Alice Guy

A fascinating programme of 13 short films by pioneer filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché, who between 1898 and 1907 became the first fiction filmmaker in the history of cinema. It was she who suggested to studio head Léon Gaumont that he abandon simple animated views to shoot small scripted stories. In a profession reserved mainly for men at the time, incredibly she was given permission to direct. She took over the reign of Gaumont’s productions as director, artistic director, and screenwriter, experimenting with faking and special effects.