academic profile Publication date 19 May, 2016
