Alison Maclean

Alison Maclean (born July 31, 1958) is a Canadian-New Zealand film director of music videos, short films, television (episodes of Sex and the City, The Tudors, Homicide: Life on the Street), commercials and feature films. Her works include the music video "Torn" (Natalie Imbruglia, 1997), the short film Kitchen Sink and the feature films Jesus' Son (1999) (starring Billy Crudup) and Crush (1992) (starring Marcia Gay Harden). She has been the recipient of several awards (e.g. Best Short Film, Talkback (1987) and Kitchen Sink (1989), New Zealand Film Awards), and often uses themes of communication, gender roles, and power structures in her directorial and filmmaking roles.

Early life and education Maclean was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, to New Zealand-born parents. As a teenager, she immigrated in 1972 to New Zealand with her parents. She later graduated from the Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland, with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts, majoring in sculpture in 1982. Set in Rotorua, New Zealand, at an unspecified period in time, Maclean uses setting and cinematography to evoke feelings of uneasiness and distress in what initially appears to be a scenic, lighthearted film.

Starring Marcia Gay Harden, Maclean's Crush has been subject of much criticism and inquiry, particularly in feminist debate and film theory. The focus of these debates has been centred around theories of gaze control and female aggression, as demonstrated by the three main female characters: Lane (Marcia Gay Harden), Christina (Donogh Rees), and Angela (Caitlin Bossley). The film's portrayal of female violence, friendship, and homosexual desire contrast conventional expectations of women, attracting both backlash and support for the film in public and critical discussion. Following Stanley through his time in an Auckland-based acting college, the film centres on his interactions with teachers, students, and his involvement in a dramatically inappropriate teacher-student affair. Despite its falling through, Maclean later went on to be represented by Park Pictures in New York, after being in talks with company owners Kelman Bisbee and Jonna Mattingly following her success with Crush (1992) in 1999. Though she was busy working on Jesus' Son (1999) during that same year, Maclean was deemed an asset to Park Pictures for her voice, focus, direction and style of storytelling and signed that same year.

Filmography

Sydney Film Festival, 1989; Listener Film and

Television Awards, 1989; Sitges International Film

Festival (Spain), 1989; Fantasporto-Oporto International

Film Festival (Portugal), 1990.

Certificate of Merit: Melbourne Film Festival, 1989.

Grand Prix (top prize): Tampere International Short

Film Festival (Finland).

Special Jury Award: Golden Gate Awards (U.S.A),