Annette Mangaard is a Danish/Canadian filmmaker, artist, writer, director, and producer, whose films and installations have been shown internationally at art galleries, cinematheques and film festivals. With a practice rooted in theatrical drama and explorative documentary, Mangaard's films investigate notions and nuances of freedom within the confines of structural expectations. Mangaard's early films are filled with experimental

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...

, footage is often shot in Super 8 and reshot in

16mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...

and then printed optically frame by frame. The result is a grainy textured look, with images that are saturated in colour. Mangaard is recognised as an early contributor to Canada's film development, and is one of the co-founders of the IMAGES: Festival Independent Film/Video. Mangaard has written and directed more than 20 films and installation projects, many of which received awards. Toronto's 2019 Contact Festival features new work in an exhibition from Mangaard, ''Water Fall: A Cinematic Installation'', on at Charles Street Video, May 9–June 15, 2019.

Early life and education

Born in Lille Vaerlose, Denmark, Mangaard immigrated 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 tot ...

with her family in 1960, and was raised in (and around) Scarborough. Mangaard completed an Honours in General Studies program at Ontario College of Art and Design, 1977–1981. In 2017 Mangaard completed a Masters at OCAD University, where she was awarded a medal for outstanding work.

Career

Annette Mangaard's recognisable style was initiated in her first

super 8 film Super 8 mm film is a motion-picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement over the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format. The film is nominally 8 mm wide, the same as older formatted 8& ...

, ''Nothing By Mouth'' (1984), which was an interpretive response to three poems by Karen Maccormack. In 1981 Mangaard took a super 8 camera to

Baker Lake, Nunavut Baker Lake (Inuktitut syllabics: ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᖅ 'big lake joined by a river at both ends', Inuktitut: ''Qamani'tuaq'' 'where the river widens') is a hamlet in the Kivalliq Region, in Nunavut on mainland Canada. Located inland from Hudson ...

, a small community in the

Kivalliq region The Kivalliq Region (; Inuktitut syllabics: ᑭᕙᓪᓕᖅ ) is an administrative region of Nunavut, Canada. It consists of the portion of the mainland to the west of Hudson Bay together with Southampton Island and Coats Island. The regional ce ...

of Canada. After a year of hunting, fishing and eating caribou with the Inuit of Baker Lake, she returned with five rolls of film, which eventually became one of her trademark innovative narratives, ''Let Me Wrap My Arms Around You'' (1992), which screened at the 1992

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 ...

. Mangaard's first screening involved early film, ''She Bit Me Seriously'' (1984), which was featured as a part of the 1985 ''Cache Du Cinema'' program at The Funnel, curated by Dot Tuer, John Porter, and Paul McGowan. This film, which was cut together with a hand cranked viewer and tape splicer, was also screened at Millenium, New York (1985), and the Experimental Film Coalition in Chicago (1985), and the soundtrack was played separately on a cassette.

Barbara Sternberg Barbara Sternberg (born in 1945) is a Canadian film director known for her experimental films. Sternberg directed films such as ''Opus 40'' (1979), ''Transitions'' (1982), ''At Present'' (1990), ''Through and Through'' (1992), and ''Midst'' (1997 ...

describes ''Her Soil Is Gold'' (1985) in article, ''How We Sit and Just Watch It All'', included a soundtrack fro
The Palace at 4am
and was featured in the 1986 Songs of Experience program at the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

, at the 1986 Canadian International Film Festival, and also Toronto's Festival of Festivals (1986). Mangaard's early body of work also included ''There is in Power...Seduction'' (1985), and ''The Tyranny of Architecture'' (1987), which screened at

YYZ Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the su ...

as an installation in 1987, and also at the New Waves In Cinema Toronto program (1987). Following these Mangaard completed ''The Iconography of Venus'' (1987), and wacky road flick ''Northbound Cairo'' (1987). ''A Dialogue With Vision: The Art of Spring Hurlbut and

Judith Schwarz Judith Schwarz (born 1944) is a Canadian visual arts, visual artist. Her work has been featured in exhibitions since 1979. Early life and education Judith Schwarz was born 1944 in Vancouver, British Columbia and is based in Toronto, Ontario. She e ...

'' (1990), was Mangaard's first documentary, and received funding from

LIFT Lift or LIFT may refer to: Physical devices * Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods ** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop ** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...

. These early films were exhibited widely in festivals and screenings across Canada and America. Mangaard's quirky cinematic style gained much recognition with the release of ''Fish Tale Soup'' (1997), a romantic comedy of a contemporary couple trying to have a child, which marked her debut as a feature film writer and director. The 1998 City TV premiere garnered much critical praise and the film screened theatrically at the Carlton Cinema in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and in a number of other theatres across Canada. In 2008, Mangaard was nominated for a

Gemini Gemini may refer to: Space * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac ** Gemini in Chinese astronomy * Project Gemini, the second U.S. crewed spaceflight program * Gemini Observatory, consisting of telescopes in the Northern ...

for Best Director of a Documentary, ''General Idea: Art, Aids, And The Fin De Siecle'', for

TVO TVO (stylized as tvo), formerly known as TVOntario, is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It operates flagship station CICA-DT (channel 19) in Toron ...

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...

, SCN and Knowledge, a one-hour documentary celebrating

General Idea General Idea was a collective of three Canadian artists, Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal and AA Bronson, who were active from 1967 to 1994. As pioneers of early conceptual and media-based art, their collaboration became a model for artist-initiated ac ...

, the Canadian artist collective. The film premiered at Toronto's Hot Doc's Film Festival 2008, and went on to screen at the Canadian Art Reel Artists Film Festival, 2009, and garner accolades at the Vancouver International Festival (VIFF), DOCSDF Mexican Documentary Film Festival and Asolo International Art Film Festival in Italy. In 2010, Mangaard produced and directed ''Kingaait: Riding Light into the World'' (2010), a film addressing the changing face of the Inuit artists of Cape Dorset for

and APTN. The documentary premiered at the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Beve ...

, following a special screening celebrating

Canada Day Canada Day (french: Fête du Canada), formerly known as Dominion Day (french: Fête du Dominion), is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 18 ...

with the Canadian High Commission in Australia. Mangaard presented solo screenings of her films in 1990 at the

Pacific Cinémathèque The Cinematheque (legal name: Pacific Cinémathèque Pacifique), founded in 1972, is a Canadian charity and non-profit film institute, media education centre, and film exhibitor based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The organization’s mission i ...

in Vancouver, in 1991 at the

Kino Arsenal The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

at the in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and again in 2002 at The Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa. In February 2009, Mangaard was invited to Argentina for a retrospective of her films at the

Palais de Glace The Palais de Glace is a rumeno style Belle Époque building in the Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located at 1430 Posadas street, it was modelled on the Palais des Glaces in Paris. The building was designed by J. L. Ruiz Ba ...

, Buenos Aires. Her other films include ''Into the Night'' (2006), a film noir produced by 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 ...

, as well as ''The Many Faces of Arnaud Maggs'' (2004), a one-hour documentary on the celebrated Canadian artist/photographer

Arnaud Maggs Arnaud Maggs (May 5, 1926 – November 17, 2012) was a Canadian artist and photographer. Born in Montreal, Maggs is best known for stark portraits arranged in grid-like arrangements, which illustrate his interest in systems of identification and c ...

produced for TVO. Documentary ''Suzy Lake: Playing With Time'' (2014), premiered in November 2014 at the

, as part of the Introduction to the Suzy Lake exhibition, which elaborated on images of the artist over five decades. An integral member of Toronto's film community, Mangaard has served on the boards of directors for various arts organizations including: Planet in Focus, The Toronto Arts Council, LIFT (The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto), The Funnel, Visual Arts Ontario and the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre. Mangaard is also co-founder and executive director of IMAGES: Festival Independent Film/Video.

Themes

A common connection between Mangaard's earlier 16mm films stems from a longing to escape the limiting social constructs that humanity has surrounded itself with. By incorporating eroticism, travel and the power that goes along with it, Mangaard's commentary on the futility of the human experience is laid out in such films as ''She Bit me...Seriously'' (1984), a lyrical and abstract account of simple gestures of power. ''Her Soil is Gold'' (1985), ''There is in Power...Seduction'' (1985) and ''The Iconography of Venus'' (1987), all contain loose historical references that are tinged with structural critique. Historical detail enters her work again with ''The Tyranny of Architecture'' (1987), a film that overtly reverts to Mangaard's autobiographical concern. After producing ''North Bound Cairo'' (1987), Mangaard's move from the ethical questions of experimental documentary, to fiction and narrative filmmaking is present in ''Let Me Wrap My Arms Around You'' (1992), a personal work that deals with the act of appropriating the artist's life and the life of her lover. Many of Mangaard's works have contributed an integral voice within the

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

movements in Toronto (and beyond) that were working to establish that women are here, women are creating, and women definitely deserve equal opportunities and respect. This feminist voice shines through in the careful treatment Mangaard initiates in her documentary Suzy Lake: Playing With Time (2014), where attention is directed to the role Lake played in how dramatically the art (and real) world has changed for female-identified artists... (and also how things have not changed). Her short film ''There is in power...seduction'' (1985), focused important concerns regarding gendered power imbalances, and features an exploration of the symbolic ambiguity of corporate versus sensual power. Does a woman adopt the mannerisms of a man when she enters the territory of corporate power?...The body is language. Power seduces and is seductive. In 2011 Mangaard travelled to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, and presented her video installation ''Hidden'' at the Armory Gallery alongside works from

Michael Snow Michael Snow (born December 10, 1928) is a Canadian artist working in a range of media including film, installation, sculpture, photography, and music. His best-known films are ''Wavelength'' (1967) and '' La Région Centrale'' (1971), with the f ...

Bonita Ely Bonita Ely (born 1946) is an Australian multidisciplinary artist who lives in Sydney, whose work has been internationally exhibited. She established her reputation as an environmental artist in the early 1970s through her works concerning the ...

, Richard Goodwin, Pia Mannikko, and

Ian Howard Ian Howard (born 17 October 1939) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving a ...

. Bonita Ely's review for the National Sculpture Magazine of China describes ''Hidden'': " ttakes us through liminal zones where nature and urban life are juxtaposed, both ceaselessly transforming, and interrelating". After returning to do her master's degree at

OCAD University Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...

, Mangaard's work shifted from the confines of the screen to an expanded cinematic form of documentary art making. Her MFA thesis exhibition ''Meltdown'' (2017) investigates a seascape in multiple forms with media installations depicting enlarged microscopically filmed images of underwater tidal pools and a projected iceberg at various scenarios, refracted from suspended acrylic. The four-minute documentary portrays fishermen working from a repurposed fishing boat. Ice is collected using the tools associated with the harvesting of codfish, for the making of designer vodka. The juxtaposing of works comments on the impact of the environmental changes of water, from an economic, community and personal perspective.

Selected videography and broadcasts

* ''CBC -The Nature of Things: Dreams of the Future'' (2014), Researcher, Writer, Director * ''Suzy Lake: Playing With Time,'' (62 mind), looped film projection, 2014, Researcher/Writer/Producer/Director. 62 min. * ''Governor General Awards – Produced by NFB'' (2012) * ''Scotia Bank Northern Lights Music Festival'' (2012), Producer/Director * ''Kingaait: Riding Light into the World'' (2010), Co-producer/Director. Documentary 57 min. Produced by Site Media. * ''Perspectives: a Series of On-Line Web Video Interviews'' (2009) * ''General Idea: Art, Aids and the Fin de Siecle'' (2007), Writer/Director/Producer. 47 min. * ''Into the Night'' (2006), Director. 65 min. Produced by National Film Board of Canada * ''In Limbo'' (2004), Writer/Director/Producer, 5 min * ''The Many Faces of Arnaud Maggs'' (2004), Researcher/Writer/Director/Producer. Digital. 60 min. Documentary * ''Broken Dreams'' (2002) Super 8 and 16mm. 25 min. * ''Maya’s Dream'' (2001), B&W. 5 min. * ''Fish Tale Soup'' (1997), Director/Writer. 35mm. Produced by NFB/Three Blondes Inc/Actuality Films * ''94 Arcana Drive'' (1994), Director. 16mm. 20 min. Produced by Canadian Film Centre. * ''Let me wrap my arms around you'' (1992), Writer/Director/Producer. 16mm. 24 min. * ''A Dialogue with Vision: The Art of Spring Hurlbut and Judith Schwarz'' (1990), Writer/Director. Producer, 16mm. 27 min. * ''Northbound Cairo'' (1987), Writer/Director. Producer, 16mm. 23 min. * ''The Iconography of Venus'' (1987), Writer/Director. Producer 16mm. 5 Min. * ''The Tyranny of Architecture'' (1987), Writer/Director. Producer 16mm. 10 Min. * ''Her Soil is Gold'' (1985), Writer/Director. Producer 16mm. 10 Min * ''There is in power…Seduction'' (1985), Writer/Director. Producer. 16mm. 5 Min. * ''She Bit Me Seriously'' (1984), Writer/Director. Producer. SUPER 8. 20 Min. * ''Nothing By Mouth'' (1984), Writer/Director. Producer SUPER 8, 10 Min. * ''Line Through Bath Filmmaker.'' (1984), Filmmaker. SUPER 8. 10 min. Documentary o
Eric Snell
��s conceptual piece running a line through Bath, UK

Notable exhibitions and residencies

*''Come Into My Kitchen'', installation at The Varley Art Gallery. Sept 14, 2019 - Jan 4, 2020. *''Under Pressure:'' by Annette Mangaard and Bey Weyman. An outdoor projection for

Nuit Blanche Nuit Blanche () (White Night) is an annual all-night or night-time arts festival of a city. A Nuit Blanche typically has museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions open and free of charge, with the centre of the ...

, Toronto 2019 *''Water Fall: A Cinematic Installation'', on at Charles Street Video, May 9–June 15, 2019. *''Two Rooms Revisited'' (Group Exhibition), Grad Gallery, OCADU, (2017) *''Take Me To The River'', Video Installation, Commissioned by MetalCulture, UK. Touring to South-on Sea, Liverpool, and Manchester, UK, Broken Hill, Australia (2011) *''Hidden'', Video Installation, Sydney Olympic Park, Australia, (2011) *''Water:'' Ana High Altitude Shepherdess, Photography Series
CONTACT Festival
''What's Your Revolution'', TTC LED Screens, (2009) *''Photography 101: Push The Button'', Photography Series, Group show. Confederation Art Centre, Charlottetown, (2008) *''I Am Curious Yorkville,'' Interactive Video Installation'',''

Commissioned by

Peggy Gale Peggy Gale (born 1944) is an independent Canadian curator, writer, and editor. Gale studied Art History and received her Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from the University of Toronto in 1967. Gale has published extensively on time ...

Fern Bayer General Idea was a collective of three Canadian artists, Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal and AA Bronson, who were active from 1967 to 1994. As pioneers of early conceptual and media-based art, their collaboration became a model for artist-initiated ac ...

Area ‘B’ Yorkville, (2007) * Artist-in-residence w. Nubuo Kubota
Charles Street Video
and

IMAGES Festival The Images Festival is a yearly event devoted to independent and experimental film, video art, new media and media installation that takes place each spring in Toronto. History The Images festival was founded in 1987, originally conceived as ...

(2006) *''In Limbo,'' commissioned installation for INVASIONS/ELEMENTS screened at

Whitefish Lake First Nation The Whitefish Lake First Nation ( cr, ᐊᑎᐦᑲᒣᐠ, atihkamek) is a First Nations band government in northern Alberta. Headquartered in Atikameg, it controls three Indian reserves, Utikoomak Lake 155, Utikoomak Lake 155A, and Utikoomak La ...

and the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, (2005)

Awards

* ''Canada Council Production Grant'' (2018) * ''Chalmers Fellowship'' (2018) * ''Gold Medal Award, MFA, OCADU'' (2017) * ''Canada Council Travel Grant'' (2013) * ''Ontario Arts Council Production Grant'' (2012) * ''Canada Council Travel Grant'' (2011) * ''Canada Council Production Grant'' (2011) * ''Toronto Arts Council Production Grant'' (2006) * ''Ontario Arts Council, Production Grant'' (1999) * ''Ontario Arts Council, Film Production Grant'' (1998) * ''Foundation to Underwrite New Drama, Script Development'' (1993) * ''Ontario Arts Council, Film Production Grant'' (1992) * ''Ontario Arts Council, Film Production Grant'' (1991) * ''Canadian Non-Theatrical Fund, Film Production Grant'' (1989) * ''Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto, Film Co-Production'' (1989)

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mangaard, Annette Living people 1956 births Date of birth missing (living people) Canadian experimental filmmakers Danish emigrants to Canada