Suzanne Baker

Suzanne Dale Baker (born 1939) is an Australian film producer, print and television journalist, writer, historian, and feminist. In 1977, she became the first Australian woman to win an Academy Award, winning for the animated short film Leisure in the category Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Early life and education Suzanne Dale Baker was born in England in 1939, while her Australian parents were visiting that country. Her parents were New Zealand-born writer and philologist Sidney J. Baker (best known as the author of The Australian Language, a work that was highly praised by America's H. L. Mencken in The American Language) and his first wife Sally Baker (née Eena Dale Young), who separated when Baker was seven When she was twelve, her mother married Lindsay Clinch, a newspaper editor. but left school at age 15. at the 49th Academy Awards, presented in 1977. The award was accepted on her behalf by the presenter, Marty Feldman.

In 1978, Baker led a television crew to China to make the five-part documentary series The Human Face of China, which was released worldwide in 1980. She also wrote the accompanying book. as a mature age student, completing an honours degree in history in 2006. The book was optioned for a movie by Tree Productions (producer Brian Rosen). The screenplay (working title The Musician) is by Joan Sauers and the movie was slated for release in late 2020, the year of the 75th anniversary of Musica Viva.

Filmography 1965: On Being a Sheila 1967: A Bird's Eye View 1975: Sister, If You Only Knew 1975: A Say in Your Community with the Australian Assistance plan 1976: Leisure 1979: The Human Face of China (five-part documentary series) 1979: Saturday 1983: The Weekly's War 1984: After the Flood 1986: Land of Hope (10-part TV series)

Awards

1977: Academy Award, Best Animated Short Film, for Leisure 1980: Henry Lawson Award, for The Human Face of China 2019: Member of the Order of Australia (AM)