Evelyn Lambart

Evelyn Lambart (July 23, 1914 – April 3, 1999) was a Canadian animator and film director with the National Film Board of Canada, known for her independent work, and for her collaborations with Norman McLaren.

Early years Born in Ottawa as a deaf individual, she later credited her mother for fostering her interest and future career in film. Due to her hearing impairment, her mother supplied her with ink and paper, fostering her relationship with animation. After attending Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, Lambart studied at the Ontario College of Art for five years, graduating in 1937. Her plan had been to continue her art studies in the U.K., however, the outbreak of Second World War made that impossible. Instead, Lambart spent a year and a half working with Grace Melvin on illuminations and lettering for the first Books of Remembrance, commemorating Canadian war dead in the First World War (now on display at St. Paul's Cathedral).

Career Lambart started at the National Film Board of Canada in the titling department, as a letterer, tasked with creating title cards for animations, alongside any other text involved in the films. Fortress Japan (1944), and several segments for the recurring weekly show The World in Action (1941-45).

In 1942, due to an ever-growing demand for animation, NFB commissioner John Grierson asked McLaren to form an animation unit and, in January 1943, 'Studio A' formally came into existence. Lambart was one of McLaren's first recruits and the first female animator hired by the board and is considered "First Lady of Canadian animation". It was an education film centered around explaining the concept of comparing 3D and 2D shapes. The film used maps and the globe as a way to explain the concept, as Lambart specialized in map animations. The film used a cutout grapefruit with the map of the world painted on it to visualize the distortion of illustrating a 3D map in 2D.

During her time at the National Film Board of Canada, Lambart also trained other animators; both Colin Low and Robert Verrall credited her with teaching them their animation skills. She collaborated with Low on The Challenge (1950), an educational film centered around educating the audience on the effects and mystery surrounding cancer and how leading medical professionals aim to treat and prevent the disease. Lambart and Lows contribution to the film included extensive animated sequences of how the various cells in the body are affected by the cancer cells.

Begone Dull Care (1949) During her career at the National Film Board of Canada, Lambart was a part of many films, perhaps her most celebrated contribution being 1949's Begone Dull Care, a film she edited, co-directed, and co-animated with her National Film Board of Canada colleague, Norman McLaren. While many attribute the notoriety of the film to the more popular McLaren, Lambarts contributions remain relevant to the success of the film. The experimental film was shot using sheets of celluloid that were marked and scratched by McLaren. The marked sheets of celluloid were paired alongside a score from Canadian jazz musician Oscar Peterson. McLaren and Lambarts visuals served as a visual representation of the music, which aimed to match the experimental visual style with the highs and the lows of the jazz performance.

Begone Dull Care serves as one of the most celebrated Canadian films, winning six international film prizes within the first five years of its release.

Filmography The Main Dish - documentary short, 1943, co-animator Fortress Japan - documentary short, 1944, co-animator The World in Action - documentary short, 1941-45, co-animator Story of a Violin - documentary short, Jacques Bobet 1947 - co-animator with Norman McLaren The Impossible Map - documentary short, 1947 - animator, director Begone Dull Care - experimental short, 1949 - editor, co-animator and co-director with Norman McLaren Family Tree - animated short, 1950 - co-director and co-animator with George Dunning Challenge: Science Against Cancer - documentary short, Morten Parker 1950 - co-animator with Colin Low The Fight: Science Against Cancer - documentary short, Morten Parker 1950 - co-animator with Colin Low The Outlaw Within - documentary short, Morten Parker 1951 - co-animator with Colin Low Now is the Time - experimental, Norman McLaren 1951 - co-producer Around Is Around - experimental short, Norman McLaren 1951 - co-animator with Norman McLaren Sing a Little - animated short, Tom Daly 1951 - co-animator with Jean-Paul Ladouceur O Canada - experimental short, 1952 - animator, director The Maple Leaf - documentary short, J.V. Durden 1955 - co-animator with Robert Verrall The Colour of Life - documentary short, J.V. Durden 1955 - co-animator with Robert Verrall Rythmetic - animated short, 1956 - photography, co-director and co-animator with Norman McLaren Putting It Straight - documentary short, William Greaves 1957 - co-animator with Sidney Goldsmith A Chairy Tale - experimental short, Norman McLaren and Claude Jutra 1957 - animator Le Merle - animated short, Norman McLaren 1958 - co-animator with Norman McLaren Short and Suite - experimental short, 1959 - co-animator with Norman McLaren Lines: Vertical - experimental short, 1960 - co-animator and co-director with Norman McLaren] Les femmes parmi nous - La dignité - documentary short, Jacques Bobet 1961 - co-animator with Arthur Lipsett Les femmes parmi nous - Le bonheur - documentary short, Jacques Bobet 1961 - co-animator with Arthur Lipsett Lines: Horizontal - experimental short, 1962 - co-animator and co-director with Norman McLaren Mosaic - experimental short, 1965 - co-animator and co-director with Norman McLaren The Hoarder - animated short, 1969 - animator, director The Embryonic Development of Fish - documentary short, J.V. Durden 1961 - animator Fine Feathers - animated short, 1968 - animator, director Paradise Lost - animated short, 1970 - animator, director The Story of Christmas - animated short, 1974 - animator, director Mr. Frog Went A-Courting - animated short, 1974 - animator, director The Lion and the Mouse - animated short, 1976 - animator, director The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse - animated short, 1980 - animator, director

Awards

Begone Dull Care (1949) Venice Film Festival, Venice: First Prize, Art Films, 1950 2nd Canadian Film Awards, Ottawa: Special Award, Experimentation, 1950 Salerno Film Festival, Salerno, Italy: Honourable Mention, Miscellaneous Film, 1950 Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin: Silver Medal, Documentary Short Film, 1951 American Federation of Arts and Film Advisory Center Film Festival, Woodstock, New York: Best Experimental Film, 1952 Durban International Film Festival, Durban: First Place, Silver Medal, Experimental, 1954

Family Tree (1950) Salerno Film Festival, Salerno: First Prize – Grand Award, Best of All Entries, 1951 3rd Canadian Film Awards, Ottawa: Special Award for Outstanding Animation and Musical Score, 1951 Rapallo International Film Festival, Rapallo: Second Prize, Art Films, 1957

Now is the Time (1951) 4th Canadian Film Awards, Special Award for Experimental Filmmaking, 1952 (with Around Is Around)

Around Is Around (1951) BFI London Film Festival, London: Nominee: Best Animation, 1957 4th Canadian Film Awards, Special Award for Experimental Filmmaking, 1952 (with Now is the Time)

Rythmetic (1956) 6th Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin: Silver Bear, Short Films, 1956 Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh: Diploma of Merit, 1956 Rapallo International Film Festival, Rapallo, Italy: First Prize, Abstract Films, 1957 International Review of Specialized Cinematography, Rome: Diploma of Honour, 1957 Chicago Festival of Contemporary Arts, University of Illinois Chicago: First Prize 1957 Golden Reel International Film Festival, Film Council of America, New York: Silver Reel Award, Avant-Garde and Experimental, 1957 Durban International Film Festival, Durban: Certificate of Merit, 1957 Johannesburg International Film Festival, Johannesburg: Certificate of Merit, 1957

Lines: Vertical (1960) Venice Film Festival, Venice: First Prize, Experimental, 1960 BFI London Film Festival, London: Outstanding Film of the Year for Presentation, 1960 Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh: Diploma of Merit, 1960 CIDALC Festival of Music and Dance in Film, Valencia: First Prize, 1961 13th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Best Film, Arts and Experimental, 1961

Mosaic (1965) Vancouver International Film Festival, Vancouver: Certificate of Merit, 1965 FIBA International Festival of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires: First Prize, 1966 Melbourne Film Festival, Melbourne: First Prize, 1966 American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1966 Calvin Workshop Awards, Kansas City, Missouri: Notable Film Award, 1966

The Hoarder (1969) International Festival of Films for Children and Young Adults, Tehran: Plaque and Diploma, 1970 FIBA International Festival of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires: Honorable Mention, Animation, 1970 Tisquesusa Dorado International Festival of Short Films, Bogotá: Best Animated Film, 1971 American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1971

Paradise Lost (1970) National Educational Media Network Competition, Oakland, California: Don Fabun Award for Film as Art, 1972