Martine Chartrand

Martine Chartrand (born 1962) is a Haitian Canadian filmmaker, visual artist and teacher. She practices a paint-on-glass animation technique to create her films. Throughout Chartrand's career, she has been involved with numerous films and has made three animated shorts which have been exhibited across Canada and internationally. Her films often deal with social and cultural issues relating to Black culture and Black history.

Biography Early years Born in 1962, Chartrand was adopted and raised in Montreal, Quebec. She graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1986 and earned a certificate in Arts Education at UQAM in 1988. After graduating she began making a living by creating poster graphics and giving workshops in exhibitions across Canada and Europe. Before becoming involved in animation, Chartrand worked as a painter and illustrator. In 1986, Chartrand became working as a layout and colour artist. She joined the National Film Board officially as a colour artist, assisting Pierre M. Trudeau during the shooting of Enfantillages (1990). She then collaborated on Jours de plaine (1990), co-directed by Réal Bérard and André Leduc.

Professional career Chartrand is frequently invited as a lecturer for conferences, master classes, and art workshops worldwide. She guides artists and shares the techniques involved in creating paint-on-glass animation.

In 1994, Chartrand was given advanced courses in paint-on-glass animation by Alexander Petrov. A painstaking process which involves years of painting thousands of paintings and filming them frame by frame to create a fluid motion.

Chartrand is the subject of the documentary Finding Macpherson (2014), directed by Serge Giguère, which follows the artistic processes she undertook in order to create her short film MacPherson (2012). It also draws parallels between Chartrand and Frank Randolph Macpherson, as she traces her Haitian heritage through the film.

Artistic style Paint-on-glass animation style involves the manipulation of wet media to create animated films. The artist's paints are moved around the glass which is placed directly under a camera. When filmed frame-by-frame, the images blend and give the illusion of merging and melting into each successive frame. The end result is a fluid sense of movement which creates a painterly effect.

Filmography Short films

Awards Special Jury Commendation International Animation Festival, September 30 to October 4, 1992, Ottawa - Canada Award for Best Direction Black International Cinema I.U.S.B., May 23, 1993, Berlin - Germany Golden Bear - Category: Short Film International Film Festival, February 7 to 18 2001, Berlin - Germany Best Animated Short Award International Film Festival, February 27 to March 3, 2002, Santa Barbara - USA First Prize (Short Film) Montreal World Film Festival, August 23 to September 3, 2012, Montréal - Canada